If creating nontraditional, out-of-the-box advertising opportunities is the window to the future for magazines, then Esquire magazine has already arrived there. For its February issue that was just sent out to subscribers and to newsstands, Esquire has invited its readers via an open invitation (literally) in the form of a window, located in the middle of the cover, to “Open here.”

When readers peek through that flap for the first time, they’ll find some unexpected, hidden gems: quotes from articles inside the issue and an advertisement. But it’s not just any ad. This one’s for a new series on the Discovery Channel, appropriately titled “One Way Out,” which happens to be a show about an escape artist and his adventures. In the ad, it shows the artist trapped inside the small space of the ad, with the window as his only possible way out.

According to the New York Times, Esquire charged the Discovery Channel about $250,000, which also included ad production costs, as well as a regular ad page inside the issue. The New York Times is also reporting that Esquire is considering another unconventional cover, this time creating a pull tab on the front for its June issue. And the advertiser we just may see after we peek inside? BMW of North America.

The funny thing is that February’s cover was not the brainchild of a famous New York ad agency. In fact, the concept and the idea came from Esquire’s editor-in-chief, David Granger. So much for the critics thinking that print is passé. Not so, according to Granger.  In a New York Times interview, Granger expressed his opinion; how he thinks print is still a viable and emerging channel, very much alive. “Everybody keeps talking about how print is an old medium,” Granger said, pausing before continuing: “It is an old medium, but it doesn't mean it's a wrung-out medium or a tired medium.”

It’s clear that Granger stands behind his words.

In October 2008, while celebrating the 75^th Anniversary of Esquire, Granger released a special edition of the magazine, with a cover containing electronic ink. The theme was titled "The 21st Century Begins Now," part of a 10-square-inch display containing a collage of illuminated images. The inside cover, a two-page spread, featured an ad for the new Ford Flex Crossover, which was part of a second 10-square-inch display, complete with shifting colors to illustrate the car in motion at night. The displays were developed by E Ink Corp., the same company that supplied the electronic paper technology for the screen of Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader.

Maybe Granger has it right when he insists that print is not “wrung-out” or “tired.” With the types of ads like the ones that Esquire has been experimenting with, perhaps it’s just the opposite of what the critics have been saying; that print is a thing of the past. Maybe print is now reenergizing itself, to be a necessary and important part of the future.

It’s that time of year when Time Magazine announces the best magazine covers of the past 365 days. This year, the winners are as bright and as bold, as funny and as serious, and as illuminating as the past year’s history.

 

Taking first place is The New Yorker for its cover on Nov. 17, an illustration by Bob Staake, that ran immediately after the presidential election showing the moon meticulously hollowed out to form an O — both in the magazine's name — and in the president-elect's — perfectly illuminating the Lincoln Memorial.  This cover is great, Time Magazine says, because “It doesn't do a victory dance. Rather, it whispers to the reader (the tribe): ‘Everything's okay now — we have our country back.’ It's set at night, a time when creepy things happen, but also a time when people sleep, safe and sound.” New York magazine takes second place for its cover on March 24, one that generated quite a buzz throughout the magazine world when it first came out, after word broke that New York governor Eliot Spitzer was linked to a call girl. New York hired conceptual artist Barbara Kruger to create the piece, which shoots an arrow and hits its intended target where it counts.  The Rolling Stone cover from July 10 featuring president-elect Barack Obama takes third this year, breaking the traditional rule that the best cover photos must make eye contact with the reader. A clean cover, with virtually no type except for the Rolling Stone logo, shows a more personal side to the candidate. Time Magazine says, “The carefully selected image, likely an outtake, tells the reader he's not just The One, he's one of us as well. Obama is responding to something, so there's a conversation going on, and his unguarded demeanor invites us in for a closer look.”  Entertainment Weekly’s cover from Oct. 3, which earned the number four title, was in response to the controversial New Yorker cover that portrayed Michelle and Barack Obama as evil fist-knocking terrorists. In the midst of The New Yorker trying to explain its choice and the meaning of satire to its harsh critics, Entertainment Weekly chimes in with its own cover subjects, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, who not only mocked the original New Yorker cover, but perhaps created even more noise than its predecessor—only this time with the sound of laughter. 

Number five goes to The Economist for its smoking cover on Feb. 23 of Fidel Castro’s legacy. What is that legacy, you ask? A cigar. That’s right. In this intelligent and ironic cover, Castro’s legacy has been reduced to nothing more than a picture of an extinguished cigar, which suggests that the only worthwhile thing that emerged from his years of rule is the respectable Cuban cigar. Time Magazine says, “The particular cigar depicted, the Cohiba, was long a perk given to members of the Cuban Communist government and was eventually released for sale to the general public — although not, of course, in the U.S. The Cohiba became the symbol of high-end cigar consumption the world over. It's the only thing Cuba produced, besides music, that the rest of the world wanted or needed.”

You can check out the other winners here, including Interview, Portfolio, Los Angeles, The Virginia Quarterly Review and a mad Mad cover that will have you laughing, well, Madly.

Don’t be surprised if you no longer see stunned prizewinners peering out their living room windows when one of the most recognizable vans pulls down a suburban street somewhere in America. Why, you ask? Because Publishers Clearing House has just announced that it’s moving to social media sweepstakes. That’s right. Wave good-bye to the days of the Prize Patrol handing over balloons and life-size checks to screaming families jumping for joy, and click hello to Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, where users will need to log on, sign up and see if they happen to be the big prize winners.

In an effort to reach a younger audience and try and gain some good publicity (remember the fiasco back in ‘90s when lawsuits were flying, accusing Publishers Clearing House of using deceptive advertising, a famous scandal involving many states?), PCH has decided to reinvent itself by going digital, even giving participants a shot at winning prizes, gift certificates and jackpots on its own Web site, where contestants can play PCHLotto, PCHGames or PCHQuiz4Cash. And PCH still remains a huge magazine subscription acquisition source.

It seems PCH wants to change its image so it can hang with the younger crowd. But, many of those who follow Twitter, and who have more than 200 friends on Facebook, may not have ever heard of this famous direct-mail company. But PCH does dangle the carrot in front of them, especially by offering prizes ranging from $100 to $2,500, a nice chunk of change to perhaps buy a new iPhone with.

According to the official Google Blog there will be one more thing for consumers to flip for in the magazine world.

 

If you’ve ever wondered about the making of “The Cotton Club” or who were the new faces that popped up in ‘81, the answer may sitting at your fingertips with a simple search, thanks to Google’s latest ambitious effort to advance its long-standing goal of “providing access to all the world’s information.”

 

In a move to bring both current and past issues of magazines online, Google is moving forward yet again, announcing just last week that it will form partnerships with publishers and begin digitizing articles from a range of magazines including New York Magazine, Men’s Health and Popular Mechanics. This is good news for consumers who can view articles in full-color and who can also catch a glimpse of a retro hairstyle or snapshot of a vintage BMW in the many ads that are included, making select magazine titles complete, just like their glossy paper counterparts. In a matter of seconds, users can view magazine articles by using Google Book Search and can restrict searches to just magazine titles and dates by using the Advanced Book Search, located within Google Book Search.

 

“Over time, as we scan more articles, you'll see more and more magazines appear in Google Book Search results,” the Google Blog says. “Eventually, we'll also begin blending magazine results into our main Google.com search results, so you may begin finding magazines you didn't even know you were looking for.” Publishers may be able to cash in on the deal too. The Associated Press says that Google will be providing a link back to the participating magazine publisher’s Web site and will be giving each publisher a cut of the revenue that’s expected to be generated. But how this revenue is going to be generated is still not clear.

 

While this may turn out to be a win-win situation for Google, and the magazine publishers, we'll have to wait and see just how copyright issues will affect these new efforts, especially in light of Google’s recent $125 million dollar settlement with authors and publishers in the case involving the Author's Guild and the Association of American Publishers. But for now, it’s safe to say that Google has given magazines a half shot of caffeine and a potential other revenue stream that will hopefully energize the industry.

With a group of assistants at her beck and call, and an unstoppable savvy management team that the fiercest dogs in Hollywood can’t touch, Britney is once again armed with the ammunition she needs to rise through the ranks of her personal troubles, where, just earlier this year, she saw her world slowly unraveling. It’s true that Britney Spears is once again emerging as new and improved, thanks in part to her new and appropriately titled album “Circus,” and her manager, Larry Rudolph, who has reunited with Brit Brit. 

It looks as though the once troubled Britney is on the mend. It was barely a week ago that the world got to see a glimpse of Kevin Federline’s ex lighting the Nokia Center Christmas Tree in Los Angeles with her two sons by her side, Sean Preston and Jayden James, quite a far cry from her shenanigans earlier this year that cost her the hair on her head, custody of her kids and personal finances that were relinquished to her father. But, when the queen of pop was rushed to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and her dealings with the questionable Sam Lutfi exploded, making headlines in the delish celeb-driven People magazine, OK! and In Touch, some said it definitely put her mental health in question. 

But maybe a leopard can change its spots. Especially if that cat’s name is Britney Spears. It looks as though the “new and improved” pop princess has traded in the old escapades for healthier new stints like Christmas caroling with Ellen DeGeneres and celebrating an alcohol-free birthday bash and album release party at Tenjune, where no bottles of alcohol were permitted at the tables. (However, this didn’t matter much to partygoers who saw the club morphed into a small circus for the night, literally, with popcorn machines that said "Britney Spears,” jugglers and gymnasts freely roaming throughout the space.) 

For now, all eyes are on Britney. And she has got plenty of fans rooting for her, including Lance Bass who had this to say about what an amazing job she’s doing with her comeback and how he’s so proud. Well, Bass may just be onto something. It looks like this year’s going to end on a high note for Spears as “Circus” just earned the title of No. 1 album in the country.

It’s far from breaking news that today’s times are quite harsh for the once vibrant newspaper. With more people forgoing the black and white printed paper for the familiar Arial font quickly loading on their Dell’s and Apple’s, the online news is once again the big winner as Pulitzer, king of journalism recognition awards, just announced on Dec. 8, 2008, that it will expand to include publications that are online-only in all 14 Pulitzer journalism categories, a decision that was made final at its November meeting at Columbia University. 

"This is an important step forward, reflecting our continued commitment to American newspapers as well as our willingness to adapt to the remarkable growth of online journalism," said Sig Gissler, administrator of the Prizes. "The new rules enlarge the Pulitzer tent and recognize more fully the role of the Web, while underscoring the enduring value of words and of serious reporting.” 

Following strict guidelines, not all online news entities will be eligible for journalism’s most prestigious award. Pulitzer will allow only “text-based United States newspapers and news organizations that publish in print or online at least weekly; that are primarily dedicated to original news reporting and coverage of ongoing stories; and that adhere to the highest journalistic principles.” But in addition to text stories, the competition will continue to allow a full range of online content, such as interactive graphics and video, in nearly all categories. 

Pulitzer began making provisions for online content in 2006, when its guidelines stated that online content from newspaper Web sites was permitted in all Pulitzer journalism categories, but made the distinction that online-only newspapers were not allowed to submit entries, and entirely-online entries were permitted in only two categories: breaking news coverage and breaking-news photography. 

While Traditional printed newspapers and their Web sites will be basically unaffected by the change, with this move, there is something else of particular note. It’s not just full-time staffers anymore who have a shot at winning the highest honors in journalism speak. According to Pulitzer, freelance reporters, cartoonists, columnists, critics or bloggers whose work is produced in print or online also get the green light to enter the competition if their submitted work has been published by an eligible newspaper or news organization during the calendar year. 

While newspapers are floundering to stay afloat as we’ve just seen with the LA Times laying off 10 percent of its staff, the Chicago Tribune filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and the New York Times borrowing $225 million against its mid-Manhattan building, moves made to try and contain the bleeding, and now with Pulitzer expanding its stringent guidelines only to embrace the online world further, this adds another feather in the cap of the citizen journalist, signaling that these times are a changin’.

Pulitzer will still be sticking with its historic focus on daily and weekly newspapers. That means printed magazines and broadcast media, and their Web sites, will still be excluded from the pool (sorry Salon.com, you’re out of this one). But maybe an impeccable piece from the Huffington Post, a delicious mixed bag of syndicated columnists, blogs and news stories with original content, just might be eligible to be the next big winner?

Every day there's news about magazines shutting down or reducing rate base. Bauer Publishing Group announced today that Life & Style and In Touch are lowering their rate base claims. This means fewer people are buying these titles on the newsstand. Both of these titles receive 90% of their rate base from newsstand sales. Read more at WSJ.com. This is a strong economic indicator. Consumers at the supermarket checkout are more cautious about spending on additional impulse items.

Meanwhile, PC Magazine has shut down (and will go all digital). The last printed issue will be the January 2009 issue. O at Home will stop publishing after the Winter 2008 issue. Cottage Living has shut down. Men's Vogue has reduced its frequency to 2 issues per year. The list goes on and will likely continue to grow.

What's happening and what can be done? Will advertisers stick around in 2009? In a down economy I believe you need to invest in marketing and promotion. Consumers only have so much money these days. The hope is that advertising works and compels consumers to buy your product. Don't run and hide! Advertise!

 

Nothing brings girlfriends together better then a good conversation regarding the latest celebrity dirt. In this day and age it’s hard to avoid a newsstand or a grocery store checkout line where there isn’t an influx of gossip magazines from Us Weekly to People Magazine & the National Enquirer.  These days it seems as though we can’t get enough about hearing about Britney’s latest fiasco and the newest child that the Bradgelina clan are considering adopting. We just eat it up.

 

It seems that people love reading about celebrities and the problems that they face and it seems to help some readers escape the problem they facing by allowing them into the lives of our celebrity counterparts. While the average person may not be facing problems such as which new 4.5 million dollar estate to purchase or what pair of Manolo Blanc’s to wear on the red carpet we still love the idea of being able to live vicariously through their lives.

 

Personally I feel the toughest decision, when it comes to my gossip rags, is which to read. With the magazine industry circulating over 20 celebrity gossip magazines it can be difficult to decide which might carry the most accurate information while still feeding us all the gossip “news” we can handle. Now some of these celebrity based magazines seem to be more reputable then others it is to each of our own discretion to decide which best suits out needs and budgets. For me there is nothing better then the types of gossip magazines that are sent out weekly, some how I’m convinced short of receiving a daily issue, this is as good as its gonna get.

Let's count the ways consumers can get taken advantage of when it comes to purchasing a subscription to their favorite magazine:

1. Telephone Renewal Scams: Telemarketers will call right when you sit down for dinner and ask you to renew your magazine subscription. The caller will say they are calling from the "publisher" and they'll know that you are subscribed to XYZ magazine and they'll ask if you want to lock in a low price and subscribe for three years. The caller might even ask for your bank account information. Never provide this info and hang up. It's rare that an actual magazine publisher will call you at home to renew your magazine subscription. And, if the publisher does call they will clearly state the name of the publisher they are calling on behalf. Not just a generic name like "Reader Services" or "The Magazine Publisher".

2. Direct Mail Renewal Scams: Similar to the above except the solicitation will come in the mail. The envelope might suggest that your magazine is about to expire and you may owe money. The return address will say "Magazine Services" or "Reader Services". If the specific name of the magazine is not used on the mail solicitation, you can safely toss it in the garbage.

3. Door to Door Solicitation Scams: These are called "Cash Field Sales". Imagine you just completed a relaxing shopping adventure at Target and you're approached by a young kid asking you to buy magazine subscriptions to help him win a prize. Or, you called on at home by a teenager saying that they live in the neighborhood and they're raising money for their school choir. If you don't have a personal connection to these kids, we suggest that you avoid the temptation to subscribe at a discount rate. Often these salespeople are part of an aggressive field sales organization that preys on runaways and low income adults. For an interesting insiders view of this type of operation, check out this article.

4. Online Discount Offers: "Buy any magazine for $4.99" Or "Get 4 magazines for $20". These are often grey market resellers that don't have authorization to sell that magazine at the price being offered. Every publisher sets an authorized price. You can find this authorized price on the magazine own site, Overstock, Amazon, or this site. This is the lowest authorized price. Any site selling for a lower price is probably selling without the permission of the publisher. This means that you a) might never get your magazine subscription, or b) your magazine will arrive after an extremely long wait. The best advice is to only purchase a magazine subscription from a known retailer, the actual publisher or look for the BBB seal and make sure you can click on it and read about the site where you are about to make a purchase.

5. Offer scams: Read the terms and conditions and make sure you know what you're getting. Are you starting an automatic rebill situation where your magazine subscription will auto renew year after year? If this is what you want, it's okay ... just make sure to read the find print. Is the free gift you are promised really going to arrive? Or, are you actually entering a sweepstakes where 1 or the "first 50 people" will get the prize.

There are some watchdog groups out there trying to help clean up this mess. Two in particular are Periodical Watchguard and Subscription Integrity Services.

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing brings people together quite like food, and there are plenty of Cooking & Food publications out there to satisfy everyone’s culinary cravings. Variety is the spice of life, and a vast array of Cooking & Food titles ensures everyone from fine dining fanatics to busy moms looking for fast, family-friendly recipes can find something to tickle their taste buds.

Category leaders Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Saveur and Food & Wine cater to tastes of all sorts, with recipes, ideas for entertaining, food-related travel features and restaurant reviews. These classic titles have earned numerous accolades, including National Magazine Award nods for their enticing features, mouth-watering photography and clean, fresh design. The James Beard Foundation Awards, the “Oscars of the Culinary World,” have also honored these titles for their outstanding contributions to food journalism.

Nutrition-savvy readers will find titles like Weight Watchers, Cooking Light, Eating Well and Light & Tasty to be right up their alleys. Each magazine is packed with good-eating tips, the latest diet and exercise plans, and recipes for delicious, healthy. Diabetic Cooking and Vegetarian Times are two more titles that will please the palates of healthy eaters.

For easy-to-make recipes and kitchen tricks galore, Everyday Food, Simple and Delicious, Cookbook Digest and the award-winning Cook’s Illustrated are all known for being appetite pleasers. The dieticians, personal chefs, and test-kitchen cooks behind these titles test drive recipes, tools and techniques, with the goal of making the best food around.

A relatively new trend in Cooking & Food magazines is the spirits magazine. Wine aficionados will enjoy Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and WineMaker magazines, while Whiskey Magazine and All About Beer focus on making, drinking and pairing other popular spirits.