It's Tuesday: 5 Things About the World of Magazines And Media - Issue #25
Good morning! How was Thanksgiving? If you had some turkey I hope it was moist and juicy and flavorful. Did you go a little less traditional? If so, I hope that was equally delicious.
But now it's time to get back in the harness. Shake off that long weekend weariness! Grind it out. Wrap up the year. Share your successes. Cheer on your colleagues. Learn from the mistakes. And for whatever you do, avoid like heck getting moved down into Storage B. Hang onto your stapler at all costs.
So let's check in on the latest news. See what happened while you were chowing down on the leftovers.
#1. Barnes and Noble opens Paper Source in their stores
Paper Source opens holiday shop-in-shops within Barnes & Noble stores | Retail Dive — www.retaildive.com Retail industry news, voices and jobs. Optimized for your mobile phone.
Back in May, Elliot Management, the current owners of the national bookstore chain purchased Paper Source, a 136 store chain that sells gift items, greeting cards, stationary and many other paper oriented products.
B&N is testing the store within a store concept in two of it's locations: Hingham, MA and Charlotte, NC.
This is an interesting development as prior to Elliot's purchasing B&N, there was a lot of criticism that the bookstore's displays were too unfocused and there were too many low value gifts and toys in the stores to the detriment of reading material.
In this case, it sounds more like the buyers are being more purposeful regarding the curation of both the B&N brand and the Paper Source brand.
#2 Why Print Catalogs are Winning Holiday Marketing
'You can almost taste the hot chocolate': Why catalogs are still winning holiday marketing | Retail Dive — www.retaildive.com Retail industry news, voices and jobs. Optimized for your mobile phone.
I've been seeing more and more articles like this and while I don't like to equate my own anecdotal experience to an industry trade article, it is true: I am getting a lot more catalogs in the mail this year than I have in the recent past. It's not a glut. Yet. So the result is that I am certainly looking at them a little more closely.
The big reason for this resurgence is apparently the simple fact that a lot of email never gets opened. A lot of digital ads go astray and are displayed in front of the wrong people. Mail, on the other hand, gets delivered.
Which is why we need to protect the USPS. But that's another issue entirely.
#3 Alden Capital Wants to Buy More Newspapers...
The vulture is hungry again: Alden Global Capital wants to buy a few hundred more newspapers | Editor and Publisher — www.editorandpublisher.com This time it’s Lee Enterprises in the cross-hairs. Adding it to its empire would leave two American local newspaper giants — Gannett and Alden — and everyone else far behind.
Lee Enterprises tries to deter hostile takeover by Aden - Axios — www.axios.com Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known for consolidating local newspapers, acquired the Chicago Tribune earlier this year.
Oh please, dear lord, no! Have you seen what they did to the newspaper organization formerly known as The Chicago Tribune?
#4 MediaPost Commentary: Using Print to Connect Luxury Brands and Consumers
Using Print To Connect Luxury Brands And Consumers 11/17/2021 — www.mediapost.com Using Print To Connect Luxury Brands And Consumers - 11/17/2021
We’ve heard this advice over and over. Print is a respite from the digital onslaught. Print can be a “brand extension” to an online retailer or media site. All of that appears to be true.
Scroll down to the paragraph “Stand Out from the Online Crowd” and take note of the stat: “90% of direct mail gets opened.”
#5 While not at Pre-Pandemic Levels, People are Coming Back to Movie Theaters
Box Office: ‘Encanto’ Leads Subdued Thanksgiving Parade With $40.3M, ‘House of Gucci’ Struts to $21.8M — www.hollywoodreporter.com The Disney pic scored the top animated opening of the pandemic era, while adult drama 'House of Gucci' sets a key record for an adult drama.
Encanto feels a bit like a rarity these days: A movie that isn't based on a book, a book series, or a sequel or prequel. And in the magazine world, entertainment and film titles make up a pretty big category despite the decline in celebrity titles.
Pre-pandemic, we loved to go to the movies. Theaters were wonderful places to go and escape from everything. There really is a big difference between seeing a movie on the big screen and watching it at home - even if your TV has a “big” screen.
But the pandemic put an end to that and even aftr we were fully vaccinated, we delayed going back to the theater until recently. Yes, sometimes the person a row in front of you will crinkle their popcorn bag right up until that moment when you almost bean them on the head. Yes, it stinks if you have to run to the bathroom and miss a few scenes. But overall, being in a movie theater is a veritable treat.
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No Agita this week! We're still enjoying our tryptophan nap!
I hope you enjoyed reading this weeks release. If you did, please click like and subscribe. You'll get a brand new release in your in-box once a week every Tuesday.
Do you have a question or comment? Please drop me a line. You can always reach me at joe.berger@newsstandpros.com
That’s it! May your post-Thanksgiving week be slow and filled with canceled Zoom calls and emails that say "Let's pick this up after the Christmas break!"