Tough economic times are causing publications to evaluate their viability with perhaps less optimism than any other time in recent history. Magazines have evolved into an artful publication; their glossy pages seem like an indulgence in this digital age. Advertisements found in the pages of magazines often have substantial flare to make readers stop and take a look. Magazine covers are traditionally the one place where you won’t find a paid ad, but the economy is prompting a change in that. Scholastic blatantly placed an advertisement for Smilebox, in the April issue of Scholastic’s Parent & Child magazine.
The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is completely against the decision, stating that “ASME believes that the cover makes magazines a unique and powerful medium, that it is most effectively used as a tool for editors and circulators to communicate directly with readers and that it is in the best interests of everyone concerned about the strength of the medium to keep it that way.” The separation between editorial content and advertising is a fine line, but by placing ads on the cover of a magazine it implies that editorial content can be bought. The cynical would argue that the separation is only necessary to maintain the façade that such a division exists, when it truly does not. As a punitive measure against this tactic, ASME removed the Scholastic publication from the nomination running in the Annual National Magazine Awards.
It’s important to note that at the same time, marketing budgets are shifting to online and digital marketing. Companies are getting more creative with online advertising. For example, Next Day Blinds has a website dedicated to sharing all of their ads, across multiple media platforms, with local consumers. Home Depot is also connecting with consumers by sharing do-it-yourself tips and videos using YouTube. Advertising dollars that would be spent with traditional print media are being put into these digital alternatives, making the sustainability of print publications uncertain. With many publications laying off employees, and others folding altogether, a front page ad may be the revenue generator the industry needs.
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