Why are Web Sites Launching Magazines?
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Written By Reprise Media | April 25, 2005 | Share This
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With news this morning of Google embracing banner ads (animated, even), it might make you wonder if we’re all in a time machine set for the year 1997. This what’s old-is-new vibe is further supported by another story today appearing in MediaWeek about several major web players who are launching spin-off magazines (both online and off) to bolster their web presence.
OK, I’ll admit it - I subscribed to Yahoo! Internet Life. Too bad it went under, along with Pets.com magainze, eBay magazine, Motley Fool Monthly, and many other magazine rack castoffs who were victims of the dot com bust.
So with this not-so-stellar record, and reports everywhere of publishing’s demise, why are big names such as Match.com (Happen Magazine) eDiets (eDiets Magazine), and WebMD (Web MD Magazine) getting into the magazine business?
Several reasons:
- The Strong Survive: It’s not fledglings and start-ups going this route, but rather established players who have large, loyal audiences receptive to their content.
- Onine Advertising Still Truckin’: The online ad market is still going strong, and the magazine format translates well to online branding. Simply put, there’s more space to put bigger ads. Such ads can generate some pretty great click-through rates.
- To Have & to Hold: For the sites launching offline magazines, the print medium provides new opportunities to reach audiences when they’re primed for messaging - for example, the Web MD Magazine is distributed in doctor’s waiting rooms.
In a larger sense, maybe this is yet another reaction to the online advertising’s relentless drive towards innovation - everything is changing so rapidly, marketers are running out of new ideas and taking a look back at old ones. As Georgianne Brown, VP of marketing for eDiets says:
“The question we asked was, ‘How do you really reinvent or innovate in that space?’”
Maybe the only new thing to do is to kick it old school.
Topics: Advertising: Distribution |