By Marian Haggard
In the age of digital content, while the question of whether print is either dead or maybe dying, magazines seem to be doing just fine. With many forecasts in the publishing industry being rife with doom and gloom, there has been a bit of a mini renaissance, specifically with the magazine.
That doesn't mean there haven’t been some “deaths”--MacWorld just shut down its print edition[1] which was launched on the same day as the first Macintosh back in 1984. And Vibe magazine,[2] owned by Spin Media also just recently died.
To counter these losses (and many others, in truth), there have been some major launches as well. Woman, the Time Inc. UK brand, just created a spin-off titled Woman Fashion, and Hearst launched two new magazines this year—one a free New York fashion weekly titled Trending NY[3] and another titled Elle Wedding. In news just out, DC Thomson, a leading media organization in the UK, went even bigger, launching an official printing arm called Discovery Print, which is “is tasked with growing the company’s contract print portfolio.[4]”
Some of the internet’s big fashion sites such as style.com,[5] asos.com,[6] and netaporter.com[7] have also decided print isn't dead and are now publishing magazines. Responding to an overabundance of online material by using traditional media to refresh the parts of their businesses that other solutions just can’t reach, these companies seem to be saying that they understand that not everyone is a techie, and that the “old ways” aren’t necessarily gone.
As further proof that not all magazines are dying, there a few who just keep going and going, one of which is Bowlers Journal International, which just celebrated 100 years in print this past December. Also, it seems that some well-connected New Yorkers think that glossy, start-up magazines have become the latest status symbols.[8] According to the Wall Street Journal article there is not only a gap in the publishing world, but a hunger for the type of magazines that many had growing up.
And then there’s Ikea. In a recent campaign they take it one step further—not only are they still producing their large catalog on paper, this time they decided to almost flaunt it. As Adweek[9] says:
The well-written campaign, by BBH Asia Pacific, invites you to “experience the power of a book” and rediscover “the original touch interface.” Amazing features include “eternal battery life” and pages that “load instantly, with zero lag.” As the charmingly goofy on-screen narrator says: “It’s not a digital book, or an e-book. It’s a bookbook tm.”
So while there is no denying that the digital impact on print has been—and will continue to be—extreme, this author feels that print will never die—just whimper a bit, pause to consider its options, then shake itself off and figure out a new way of dealing with the market. Magazines will definitely suffer, as have books and newspapers, but they will persevere due to the enduring power and nostalgic quality of print.
[1] See http://www.cultofmac.com/295258/macworld-magazine-closes-shop-30-years-print/
[2] See http://www.mtv.com/news/1615037/vibe-magazine-folds/
[3] See http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/hearst-tries-to-trend-7843186
[4] See http://www.dcthomson.co.uk/media/dc-thomson-launches-discovery-print.
[5] See http://www.style.com/magazine/
[6] See http://us.asos.com/magazine/#!edition/com.asos.magazine.oct2014.en-us/article/com.asos.magazine.oct2014.index.en-us
[7] See http://www.net-a-porter.com/magazine/264/contents
[8] See http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303796404579097684057624324?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303796404579097684057624324.html
[9] See http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-ikea-hilariously-pitches-its-2015-catalog-cutting-edge-technology-159846#.VAfcrIl9-PU.twitter
In the age of digital content, while the question of whether print is either dead or maybe dying, magazines seem to be doing just fine. With many forecasts in the publishing industry being rife with doom and gloom, there has been a bit of a mini renaissance, specifically with the magazine.
That doesn't mean there haven’t been some “deaths”--MacWorld just shut down its print edition[1] which was launched on the same day as the first Macintosh back in 1984. And Vibe magazine,[2] owned by Spin Media also just recently died.
To counter these losses (and many others, in truth), there have been some major launches as well. Woman, the Time Inc. UK brand, just created a spin-off titled Woman Fashion, and Hearst launched two new magazines this year—one a free New York fashion weekly titled Trending NY[3] and another titled Elle Wedding. In news just out, DC Thomson, a leading media organization in the UK, went even bigger, launching an official printing arm called Discovery Print, which is “is tasked with growing the company’s contract print portfolio.[4]”
Some of the internet’s big fashion sites such as style.com,[5] asos.com,[6] and netaporter.com[7] have also decided print isn't dead and are now publishing magazines. Responding to an overabundance of online material by using traditional media to refresh the parts of their businesses that other solutions just can’t reach, these companies seem to be saying that they understand that not everyone is a techie, and that the “old ways” aren’t necessarily gone.
As further proof that not all magazines are dying, there a few who just keep going and going, one of which is Bowlers Journal International, which just celebrated 100 years in print this past December. Also, it seems that some well-connected New Yorkers think that glossy, start-up magazines have become the latest status symbols.[8] According to the Wall Street Journal article there is not only a gap in the publishing world, but a hunger for the type of magazines that many had growing up.
And then there’s Ikea. In a recent campaign they take it one step further—not only are they still producing their large catalog on paper, this time they decided to almost flaunt it. As Adweek[9] says:
The well-written campaign, by BBH Asia Pacific, invites you to “experience the power of a book” and rediscover “the original touch interface.” Amazing features include “eternal battery life” and pages that “load instantly, with zero lag.” As the charmingly goofy on-screen narrator says: “It’s not a digital book, or an e-book. It’s a bookbook tm.”
So while there is no denying that the digital impact on print has been—and will continue to be—extreme, this author feels that print will never die—just whimper a bit, pause to consider its options, then shake itself off and figure out a new way of dealing with the market. Magazines will definitely suffer, as have books and newspapers, but they will persevere due to the enduring power and nostalgic quality of print.
[1] See http://www.cultofmac.com/295258/macworld-magazine-closes-shop-30-years-print/
[2] See http://www.mtv.com/news/1615037/vibe-magazine-folds/
[3] See http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/hearst-tries-to-trend-7843186
[4] See http://www.dcthomson.co.uk/media/dc-thomson-launches-discovery-print.
[5] See http://www.style.com/magazine/
[6] See http://us.asos.com/magazine/#!edition/com.asos.magazine.oct2014.en-us/article/com.asos.magazine.oct2014.index.en-us
[7] See http://www.net-a-porter.com/magazine/264/contents
[8] See http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303796404579097684057624324?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303796404579097684057624324.html
[9] See http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-ikea-hilariously-pitches-its-2015-catalog-cutting-edge-technology-159846#.VAfcrIl9-PU.twitter