Mr. Magazine

Just came back from Helsinki. My first stop was (of course a newsstand) at the Detroit Airport. Two things stopped me, both National Geographic and Time magazine share the same cover story. I guess great editors think alike. Walked a little bit more towards my gate and received my first welcome back surprise. A different cover of National Geographic at another newsstand stopped me. Same story but different cover within a few feet. (It seems that more than one distributor serves the Detroit Airport). My second surprise was that the covers of the magazines were not the same as their European edition covers that I bought in Amsterdam. I perfectly understand that the technology makes it easier for us to deliver relevant content to relevant audiences in relevant locations. So the decision of Time to have a story on European Soccer was perfectly understandable. But when I look at the cover story of the National Geographic European edition on India, I have to ask myself the question, how is a cover story on India more relevant to Europe than the story of America’s birth. All three insides of National Geographic are the same. There were no major changes inside National Geographic like those inside Time magazine. One thing I give credit to the National Geographic folks: they managed to confuse me here and abroad with this cover strategy. Please explain the relevance of having two different covers here, and of using India as the European cover story instead of either of the American covers. On the other hand, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the direction Time magazine has taken since its revamp, and I can completely understand and expect the different covers of their overseas editions with their different content. The story of split covers will continue…

I just gave a keynote speech at the Finnish Periodical Publishers Association in Helsinki. The title of my speech was “Are magazines relevant in tomorrow’s marketplace?” The simple answer for the question was YES. The more detailed presentation followed this outline: 1. Journalists and reporters are not the readers. 2. Journalist should remain in charge in order to create Good Relevant Content to a Relevant Audience via the Relevant Medium. 3. Each and every member of your society may become your freelance informer, but he or she is NOT the trained expert or journalist. 4. The Smart One Shop Stop media company will be involved in all media, yet they have to provide different content in different departments (you do not want to buy your dress from the cafeteria in the store, although both items are in the store). 5. Good Content will remain King and Queen, based on four basic elements: good reporting, good writing, good editing and a good sense of news judgment, regardless of the medium. 6. Good design will help Good content, but Good design will NEVER help BAD content. In short, focus on the readers’ needs, wants and desires and not on your colleagues’ view of you or on the awards you may win for your work.

The blogs are uniting magazine lovers from all over the world. Last week when I wrote about Rosie, the new Swedish magazine, the folks at vassaeggen filled in the blanks for me… The same happens all the time with the German Slanted blog and the British blogs that are listed on my blogroll. The latest magazine blog comes from The Netherlands (via my friend Jeremy’s Mag Culture blog in England) and it is called Bladblog. It joins another blog I am very familiar with in Holland aimed at Customer Media. It is a shame that, I for one, can’t speak or read most of these languages, however, the illustrations and pictures that are posted on the blogs will give you quite a good idea about how vibrant our magazine world is. Unite, look, and you don’t have to read to enjoy.