It’s Dying. Accept it.
Posted by John Park on Oct 2nd, 2011
2011
Oct 2
I just received a Groupon email letting me know that I could subscribe to Vogue for $8. If I took advantage of this offer, I would receive in the mail 12 beautiful, full color issues of Vogue for just $8. After Groupon takes their 50%, Vogue gets $4.
A few months back, I visited the web site of a notable advertising industry publication. To subscribe, I would have to pay over $50 a year. I passed. Instead, I just decided to opt in to their email newsletter. About a week ago, I started to receive the physical copy of the publication in the mail for free. I didn’t pay a cent but they decided to start mailing them to me.
The magazine publishers are up against the wall. The above scenarios are two small examples of a desperate industry. If their content is so valuable, why I am I receiving them for free or practically for free? Not only did I get it for free, I am receiving them at their cost.
The answer is simple.
It is more valuable for them to tout a larger subscriber base than to actually care about what their publications are being bought for. It all funnels down to how many subscribers they can tout or claim to their potential advertisers.
This is not a new occurrence. It has been happening for years but true desperation is rearing its ugly head for the first time.
Ladies and gentlemen. PRINT IS DYING.
Don’t advertise in it. Don’t pay for it. Don’t invest in it.
If you are a magazine publisher, place ALL your resources towards digitization. Accept reality. Do you really believe that my 5 year old boy will buy a magazine for entertainment and information when he turns 18?
