Digital Magazines 2009 — Supplement to Folio - (Page 8) Digital Editions: very magazine has some portion of its audience involved in a digital-focused lifestyle or that would be interested in receiving a digital edition for one reason or another. They may be thinking “green.” They may want to archive the issues on a computer. They may be business travelers and want a digital edition for convenience. They may be highly receptive to technology, so digital delivery resonates. While some may reference a generational difference in the acceptance of technology, age really doesn’t seem to matter much. The median age of digital readers in the b-to-b and association markets, for example, has remained at about 45-years-old for three years in a row. Digital delivery has become a reality for publishers—all kinds of publishers. It is an exciting way of delivering an interactive and engaging product to subscribers and a platform for developing new opportunities for advertisers through rich media and multimedia. Digital magazines were hot last year, and are even hotter this year, as the market responds to exciting new technologies combined with the potential for a lower-cost distribution platform. Publishers and technology suppliers alike recognize the fact that the publishing industry is in a platform-agnostic revolution. The Fastest-Growing Format in Magazines E “The twin forces of economic necessity and technological opportunity will soon (in 3, 5, 10 years max) conspire to turn the phrase ‘print magazine’ into an oxymoron. And you know what? It’s going to be great.” — Mark Jannot, Popular Science In increasing numbers and in all markets, readers demand seamless access to content across multiple output channels— traditional print, of course, plus digital content feeds to laptops, netbooks, e-readers, mobile units, and HDTV. Each week, people already read their print magazines, spend a little time reading online, maybe read an e-mail from a b-to-b publisher, perhaps even watch a video. They’re consuming a variety of media in various ways. Three Dimensional The ubiquity of content wherever, whenever, and however the consumer wants it delivered, though, will lead the content itself to become much more engaging, much more threedimensional, and much more highly targeted to the individual. Digital delivery certainly provides the reader with that kind of rich reading experience, but it’s not one-size-fits-all. Publishers can’t expect to be effective—or competitive—by simply distributing a PDF version of a magazine or placing magazine content onto a Web site or onto a mobile device with a tiny screen. Magazines are intrinsically unique. They should be read in a spread layout, in a readable size, and in color. But that doesn’t mean delivering them only on paper. “The elements that make magazines unique have nothing to do with being on paper,” says Mark Jannot, editor in chief of Popular Science, “but even magazine editors don’t always fully embrace the huge competitive advantages that we have over other media. Magazines and magazine packaging have a tremendously vital form, and magazine publishers must recognize and promote the things that make magazines wanted by readers.” One of the strengths of a magazine, according to Jannot, is that it’s a periodical—an issue may come out every week or month or quarter, so readers can anticipate it—certainly an advantage for magazine publishers. “But the most important 6
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.