Another publisher says embrace the internet

Mike Burgess, the wireless editor of London-based Emap Interactive, is quoted in this MediaWeek story (subscription required) as saying that an online strategy is crucial for magazine publishers. He outlined three key areas of a successful multimedia strategy: community, customization and user-generated content. This is exactly what we are seeing in Australia with successful online strategies from magazine publishers of titles such as Vogue, Explode, Better Homes and Gardens, ZOO Weekly and FHM.

I know of some newsagents who would rather magazine publishers ignore any online activity. My view is that it’s important for the brand and in most cases will not, in the medium term, take sales from retail. In fact, watching online activity is providing my shop with opportunities for in-store tie-ins since we have an internet terminal and can use this to connect the online with offline.