Mr. Magazine

Neil Morton, editor-in-chief and associate publisher of 2 magazine (the one from up north and not the U.S. [2] magazine, click here to refresh your memory) expanded a little bit on what I wrote about their usage of ads on the cover flap. He expalined to me via e-mail their cover flap program. Here it goes, “Yes, we’re one of only (few) magazines to my knowledge doing this in North America. Advertisers have loved it; aside from CK on current cover, we’ve had RBC (Royal Bank of Canada), Lipton Tea and FujiFilm, and an insurance company next issue. We’re trying to think outside the box, offer advertisers more creative ways to engage readers in magazines. We also do product integration promotions in the mag, including a popular Couple Makeover each issue — and we’ve recently introduced a web TV version of that.” They are indeed thinking outside of the box.

“Why Content Drives Our Future as a Business,” was the title of the speech that Evan Smith, editor of Texas Monthly magazine, gave this afternoon at Morris Communications Company in Augusta, GA. Evan joined Texas Monthly 15 years ago and ascended to the editor’s job seven years ago. I met Evan for the first time in the early 90s. He was a student of my friend Abe Peck at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern. He impressed me then and he continues to impress me now. He was able to make a good magazine great and continues to do so. In his speech he gave the 10 elements that matter to create a great magazine. Here they are, in the order he presented them.
1. Better covers
2. Compelling storytelling
3. Public interest journalism
4. Great profiles
5. Provocative essays
6. The very best service journalism
7. Non-traditional narratives
8. Nerve
9. Humor, and
10. Self-awareness
If you want to understand fully the meaning and the implementation of the above, pick up a copy of Texas Monthly and it will be all clear to you. Yes, I said pick up a copy, any copy and you will not go wrong. Evan Smith has the passion for the industry and for the magazine he edits, and it shows. If we have more of the likes of Evan Smith, our industry will be in great hands. Thank you Evan, on a job well done.

The April cover of Wired was definitely a very creative cover that raised more than one-eye brow. Art directors loved it, journalist praised it and branded it innovative, yet it seems readers had a completely different reaction. In the June issue the editors wrote about the readers’ comments, “Your criticism stings, but it makes you look, you know, evolved: As always, your standards are impeccably high. When you pick up Wired, you expect something that appeals to what’s in your head, not what’s in your pants. Which, we like to think, is mostly what you get.” I wonder which was more insulting to the readers, the transparent cover or the “transparent” comments from the editors responding to their readers’ comments? Just another example that we (editors, writers, designers, etc. are NOT the readers). To read my detailed comments on this subject click here.

“Tab Wars: Breaking News or Faking News?” is the headline of the story written by Blair Soden on the ABC News website. The editor in Chief of US Weekly, Janice Min, and yours truly, Samir Husni, offer opposing answers to Ms. Soden’s questions regarding the so called “weekly celebrity magazine” field. I, for one, call these magazines GOSSIP weeklies, Ms. Min refers to hers as CELEBRITY weekly. Read the whole article here and share your comments.

At least that is the message I get from Ladies’ Home Journal’s June issue. The magazine has opted to spare its readers from Dr. Phil on this month’s cover in all the copies sold at Wal-Mart. The Wal-Mart readers are treated to a special cover celebrating “The heart & soul of country” plus “included with purchase” Volume 1 of “Crazy for Country” music CD containing songs by the likes of Vince Gill and Reba McEntire. Of course the confusing thing for readers is that if they walk across the street from Wal-Mart, and visit their Kroger supermarket, the ever-smiling Dr. Phil will greet them on the cover of the same magazine. Would readers be confused and question whether it’s the same magazine or not? I am sure they will. I do not think that when you have mass circulation magazines such as Ladies’ Home Journal it is fair to treat the Wal-Mart chain differently than the rest of the retailers, and to add salt to injury, confuse the readers. I think it is about time for our magazine publishers to start treating all their customers the same. It should make no difference whether I buy my magazine from Wal-Mart, Kroger or Seven-Eleven I should at least get the same cover… if you want to give me a bonus for purchasing at a specific store, that is fine. However changing the magazine to cater to a specific store is where I draw the line. It is more than OK to decide to sell your magazine in one store or chain; All You magazine is doing a great job selling only at Wal-Mart. However if Wal-Mart is going to start asking magazines for exclusive covers and gifts, the next thing they will do is ask for exclusive content. Editors beware! Wal-Mart is not known for drawing the line if they can sell more products. Today they will ask for the cover, tomorrow the ???

Be prepared for a shock when you cross the border between the United States and its neighbor to the north, Canada. Whether you are entering or existing, if you are a fan of 2 magazine, yes that is the name of a magazine, well make that two magazines, there are quite a few differences between our 2 and their 2. Both magazines are aimed at couples, both are named 2, and both are printed in Canada, but that’s where all the similarities end. Our 2 (click here) is aimed at same sex couples and is heavy on photography, and their 2 (click here) is aimed at opposite sex couples and is less dependent on photography. So be careful which magazine you will ask for, as if the cover does not give them away. And talking about covers, the Canadian 2 offers an ad right on the cover flap that has a coupon for a sample of cologne and perfume for him and her. One of the few times I’ve seen such open integration between the cover and advertising…Most of the U.S. magazines, so far, have limited their ads to the back of the cover flap.