Thanks to Jeff Jarvis’ BuzzMachine I found a report rating the online presence of top 50 US magazines by The Bivings Group – a firm that develops online programs for corporations, associations, advocacy groups and others. They say magazines are don g better than newspapers:
Despite their failure in terms of Web features, it should be recognized that magazines have taken on a more effective general strategy than newspapers when it comes to the Internet. Instead of replicating printed content online, as newspapers do, magazines have made efforts to publish unique, Web specific, and easily digestible materials on their websites.
I’d agree in that magazines are reinventing themselves online. Check our Vogue Australia, Girlfiend, Playboy, Zoo and Better Homes and Gardens. Their online models extend their offline products.
Once you read the report from the Bivings Group, read Jeff Jarvis’ advice for magazines.
Magazine publishers are finding new customers online and while this, in Australia is not noticeably to the detriment of over the counter sales, there will be an impact one day. Newsagents are best advised to plan for this today – especially in terms of the low volume high labour and retail real-estate cost titles.