Forget about it, that is so 2009. Five big publishers revealed their "Magazines: The Power of Print" advertising campaign today that, as Paid Content noted, was a way of saying "Drop dead" to their digital units.
Or, more accurately: "We've sunk a lot of resources into you, and all you've brought us is eyeballs and buzz. Meanwhile, our print editions keep chugging along and paying most of the bills."
Starting in early April, nearly 80 U.S. consumer magazines will start running a series of ads touting printed magazines -- you know, the kind that people actually pay for, except at the doctor's office, in hair salons, or on airplanes. The "Magazines" logo was created by taking one letter from the "distinctive typographies of multiple magazine logos," according to a news release announcing the campaign.
The CEOs of the five publishers appear in a brief video (below) that explains the campaign. They have managed to get ad-space commitments from other publishers, including such titles as as National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, and ESPN Magazine.
The Wall Street Journal says the ad space committed to the campaign is valued at more than $90 million based on the publishers' rate cards. The actual cost to the publishers will be a few million dollars. And, trust me, no full-rate-paying ads will be bumped to make room for the campaign.
Related article: As An Advertising Medium, Magazines Still Rock
And it won't make a damn bit of difference. This is not the age of either-or. It is the age in which traditional media has to find a way to co-exist with new media. There's room for both, but each has to perform at the height of their respective games. I am afraid that print, as evidenced by this campaign and other apologia, is way off the pace.
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