Magazines: The Power of Print

Magazines won't die. They won't! They are too glossy, too matte finished, too palpable to ever be replaced by the etch-a-sketch background of a Kindle or pixel perfect iPhone/Pad or any electronic device on which people read their news and features. I always suspected as much, but never looked into the research on how many people are still buying and reading actual magazines, vs reading their counterparts via phone apps or websites. Personally, I do both, yet it's the power of printed paper that usually skyrockets my inspiration to action.

I was flipping through Esquire when I saw it. The colorful fonts first caught my eye, as I always love it when words are made with different fonts, especially if they are cut out. But then I noticed that the "g" was from Rolling Stone, and the "E" was from Esquire, and hey, are they friends? How can they be in the same ad?

Their publishers have joined together to push the message of Power of Print, in order to "...tell the world of our continued and impassioned belief in the power of the magazine business. We hope to dispel many commonly held myths about the state of our industry, and to share the exciting story of magazine advertising's outstanding value, unmatched recall and vast cultural impact."

Here here! The Power of Print has launched a series of print, video and online ads to re-educate us about print magazine readership. They state that readership has actually grown in the last five years. And I must say, as a recent Manhattan expatriot (I moved 60miles up the Hudson to Beacon, NY), I subscribe the the local paper and pick up three local magazines, Roll, Chronogram, and Hudson Valley Magazine in order to find local goings-on, read locally inspired stories, and to enjoy the reading experience in an unchaotic, never interrupted space. When I get my pedicures, I bring nothing by my iPhone and wallet: iPhone to catch emails, wallet to pay. And as for reading material, I pick up two magazines from the salon's stands to turn the pages through, and not any of their apps. Apps I use at different times, like when I'm stuck in a car without a magazine.

And here's my clipping to prove it: