Hi Everyone...
How's it going? I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on our e-zine guest speaker. I thought she was really great and her business model is just a part of the brilliance the web is bringing out of the media. The fact that she's alumni should also be really encouraging.
At any rate, my ears perked up when she mentioned one of her competitors charges up to 150K for an online ad run of a dedicated email........ I thought that was completely bananas! How amazing is that to get paid so much for a few taps on the keyboard.
Earlier this week I had a meeting with an editor from NY based lifestyle e-zine (electronic magazine). We've been corresponding via email and they've asked me to submit some pitches to them for LA stories.
The meeting did not go at all as I expected...at least on the surface. I thought she'd be staying with some friends in LA and we'd meet up at starbucks....where we'd each buy our own coffee and she'd tell me about the 200 people that read her site and explain how she wouldn't be able to pay me at first..yada...yada..yada..
Quite contrary, we met poolside a luxurious hollywood hotel...where she and her staff were staying (all in separate rooms.) She couldn't say enough about their growing subscriber base, currently about five HUNDRED thousand worldwide ....and how well they are able to pay their writers for quality stories. She even asked me if I wanted to stick around for a massage. I had to take a raincheck on that....but needless to say I was impressed.
I'm thinking...first of all; since when do online magazines PAY their writers? You would think most of the new online magazines were working out of a garage somewhere...and encouraging people to write for "exposure." It's a cute site... but I had no idea it was a full out full time career for the editor and her 4 person staff. Obviously the online world is changing(for the better). Apparently these sites are becoming more and more mainstream and with their low overhead it appears they're growing more profitably than ever.
The popularity of e magazines are bound to have some effect mainstream media and traditional advertising. Instead of a multi channel sales models like stores and ecommerce counterparts, magazines are now becoming multi channel media models. Every major magazine has a website...everything from luckymag.com, to style.com (the home of vogue and w). Then there's the pure play models like thetipjar.com, dailycandy.com and julib.com who are working on almost a pure profit platform compared to the cost of printing and distribution. p.s. do you all remember what "pure play is?" it will be on the final...but I digress...
Ok, so I'll get to the point....I need your opinions. Do you all think that an online magazine website supports the physical magazine in the same way an ecommerce website would support its brick and mortar counterpart? The major reasons that we've learned that people don't shop online is because of shipping charges and the inability to see and touch/try on the product. Also, we've learned commodities with standard specifications like (cd's and electronics) and digitized content (such as itunes and e books) are the web's top sellers. All things considered what are your thoughts?
In a multi channel media model ex. lucky and luckymag.com do they still work together to support each other? Or, would one be satisfied with reading luckymag.com and forgoing the subscription...since you really don't need to touch/feel a magazine...or do you? Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free, right?
What are your thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of having a magazine website and a physical magazine? Do they compete too heavily or cannibalize each other? Also do these or how can these magazines use their sites to support the physical counterpart and total business?
Thanks for posting your thoughts....very curious to hear what you think.... One paragraph on any of the above points is fine...I'm sure this will be a fruitful discussion.
R Harvey
14 comments:
I think have online magazines are great. I love that it's not using paper. You can just read it online. But on the other hand I love to feel, touch,and smell when I get my magazines. I sit down and just relax. I guess when my favarite magizines come I make it an event. When looking at online ones I just dont get as excited.
I am not sure if I like the idea of online magazines because I like to physically touch them. I enjoy bring my magazines to school and work to read them on my breaks. I get headaches reading a lot on my computer but I do like to read the top stories on the news cause it's quick and easy. I think it would be great for the environment though because I think that we waste way too much paper.
I have to say that i agree with cventura and markie! Having an online mag. is environmentally friendly, but I love to bring my mag. with me! I dont think that two mags, meaning one on paper and one online, canabalizes eachother, infact it just ads more credibility and they promote eachother! One thing that is a plus with online mags is that there are no pg. #'s, so its alot quicker! But heres a thought, there is less advertising in online mag sites, is it a new market to be tapped into more frequently? Does it make viewing the mag. more enjoyable?
rharvey, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to comment on our blog posts! I just realized that you did that, that must take forever! anyway, its personable and sweet, so i just wanted to say thank you!
I agree Markie and Kristen and Christa...Great Comments Girls...You all are really on the right track. Analytical thinkers..I love it!
Anywhoo...I'm with you I lovveeee my magazines...I put them under my coffee tables and I tear out things that I like for marketing concepts etc. I do think they support each other as well. At times the magazines will say go to luckymag.com or go to style.com to do something or the other. It helps them build a database; one of the most important things in online marketing and marketing in general.
Oh and Markie I couldn't agree more...after looking at the computer all day for work or research it's fun to relax with a magazine. The advertising makes more of an impact on me as well because I can sit an look at it without getting a migraine.
To my new bloggers do you all think online or paper magazine advertising has more of an impact???? Join the conversation. This is fun!
I believe E-zines can be really useful, but it will take a while for consumers to truly embrace them. Part of the enjoyment of reading a magazine is the mobility it has. Being able to throw it in your purse, and catching up with it at any given time. When we resort to only online mags, we must sit there and read it and most likely if we are on the internet there is more distractions. But a point that comes up again and again is the senses. We especially as women like to touch, flip pages, smell the advertisement, and keep a physical inventory on hand for references. I think this idea could work better for different categories of magazines such as Consumer Reports, Time, and ones that provide similar information that the internet also offers.
As for a website replacing the existing mag, I don't think you get all the information on the site. I think they are there to tease you about what is in the current issue, and the upcoming issues.
But I can't lie, I did just buy a subscription to Nylon mag online for a $1.99 for a year, this way I still get the free email updates, and get to look at the mag. But I couldn't see myself not purchasing a physical copy to occupy my times between traffic and doctors appt. This is where e-zines will lack. I believe E-zines can be really useful, but it will take a while for consumers to truly embrace them. Part of the enjoyment of reading a magazine is the mobility it has. Being able to throw it in your purse, and catching up with it at any given time. When we resort to only online mags, we must sit there and read it and most likely if we are on the internet there is more distractions. But a point that comes up again and again is the senses. We especially as women like to touch, flip pages, smell the advertisement, and keep a physical inventory on hand for references. I think this idea could work better for different categories of magazines such as Consumer Reports, Time, and ones that provide similar information that the internet also offers.
As for a website replacing the existing mag, I don't think you get all the information on the site. I think they are there to tease you about what is in the current issue, and the upcoming issues.
But I can't lie, I did just buy a subscription to Nylon mag online for a $1.99 for a year, this way I still get the free email updates, and get to look at the mag. But I couldn't see myself not purchasing a physical copy to occupy my times between traffic and doctors appt. This is where e-zines will lack.
id rather flip through magazines,but i only check out catalogs and sunday ads online, like bestbuys or frys, i actually like reading magazines and ive checked a few out online and i normally get distracted by all the hyperlinks when i turn the pages.
I think that having a online channel to an existing paper mag, is really helpful. I do love having my magazine at breaks times were I usually dont want to be in front of a computer. Though having the ability to serch them online may create more interest, may led to subscribing and so on.
i feel that the whole magazine experience is fulfilled when you are actually able to physically hold the magazine and flip through it. when looking online at the magazine, i feel that it is like going to any website. you can go to an entertainment website for that. the magazine gains more attention and interest from me when i`m actually reading THE MAGAZINE. however, although i feel that the physical magazine has more of an effect over the website, what the website does have an advantage over is the clickable links. when people see ads, or and item that they like on the online magazine, they can click the link and go directly there.
Personally, I feel that an e-zine does not do the magazine justice. I am kind into the whole celeb gossip thing so I visit the People Magazine website every now and then and I think that for the mopst part some of the information covers the magazine but its the whole experrience of flipping through the magazine that I miss. Yes, I can sit there and click the mouse, but it seems to kust go by so fast. I don't get the same experience and thats the part I like. Ultimately, I end up buying the magazine.
Do you guys have any thoughts about the impact of ezine advertising. Anyone looking into that for the project?
i think that online magazines are wonderful... but, looking at a magazine with all the colors and shiny sleek pages is one of my favorite pass times. I dont think that i will ever get away from a good magazine. But, as others mentioned it does say paper, and i am all for saving the trees. I think i could be torn on this one.
This is Christine Cisneros. I don't think that an online magazine can be compared to a physical one because I love to read a magazine and cut out pics and you can't do that online. I think for me it's the whole experience of opening it up and looking at it, is what I love about it.
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