Printed Magazine Is Changing
The historical moment we’re currently living in is changing the world around us, including the magazine industry. People are bombarded by information but have less understanding, so they want somebody to explain, to curate, to vet, to provide a trustworthy conversation with them. What will the magazine industry look like? How the trends will shape the future of magazines? These are the questions that are often posed to magazine people.
Advertisers vanished. That’s why we’ve seen a shift in terms of the business model. A magazine that has been published for 20 years changed its circulation to quarterly with a cover price of $15.99. This is more than what you paid to get 12 issues when it was a monthly magazine. Magazines are going to focus much more on their audience and get away from the business of selling the audience to the advertiser. And instead, they will get back to selling content to the audience. But if magazines are only in the content-providing business, we’re dead, because there’s so much content out there. To survive, it must be an experience-making business that feels like an exchange between trusted friends.
The shift towards relying more on consumer revenue than advertising revenue is the new reality for magazines. We’re seeing it implemented more than ever before. But during the 2008 recession, magazine executives were saying we have to change the business model and be in the business of circulation and depending more on the consumer. Then the minute the economy started picking up, they went back to their old ways. But this time because of the magnitude of the impact it will be different, and because there are so many other outlets for advertisers like mobile media. Advertisers know how to reach their customers; they don’t need a third party to sell their stuff.
There’s a major change taking place, and whether it shifts to bookazines or quarterly magazines, there is less dependence on advertisers and more dependence on people reaching into their pockets and spending up to $15 for a magazine. So, the content of the magazine better be experience-making content that is timely yet timeless—it’s not going to make a difference whether we read the magazine today, tomorrow or next month. That’s where we’re going to be seeing the big change; magazines are going to be the only non-disposable media platform.
Bookazines are the future of magazines. From a content point of view maybe, but there is still a need for that continuous relationship with the audience. Magazines are love affairs and long-lasting relationships; people want that trusted friend more. Magazines are the original influencers. People used to say, “I saw this in Life Magazine,” or “I read this in Better Homes and Gardens.” It was the brand that carried that influence, and we need that. While bookazines are flooding the market, what’s helping us is that we’re learning that people are willing to pay for good content that they are interested in. So, there’s nothing wrong with us launching a quarterly mountain bike magazine like Beta, for example, which just came out with a cover price of $8. Niche publications like these are numerous, but they have the same goal in mind: we’m providing you with curated, vetted and trusted content, but you have to pay for it.
The magazine publishers have to accept the fact that print is here to stay, but also that print is changing; you can’t do the same magazine you did 10 years ago. There’s no problem with print because study after study shows us that people comprehend more, engage more and remember more with a printed product than digital. We don’t have a print problem; we have a business problem.
Some magazine media outlets are launching new ways to generate revenue, such as doing all kinds of membership deals that go beyond just getting a subscription to a magazine. The smart publishers are finding new ways to create revenue, but they are still using print as the base. Look at Us Weekly, they have a television program, podcasts and bookazines. But no matter what, the printed weekly edition is going to be with us so long as there is Us. We’ve never given up on print; We’ve given up on the traditional business model.(https://www.daowen.com)
If magazines see that print is the only non-disposal media we have now, they will realize that you can’t print it on tissue paper. You have to be very creative with the printing, and in terms of ensuring that when you get that magazine you’re paying $15 for, it better feel worth that amount of money. There are so many different ways we can print today, especially now with digital printing. We’re getting some magazines they print only 500 of, but they are collectable or collectibles. Some even have hardcovers. Printers should think out of the box, and they should think they are creating a luxury item. There is no such thing as a disposable item because the price is over $10. It’s not about cutting costs when it comes to printing. You are in the business of creating a collectible item.
Words & Expressions
bombard：狂轰滥炸
curate：管理
niche：小众的
tissue paper：薄纸，劣质纸张
collectible：收藏品