My Review of Time Inc.'s Mine

I received my first edition of "mine" yesterday. It's a print and digital customized magazine concept being tested by Time Inc. I went for the print edition because, logistically, I was more curious how that would pan out. Plus, Time Inc. said they were only going to print 31,000 copies—I wanted in on the print action.

Keeping in mind this is a test project, I still couldn't help feeling constrained by the selection, especially when they say each issue will "include stories tailored specifically to [my] interests." Magazine choices include Travel + Leisure, Golf, In Style, Money, Real Simple, Sports Illustrated, Time, and Food & Wine.

I picked Real Simple, Food & Wine, In Style, Sports Illustrated, and Golf. My "mine" had 1-4 features from each magazine for a total of 36 pages including covers.

Content is pulled from 2007 to 2009—a range that could prove tricky if time-sensitive material is featured. An article about soccer from my SI selection has a "breaking news" infographic that points readers to Euro 2008 online coverage. And a profile of LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis is a follow-on from her 2007 Evian Masters win.

This might be asking too much: I like sports, yet if I pick Sports Illustrated, I can't then request specific topics from within that brand. Same goes for the rest. The editors from each publication are apparently doing that for me based on their own vetting process. Given the breadth of coverage of these publications offer within their mass-market verticals, the content selection process is still casting a pretty wide net.

The entire issue is sponsored by Lexus and playing into the whole custom thing, ad copy is tailored to where I live—New Haven, Connecticut—and to the content I chose: "We know how much you love sports, and with our available voice-activated Navigation System, it's easy to locate the best memorabilia dealers near New Haven."

The custom copy in the ads is a tinted version of the standard copy. So, in the line above, "sports," "memorabilia dealers," and "New Haven" are a different shade. Reading the ad copy is like listening to a pre-recorded audio message that changes tone slightly when new options are offered.

Here's a look:

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Time Inc. Tests Customizable Magazine

By Bill Mickey --

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Cover

Submitted by rmichem on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 19:57.

Well there goes the art of the Cover.

Where's mine?

Submitted by Tim Lloyd on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 08:50.

I'm glad to read that at least someone has received their's. I requested a digitial copy some three weeks ago and have never heard from them. I am based in the UK, but if they are choosing not to distribute over here, I would have at least expected an acknowledgment. I look forward to seeing a copy eventually!

Mine: Good Concept, Poor Execution

Submitted by Rachel Globus on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 11:35.

I think the question with Mine is, is the flaw in concept or execution? I'd say the latter. It's a great idea (I find it rather depressing that Lexus came up with it, not enterprising Time editors), but very awkwardly executed. In what other magazine would you take an entire page solely for the magazine's logo (as you see in your third picture above)? No publisher has extra cash these days to run a page that doesn't maximize its editorial or advertising value, but Time wasted five pages in Mine just as dividers between sections (that really disrupted the user experience). That's one of the reasons it felt less "mine" and more "theirs" -- it was like they were more concerned with ensuring that I was aware of their different magazine brands than that I enjoyed the content and the experience of reading the magazine. I like picking up one magazine and getting a bunch of different flavors and perspectives. But their execution made for a jarring experience. For my selections, they could have used InStyle's content for up-front grazing; Travel + Leisure for some longer tidbits; Time for strong, engaging features; Golf for post-feature grazing; and Real Simple to end the magazine with some useful, relaxing tips for living life better. It would have been an enjoyable, surprising but coherent reading experience. That's why I picked up a magazine instead of subjecting myself to information overload online, after all.

This is pitiful.

Submitted by Eric on Fri, 04/17/2009 - 09:27.

Without actually seeing a copy of my own "Mine", it's hard to pass judgement, but from what is shown here, "pitiful" jumps to mind. It appears the "editors" in charge view "Mine" as both possessive pronoun and noun and are all too happy to excavate content from their vast repository of material.

Was really excited by this...

Submitted by Andrew on Sat, 04/18/2009 - 08:52.

Being part of a company that creates digital publications that are personalized to each individual reader's taste, I was really excited by this move from Time & Lexus. However, it does seem that the final product is not as impressive as the concept sounded (mostly the lack of coherence and context - which Time's magazines do so well as stand-alone products), although that might just be us having unfairly high expectations. And of course, the level of personalization can never be as high with a mass-customized print version as it can be online. Would be really interesting to see other publishers try this and improve on it. Our blog with more examples and ideas is at http://platform.idiomag.com

Disappointing so far

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 04/21/2009 - 10:26.

I agree with Rachel's comments -- the full-page magazine logos were jarring and prevented the magazine from being a pleasure to flip through. Moreover, I was disappointed with the actual content that they chose for "me". They chose only the briefest (two-page), "fluffiest" content from magazines like Time, in which I have come to expect more in-depth, contexual coverage. Instead I got an article with "10 Tips to Get Your Kids Moving," including such obvious "tips" as turning off the TV and walking more. Another from T+L focused on how to look at scenery out of an airplane window. ... Um... look out the window? No kidding, one of the tips was "choose a window seat"! I guess my complaint isn't so much with mine magazine as the sources from which it draws! If this is what is in these magazines, I am reminded of why I do not subscribe to any of them.

The 'personalized' magazine has arrived, but is it really personal?

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