FOLIO: Section Blogs by Association and Non-Profit

‘The Future Does Not Exist’

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 11:50:13 -0400

That phrase was the title of one of the presentations at Samir Husni’s recent conference, called “Reimagining the Future (While We Still Have Time),” and held at the Magazine Innovation Center in Oxford, Mississippi. The presentation was made by Thomaz Souto Correa, the vice president of editorial at The Abril Group in Brazil. And while Correa discussed many things, there is a particular idea in that title worth thinking about.

Perhaps the future doesn’t exist because no one, and I mean no one, knows what it’s going to look like even two years from now. Think about one of the biggest debates of the last few years—whether to charge for online content.

When Steve Brill and Walter Isaacson and Rupert Murdoch and others suggested that the status quo was unsustainable, the purveyors of the conventional wisdom came down hard. The cat’s out of the bag, they said. Stop thinking like it’s 1997. Start building a business for the Google economy. There’s no other choice.

Well, one thing none of those wizards thought of was how mobile apps and iPads would change the equation. Now, suddenly, there’s a path to paid content online, because there’s a significant migration away from the free Internet and in the direction of apps you have to buy. Or apps from which publishers sell subscriptions to their content.

The point here is that as the media world changes, what seems dominant today may turn out to be yesterday’s news in short order. Remember CompuServe, AOL, etc.? I could go on, but you get the point.

So while the “Reimagining the Future (While We Still Have Time)” conference provided no real visionary solutions, because that’s impossible, it did offer a mosaic of opinion and perspective, when combined into a whole, provided a good look at where the industry is now and where it needs to go.

The future doesn’t exist because we haven’t built it yet.

And even more important, the students at the University of Mississippi were full participants. Anyone who spent a few days with the young journalists at that conference couldn’t help coming away with a new confidence about the future of the profession. These people are bright, energetic, savvy and ready to take the reins. Here is a list of some of the student participants. I wanted to acknowledge each of them by name, because they were all so impressive.

Undergraduate Journalism Students:

Natalie Dickson
Kirby Sage
Elizabeth Pearson
Alex Pence
Maggie Giffin
Markus Simmons
Katie Williamson
Ja'juan McNeil
Rashell Reese
Addison Dent
Houston Cofield
Ren Turner
Nick Toce (also event photographer)
Alex McDaniel (also event coordinator)

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The Magazine-Media Identity Challenge

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 10:12:59 -0400

As we all wait for the economy to turn, and as we see signs that that’s happening, virtually all of what used to be called the magazine industry is wondering about what, exactly, is emerging in the place of a healthy magazine industry.
There’s a crisis of identity in this business right now more than I’ve even seen. If you look around at the leading companies, and the industry associations, there’s an unprecedented level of flux and confusion. The big consumer-magazine companies have been playing musical CEOs for months.
Yes, they’re motivated by the economic downturn, but more than that, they need someone who knows where things are headed. Of course, if people like that were easily found, we’d have plenty of CEOs with lifelong tenures.
The associations are likewise casting about for answers. The MPA conference this month, with its focus on things digital, such as iPad apps, was a good example. Featured speakers included Hulu CEO Jason Kilar and VivaKi chief innovation officer Rishad Tobaccowala. But the association’s announcement of a rebranding was especially indicative. MPA used to stand for Magazine Publishers of America. Now it just stands for MPA. And the association is now called, “The Association of Magazine Media,” which is actually a good description. But clearly it wants to sever itself from the “print-only” anchor, even if the Web URL is still www.magazine.org.
For a sense of what that identity crisis feels like, check out Jason Fell’s blog about the MPA conference and the questions and observations in the real-time tweets at the bottom.
American Business Media is undergoing a similarly awkward transition. Its core members, the old-line trade publishing companies, are still the dominant voices in the association, but they’re not where the growth is. That will come from online-only startups, and that creates a dilemma for ABM, because there’s a significant cultural gap between the two groups. The guerrilla-style online companies need to be convinced of the value of ABM membership. To them, trade magazines have only a little to do with marketing services, SEO, custom media, lead generation and much more.
ABM’s selection of a new CEO from the music industry, with little or no experience in b-to-b media, is also an example of the ABM is struggling with its identity.
The audit bureaus face the same thing: Maintain relevance as print declines as part of the media mix and new, unfamiliar players with new ideas emerge.
All in all, it adds up to an era of uncertainty. It’s true that most people, and most smart people say that content is the key: Get that right online and off, and the business models will fall into place. That’s fine in an academic sense, but tough to execute.
All this industry needs is someone with a vision for moving forward in a way that aligns three things:
• Existing assets, skillsets and capabilities;
• Revenue;
• And the fast-moving changes in the media world.
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‘Change is Only Good if Your Life, or Your Business, Sucks’

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:03:46 -0400

As consumer magazines continue to dig their way out of the economic recession, several hundred top managers across the industry gathered in Chicago early this week for the MPA’s American Magazine Conference to talk about the issues facing their business and the tactics for overcoming them.
The speaker lineup included Barnes & Noble CEO Howard Shultz, Hulu CEO Jason Kilar, Wired creative director Scott Dadich, "The Facebook Effect" author David Kirkpatrick, Oprah Winfrey and many more. Much of the discussions surrounded the impact of e-readers and tablets—especially Apple’s iPad—on the magazine market. Other conversations focused on not focusing too much on the iPad and its impact on the industry.
During the event’s kick off, incoming CEO Jack Griffin outlined five industry goals he called “principles of success.” (See more about those here.) Hulu’s Kilar discussed the success he’s seen in media while VivaKi chief strategy and innovation officer Rishad Tobaccowala (great name, great keynote) talked about how the future of magazine/media “does not fit in the containers of the past.”
And while all the content was going on, there was a decent amount of chatter happening behind the scenes on Twitter by attendees. Here, I’ve assembled a collection of some of those Tweets (including some of my own) that I thought captured the best sound bites and perspective. See them below, in reverse chronological order.

[Image via MPA]

@SaraOhrvall: Best #amc2010 advice by @oprah: "If you want to start a successful magazine, you need a powerful initial. Like an O." What about S?
@jwfell: When asked what she knows for sure Oprah laughs. "I'm always on deadline. I don't know anything for sure." #AMC2010
@HSKsearch: "Stay connected to the people whom you are serving and where they are!" Oprah on how to thrive as a business #amc2010
@mpamagmedia: Oprah #amc2010 Being true to yourself is what makes a brand.
@jwfell: Oprah "wrestles" with appearing on the covers of O, wonders if she will stop. #AMC2010
@JLBurke: Oprah: in the beginning was the word. Interesting Biblical phrasing. #AMC2010
@JLBurke: Oprah's new network founded in excellence of O magazine #AMC2010
@petercipollone: Time CEO Jack Griffin is a fellow lefty...taking written notes next seat over. #amc2010
@EllieBehling: Mags need to think more about making content Facebook sharable -- even down to the postage picture, says Facebook Effect author #AMC2010
@HSKsearch: What a change: magazine publishers focused on readers and distribution, very little talk of ad revenue this year #amc2010
@richgor: Must-have tool, says Dadich of Wired: Canon 5D, digital SLR that also shoots HD video. #amc2010
@richgor: Hercik of SI: editors overflowing with iPad ideas, asking "can we...?" "Usually the answer is no.” #amc2010
@maxapotter: and they will. RT @EllieBehling: The reader should forget what platform they're using. -- William Lynch of Barnes & Noble #amc2010 #magazine
@richgor: Hercik of SI: for weekly mag, we design print and iPad app at same time, close iPad production one day after print. #amc2010
@jwfell: Lynch: B&N not pulling back on physical magazine newsstands. Plan to move them closer to digital areas, cafes. #AMC2010
@jessicakleiman: You need to be careful not to follow the latest shiny object, says B&N's William Lynch when asked about the iPad, but I'm a fan. #AMC2010
@HenkScheenstra: Tobaccowala: Media companies should think of DAD. What if: your business/ products were Disaggregated, Accelerated and Distributed? #AMC2010
@jwfell: Tobaccowala: While tech evolves, people 'still want to talk,' to discover; they want content that's curated and easy to find. #AMC2010
@HenkScheenstra: Rishad Tobaccowala (Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at VivaKi) best key note of the day #AMC2010
@jessicakleiman: Leadership is a task, not an identity @rishadt #AMC2010
@jwfell: VivaKi chief innovation officer Rishad Tobaccowala: key to evolution is a biz model completely diff from what's made $ in the past #AMC2010
@SaraOhrvall: The truth of today at #amc2010? Rischad Tobaccowala at Vivaki: "change is only good if your life, or your business, sucks."
@jwfell: Want to know what your brand really stands for? Hulu's Kilar says search your co. name on search.twitter.com for what ppl r saying #AMC2010
@SaraOhrvall: Hulu CEO about Huluplus at #amc2010: "Trust your belief. Don't act according to research, it will always result in free rather than paid."
@jwfell: Can't the same be said by us all? Hulu CEO: "I consume more media today than any other time in my life." #AMC2010
@mpamagmedia: New blog post on research from MagazineRadar on the story behind the mag ad rebound #amc2010 http://bit.ly/amcblog
@jessicakleiman: I see a lot of iPads at American Mag Conf #AMC2010
@emediavitals: "Learn to use the 'new.' Social media needs to be authentic." Robots don't do compelling social media. #amc2010
@emediavitals: Long tail: 65% of MPA member advertising is coming from 20% of advertisers. Not the 80/20 rule. Oppty: target small advertisers. #amc2010
@EllieBehling: Adobe's Dan Baum says publishers have to stand up to mobile delivery platforms.“Don't succumb to the walled garden world.” #amc2010
@jwfell: On tablets: When was the last time our industry has seen such a burst of focus and creativity?
@jwfell: Jack Griffin: embracing new tech, rev streams, magazine industry biz model desired by "everyone else"
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It’s 2010. Do You Know Where Your Exhibitors Are?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:06:34 -0500

Having just come back from a speech to the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributor’s Executive Council meeting, I’ve got meeting attendance on the brain. It’s down, in case you hadn’t heard. It’s way down in some industries, and not just because of the recession. Conventions, trade shows, conferences are becoming a commodity for a lot of industries. For the wholesalers, buying groups were already stealing their thunder and now are adding networking in ways that really undercut their value propositions as premier networking venues.

The business model was already pretty wonky. Matt Rowan, executive director of the Health Industry Distributors Association is trying to change the 80-20 model where 80 percent of revenues are eaten up by shipping, logistics, booth companies, AV providers, etc. and only 20 percent ends up in the association’s pockets. He’s coming up with packages for his biggest exhibitors which save them 20 percent and allow the association to keep 50 percent of the revenues. “We’ve gotten into the booth-building business,” Rowan said. That was only one example from his “power package” idea that will give exhibitors what they want: “not more relationships but deeper relationships.”

“We were slaves to the number of attendees, the number of booths, the square footage,” Rowan said. “Now the metric is how many meetings exhibitors hosted. There’s meeting space in each booth along ‘Main Street’ plus private meeting spaces around the periphery of the hall. Exhibitors want to know who they’re meeting with even before they come to town.”

The makeup of HIDA’s attendees fit the dance card approach very well. Buyers can select sellers they’d like to talk to and vice versa so that everyone’s dance card fills up and HIDA has a basis for pricing.

John Garfinkel, executive director of the International Sanitary Supply Association, has managed to maintain attendance at or near the same levels as prior to the recession by opening the doors to service providers and end users through alliances with other associations.

These are only two ideas. I’m part of a major study that will look for more.

Fast Future Research’s Convention 2020 just kicked off and will look at the future of live events, venues and meeting destinations. The study’s site allows anyone to contribute their thoughts via a Trend Wiki. The study will run through October so that meeting planners can make better decisions this year for future meetings. After we gather everyone’s input, participants will be able to vote on which trends they see as most likely. I hope you’ll join up.

[This post originally appeared here.]
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Magazine Innovation Center Offers Valuable Discussion

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:38:07 -0400

When Samir Husni launched the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi in August, he said its mission would be to “amplify the future and power of print and its place in the media realm of the 21st century.” He declared that the American publishing model is dead, but that print is not.

Husni [pictured] was no doubt referring to the emergence of online media and the corresponding decline in print.

But in the Magazine Innovation Center’s inaugural event, the question of the relevance of print was framed in a completely different context: The meeting, held in late September, was a strategic retreat for the Arthritis Foundation, which like all associations, needs to balance its information-dissemination role with the fund raising role.

The two-day meeting, which included key executives from the Arthritis Foundation’s publication and association leadership, plus representatives from several other major associations, was a rich discussion on the role of print, its costs, its effectiveness against other media and more.

It analyzed the association’s marketing efforts and posed the question of what would happen to the association and its mission should it not have its respected publication, Arthritis Today. The print magazine, like all print magazines, provides valuable brand-building attributes, authority and revenue-generation potential.

And the discussion was guided by Husni, an indefatigable advocate of print, who likes to offer aphorisms such as, “Our business model failed when we began to count customers, not seek only the customers who count.”

The Innovation Center, with its academic ambiance and its pro-print ethos, proved in its first event to be a valuable place to work through the key questions facing both individual publications as well as the big macro issues as well.
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Do We Really Need Two Audit Bureaus and Two Associations?

pubintern — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:10:45 -0400

Heard around the industry in the last few weeks, mostly in quiet conversations, but in increasing frequency: Is the magazine industry, in its troubled state, best served by two or more audit bureaus and two or more major industry associations?
In the case of the audit bureaus, the argument goes that with a declining membership for all audit agencies, there's less need for two or more. In addition, it used to be that ABC served paid consumer magazines and BPA served non-paid b-to-b magazines. But that line has been blurred to the point that the distinction is almost meaningless. Now the key point of differentiation is that ABC has newspapers (good luck with that) and BPA has a significant international portfolio.

Also playing into the question for audit bureaus is that marketers are buying direct, in effect disintermediating ad agencies, which have historically been the key consumer of audit bureau data.

But the main thing affecting the audit bureaus is that their traditional reason for existing is declining. Audit bureaus have built a business for 100 years on putting the third-party stamp of credibility on print circulation. For a decade or more they've moved in the direction of integrated solutions, including trade shows and Web sites. But their bread-and-butter always was and continues to be, print.

And in an age when print has declined from 80-plus percent of the b-to-b enterprise to more like 60 percent or less, and from 100 percent of the consumer-magazine to 90 percent or less, the writing is on the wall.

In the case of the two main industry associations, American Business Media and Magazine Publishers of America, the argument is more compelling. They've always been split by b-to-b and consumer, but the truth is they should be split by large-publications and small ones.

The associations are valuable for a few reasons: They create a forum for like-minded publishers to share information. They lobby the government, especially on postal matters. They provide for networking.

Small consumer magazines have much more in common with b-to-b than they do with behemoths like Time Inc. and Hearst Magazines, and they'd be right to ask themselves why they're in MPA.

The challenge for both the associations and the audit bureaus is real. Membership in the associations is not cheap, and every single thing they do costs more money. And while being a member of an audit bureau is not too expensive, qualifying can cost tens of thousands or more.
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VIDEO: Stephen Colbert Eviscerates the Newspaper Industry

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:48:43 -0400

The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Better Know a Lobby - Newspaper Lobby
comedycentral.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

Colbert, explaining what a newspaper is to "my younger viewers": "A newspaper is like a blog that leaves ink on your hands and covers topic other than how much you love Fall Out Boy ..."
Now, now. Don’t laugh too hard magazine industry, you could be next ...
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Recession Boogeyman Starting to Claim Association Events, Too

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:23:03 -0500

Industry associations are feeling the economic pinch as much as publishers these days. Events are being scrutinized as one area for consolidation or cutbacks. After high-profile cancellations from MPA and ABM, the DMA has made another round of cuts, as well as some trimming of its event portfolio.

Below is the letter that president and CEO John Greco sent to DMA members yesterday, which states that the organization will have "less dependence on the more volatile parts of our traditional revenue stream, especially our large portfolio of conferences and events.”

TO: DMA Members

As the recession worsens, the economic activity of business and consumers is re-setting around the world, and taking the global economy into uncharted territory. In October, 2008 we took the necessary and appropriate steps to restructure DMA given our understanding of the economic downturn at that time. Now that we all have a better sense of what to expect over the next 12-18 months, DMA must be positioned to continue to provide outstanding member service with less dependence on the more volatile parts of our traditional revenue stream, especially our large portfolio of conferences and events. Like everyone else, we are re-setting to make sure we're prepared to ride out this recession. We are anticipating where the economic pressures will continue to affect us, and restructuring accordingly to ensure that DMA comes out stronger and smarter in serving the needs of the direct marketing community, and enhancing the direct marketing process—which continues to drive nearly ten percent of U.S. gross domestic product. At the same time it is very clear that we can further serve our members during these challenging times by being poised to take full advantage of opportunities appearing every day in emerging channels and markets.

DMA will survive and thrive because the direct marketing process remains vital and will play a key role in economic recovery. The direct marketing community needs its Association, perhaps now, even more than ever. DMA is aggressively controlling what we can control, while minimizing the risk of what we can't, and helping our members do exactly the same. Our actions reflect what's happening throughout advertising and marketing, and our membership - we are similarly affected.

We will be reducing our staff by an additional 19% today, affecting 26 people. Affected employees will be notified today. We understand that news like this creates uncertainty, but we are moving ahead to accomplish what is necessary for DMA's long term success. We will continue to make the right decisions to keep our association efficient and strong. This is a very difficult decision which we do not take lightly, and we are committed to treating affected employees fairly.

DMA will maintain strength in advocacy and reputation management helping to position the direct marketing community to participate in the re-set and recovery of the economy. We remain committed to keeping every channel open and economically viable. Our priorities continue to include issues that range from behavioral marketing, privacy and data security, internet, and remote sales tax, to Do Not Mail/Do Not Contact legislation. We will continue to address these issues through DMA's independent efforts, as well as by taking leadership positions within strong coalitions such as Mail Moves America (MMA), the Internet Alliance (IA), and The National Advertising Review Council (NARC). We'll be doing even more than we have ever done, and achieving that by taking a new approach to our mix of People, Process, and Technology. We are committed to honoring consumer preferences through dmachoice.org, to developing best practices, and self-regulatory guidelines for direct marketers.

In fact, across our entire value proposition DMA members can count on us to do more with less by being innovative and reinventing the way we do things. In Education and Professional Skills development we will do more for our members with fewer resources by using the latest "e-platforms" to quickly deliver the latest best practices, current information on what's working (and what's not) in direct marketing, and how everyone can leverage their resources for the best ROI. We also plan process change in Research, such as changing the service delivery model and outsourcing more of the process, but preserving the same high quality, mission critical knowledge our members depend on.

DMA's conference and event offerings will continue to meet a wide range of our members' needs. If you are asking "what will I get out of this?" we can assure an essential, "must-have" experience. Our events provide exceptional education and networking platforms, business development prospects and superior lead generation. Therefore, in order to serve the needs of our members we will proceed with our signature events such as DMA'09, DMDays, the Non-Profit Federation Conferences and the Email Evolution Conference, as well as our partner events such as ACCM, NCOF and NCDM. All other existing events will be cancelled or included within our premiere events.

We're confident we can continue to provide extraordinary value to our members. We will use this opportunity to reinvent the Association with a promise to continuously serve our members' evolving needs.

In the coming weeks, we'll be communicating with you to keep you informed of how we're doing in making these changes. We're committed to delivering the value that will keep your business healthy enough to survive this downturn and thrive over the long term. We thank you for your continued support.

Best Regards,

John A. Greco, Jr.
President & CEO
Direct Marketing Association
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Why the Newspaper Industry Cancelled its Annual Convention

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 10:43:13 -0500

With all the talk about magazine industry conferences being cancelled (or, in some cases, severely downsized, let’s say) it must give magazine publishers at least some perverted sense of justice that they are not alone.

On Friday, the American Society of Newspaper Editors cancelled its annual convention. Here’s the memo [via Reuters]:
ASNE’s leadership has decided to cancel our 2009 convention because of the challenging times we face. The text of the press release that is going out this morning follows this note.
The Convention Program Committee had put in place an innovative and relevant program, and I am very grateful to them.
But it became increasingly clear in recent weeks that our attendance would be low because editors need to be in their own newsrooms during this difficult time. The board of directors will meet soon to deal with the financial implications of canceling the convention and map strategy for the coming year.
In the meantime, we will increase reliance on the Web to help editors share what they are learning as they reshape their news organizations for multiple platforms and operate with fewer resources. We plan to have our new Web site up this spring and we will produce more webinars and ramp up our recently developed newsletter, Editors’ Exchange.
As you know, we had planned votes at the Chicago convention on bylaws changes to drop “paper” from our name and expand our membership to include editors of online-only news Web sites and leading journalism educators. That, and the annual election of new board members, will now occur electronically. We will be touch with you soon on the details.
We will also move ahead with plans for our scheduled 2010 convention in Washington.
I want to thank you for your support and guidance. If you have any questions about the convention or other matters, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Charlotte Hall
President
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Following Dropouts, AMC Cancellation, MPA Appeals to Members

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:34:58 -0500

RELATED: MPA Cancels AMC
Following the exits of some of its prominent members—including Hachette and New York magazine—and the startling cancellation of the American Magazine Conference—one of the magazine industry’s flashiest events—the Magazine Publishers of America sent a note to its members today criticizing articles about the dropouts (including, presumably, FOLIO:’s) and highlighting what it’s been doing for its dues-paying membership.

Here’s the e-mail:
From: "Nina Link and John Q. Griffin”
Reply-To: [REDACTED]
Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:56:19 -0500
Conversation: A message from John Q. Griffin and Nina Link
Subject: A message from John Q. Griffin and Nina Link

Dear MPA Member: Your support of MPA enables us to accomplish so much on behalf of the industry during these tough economic times. Unfortunately, a few companies have withdrawn from MPA resulting in a number of articles in the press. This coverage has ignored or downplayed the benefits that MPA delivers to its community and done a disservice to all of our collective efforts. So let’s set the record straight on what we’ve achieved together and highlight some of the tough government affairs, advertising and digital challenges we will be tackling in 2009.
Represent magazines’ needs before Congress, the courts and state governments:
Saved the industry more than $4 billion in postal costs since 2000. We continue to fight to hold down postal rates.
Protecting more than $1.5 billion in annual prescription drug ad revenue by fighting government efforts to restrict DTC ads
Protecting the deductibility of advertising expense (disallowing just 20% of ad costs could cost the advertising industry, including magazines, + $20 billion/year)
Protecting First Amendment rights to free press and free speech, and defending our members’ intellectual property assets from legislative and judicial treats.
Support ad revenue:
Produced sales materials based on more than 50 independent research studies showcasing magazine ad effectiveness in increasing purchase intent, generating efficient ROI, driving web traffic/search and boosting word of mouth
Using this information, MPA has called on key agency and client executives seeing more than 1,400 in 2008 and nearly 400 already in 2009
Helped achieve almost a 1 point increase in consumer magazines’ share of the advertising pie between 2004 and 3rd quarter 2008 (full year not yet available), based on Magazine Marketing Coalition efforts
Encouraging the evolution of magazine ad measurement to allow magazines’ cross-platform offerings to be valued fairly relative to other media
Maintain viable distribution channels and address environmental concerns:
Spearheading industry efforts in protecting consumer magazines’ interests from Do Not Mail Threats in Washington and in state capitals, and by shaping the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service
Working to increase single copy sales via the annual Retail Conference and development of best practices, research and promotions
Providing resources to address environmental concerns through activities such as the Please Recycle Campaign, carbon footprint research and Environmental Handbook
Help the industry prepare for and navigate the digital transition:
Exploring emerging digital platforms and business models enabled by new technology
Sharing digital insights and best practices through conferences and more than 25 digital seminars addressing the editorial, advertising and financial topics related to our cross-platform business
Accelerating the development of effective online subscription marketing through seminars, committees, and research, as digital technologies evolve
Defending online advertising practices from legislative and regulatory challenges impacting the growth of the behavioral advertising market.
Like its member companies, MPA began making the hard decisions regarding the scope of its operations late last summer. We reduced staff by 20% and our operating budget by 18%. We also implemented an across-the-board dues reduction of 12.8% for all domestic members except those paying minimum dues. We recently conducted surveys of 2,300 of our members and are using these results to continuously sharpen our focus and deliver tangible benefits. Again, we want to thank you for your support. Tough times often bring out the best in people and in organizations. Your dues enable our magazine community to be stronger together than apart.

Sincerely,

John Q. Griffin
Chairman
Magazine Publishers of America
President, Magazine Group
National Geographic Society
Nina B. Link
President & CEO
Magazine Publishers of America
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Hachette Dropping Out of the MPA Just Tip of the Iceberg

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:49:55 -0500

I’m predicting that Hachette Filipacchi Media dropping its membership in the Magazine Publishers of America ("Hachette Drops Out of MPA") is just the tip of the iceberg. Publishers are feeling economic pain and, consequently, the associations, audit bureaus and others are as well. If this recession is long and as challenging as it is right now, there will be more high-profile dropouts.

Think of it from a publishing company’s perspective: Your revenue is declining, you’re laying people off, you’re freezing salaries, you’re not filling positions, you’re reducing frequencies, trim sizes, circulations, paper stock and more.

And as you comb through your budget trying to make the least damaging and least painful decisions, you see a line for association membership that may be $10,000 or may be $50,000. And in the case of the large companies, it’s certainly over $100,000.

There’s no way—no way—when you see that line that you don’t ask what the value is that you’re getting. Yes, you get lobbying for postal reform. Yes, you get research proving the value of magazine advertising. Yes, you get events with quality programs and valuable networking.

But in a time when all you want is to drive revenue with as lean a business as possible, those benefits are less compelling. Especially when you have to pay for virtually everything the association provides in addition to your dues. And that big, fat budget line becomes an easy target.

What publishers are looking for is not participation in committees and abstract reports and golf tournaments. Those are fine most of the time, but not now. Publishers want tools and resources that will keep them focused on effectively driving revenue in their markets.

It’s hard to overstate the message of HFM dropping out of MPA. Jack Kliger [pictured] was perhaps the highest profile and most effective chairman of the association in a decade or more. For his company to drop out within six months of Kliger stepping down as CEO says volumes about the extraordinary climate.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Red 7 Media, FOLIO:'s parent company, is a member of the MPA.]
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Unexpected Delivery: AARP Member Gets 1,000 Copies of Magazine

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:21:55 -0500

As the saying goes: Ask and ye shall receive.

This, however, was a bit extreme.

When AARP member Tony Thomas first noticed he wasn’t receiving his copies of AARP Bulletin, the organization’s bimonthly news publication, he called to complain. That was 2007. After 18 months, and five phone calls, he still wasn’t getting the magazine.

That changed December 6 when the Post Office delivered not one but 1,000 copies of the January/February issue. “I called [AARP] back and said, ‘Thanks for the copy. I received it. What do you want me to do with the other 999,’” Thomas told the Las Vegas Sun newspaper.

Obviously, someone in circulation goofed. “A mistake occurred when the status of the member’s account was being updated–there is a code (999) that reflects Lifetime Member status and that was inadvertently entered into the number of copies to be delivered instead of the code field,” a spokesperson wrote in an e-mail to FOLIO:.

This time, AARP followed up promptly. The organization dispatched a staffer from its Nevada office to Thomas’ home to retrieve the 999 extra copies. They were to be distributed to various area senior centers and healthcare facilities.

“Anybody can make a mistake,” Thomas said, “but this was a big one.”
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‘Virtual Trade Shows are Like Virtual Sex’

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:37:40 -0400

[Photo by FOLIO: publisher Tony Silber]
CHICAGO—Before most people could finish their morning coffee on Day One of the Circulation Management show here, Don Pazour, CEO of Access Intelligence, delivered this perhaps-too-much-information line during his breakfast keynote:
“I hate virtual trade shows. Virtual trade shows are like virtual sex—you need the touch.”
Hey-oh!!! Everybody awake now?!?!
Pazour’s point, though, was that despite soaring gas prices and economic downturn threatening attendance, face-to-face events are still a thriving part of the publishing business, and publishers shouldn’t overlook the importance of live interaction in an increasingly electronic world.
But perhaps what should’ve been more viscerally jaw-dropping was Pazour’s admission that “flat is the new up” in magazine publishing. While everybody knows this, hearing it spoken nonchalantly, amplified, is no less troubling.
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The 2008 FOLIO: 40 Unveiled!

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:31:27 -0400

The FOLIO: 40—our annual list of industry innovators and influencers—was officially unveiled today. We call it the oldest, most comprehensive and most distinguished compilation of its kind. Because it is. Obviously, it’s not an all-inclusive affair; rather, it’s roughly the result of two months of meetings, scouring notes, archives, old issues of FOLIO:, Wiki-researching, more meetings, spirited reply-all emails, paring down, another meeting, some brushing up on profile writing, then the actual profile writing, editing, copyediting. And, then, at some point, we get to this.
And, unlike other industry lists—perhaps unfairly—ours is Adam Moss free! (Though I’d admit that not including someone from New York magazine or its nymag.com juggernaut was one of our biggest oversights this year).
But, as every magazine editor knows, that’s the beauty of lists. They’re a jumping off point for a nuanced and overarching reflection on a particular slice of an industry. Or something.
So, let the commenting—and requisite arguing—begin!
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'Resumes From Craigslist Make My Skin Crawl'

Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:26:19 -0500

FOLIO:'s annual, much-anticipated Magazine Job Report is out, and it's a great read (I should know—I co-wrote it!). It's choc-full of interesting, if not surprising, anecdotes.

Like this one:
Craigslist is a deplorable resource, according to ZweigWhite’s [Dick] Ryan. “Resumes from Craigslist make my skin crawl. Some have worked out but many have been unmitigated disasters,” he says. For entry level positions, however, he admits it can be useful, as people under the age of 30 are relying on social sites such as Craigslist and even Facebook and MySpace.
For the full PDF version—including charts—click here.

Click here for the online version.
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