It's Tuesday: Five Things About the World of Magazines and Media - Issue #15
Well, here it is. Fall officially arrives in full technicolor splendor this week. If you wish, you can now put pumpkin spice in anything and not feel guilty about it. Likewise, if you’ve already bought a bag of Halloween candy: Go.to.town! You don't need my permission. Dig in, sneak some pieces as you head to your WFH desk. I won’t tell.
You may have noticed that the Delta variant is still here. This weekend I saw the disturbing news that every 36 hours, the same number of people die of Covid 19 as died on 09/11. This really needs to end. So let's all get vaccinated. Get your booster if you're eligible. Follow the recommendations of your local public health officials (And please refrain from threatening them. That's not nice.).
So here we are. Will pandemic shopping patterns from a year ago Spring come back? If so, are your prepared? How will we manage the supply chain issues this Fall and Winter?
Let’s dive in and check the news!
#1. Retail Dive has some thoughts about consumer shopping patterns during the pandemic
Shoppers returning to their earlier pandemic behaviors, research finds | Retail Dive — www.retaildive.com Retail industry news, voices and jobs. Optimized for your mobile phone.
Dive reports on the possibility that the public may be retrenching as cases caused by the Delta variant rise. They also note that as the number of people who are "highly optimistic" declines, the number of people who have resumed "pre-pandemic" behaviors declined, and the comfort level of people shopping without masks dropped.
The whole read will only take a few minutes. If they're right, you may want to pause what you're doing for a few minutes after that to catch your breath.
#2. Not exactly an article: My first issue of "Freelancer Magazine" has arrived. I'm obsessed.
About — Freelancer Magazine — www.freelancermagazine.co.uk A quarterly magazine dedicated to freelancing. Our aim is to be inspirational without being unrealistically aspirational.
My agency works exclusively with freelancers – here’s how you can be a better client | The Drum — www.thedrum.com As more workers swap agency shackles for the freelance life, Dan Salkey, co-founder of Small World – an agency startup that works exclusively with freelance talent – explains how agencies can be better clients and partners.
Years ago, while browsing the magazine racks in several bookstores for some potential new clients, I reached a conclusion that while we Americans make very nice magazines, the ones that got me the most excited were from either the UK or Australia.
So please check out Freelancer Magazine from the UK. You'll see what I mean.
Things have been so wacked lately, I don't exactly recall how I first heard of this title and/or why I subscribed. But my first issue showed up at the door late last week and I have to say, I'm impressed.
In defense of our side of the pond, I do think that in this 3rd decade of the 21st century, US based indie mags have caught up.
#3. Ebony has new owners and is coming back as a quarterly print magazine in 2022
Ebony Returns to Chronicle a New Moment - The New York Times — www.nytimes.com A leading publication covering Black life in America has emerged from bankruptcy with a new owner and ambitious plans.
When I arrived in Chicago, the Johnson Publishing Building on So. Michigan Ave was hard to miss. In my first line of work, I often bumped into the circulation director for Johnson and was always impressed with their "do it yourself, create your own techniques" style of distribution and marketing.
So it was hard to watch the company shrink, falter and fail. And it was just as exhilarating to see a new buyer pick up the pieces and create a new model for these venerable and important titles.
Below is a link to the history of the Johnson Building as well as the relaunched website for Ebony.
The Former Johnson Publishing Building Is Now Apartments | WBEZ Chicago — www.wbez.org The historic building reopened this year as apartments, yet much of the building’s groovy ’70s interior remains.
Home • EBONY — www.ebony.com Exclusive COVER STORY: NAS IS GOOD October 2021 Legacy issue Story By Miles Marshall LewisPhotography By Joshua Kissi The year was 1999. The Senate had recently acquitted President Bill Clinton on impeachment charges, Amadou Diallo had just lost his life to the police, the euro had become the official European currency, and I Am—the third…
#4. Wired columnist Virginia Heffernan's tale of trying to become an online retailer
When You're Living in an Immaterial World, What's for Sale? | WIRED — www.wired.com On influencers, symbolic analysts, and buying and selling in the age of turbo-capitalism.
This article really struck a chord with me. At the start of my career, even though my work was very white collar, I called on numerous wholesale warehouses throughout the country. I toured their warehouses, surveyed the stores that they supplied. I met face to face with owners, managers, line workers and buyers. Hosted driver meetings, supplied donuts, bagels and beverages to the office staff.
And while I still sell, market, report, consult (and frequently console) and promote, it is not the same. There is a huge difference between having hands on experience with the process of constructing from start to finish, and dropping tons of emails on people with random instructions and requests for a follow or to click here and buy.
#5. The paper shortage must be real now because even The Today Show is talking about it...
Another paper shortage? What the latest disruptions in supply mean for you — www.today.com The early months of the pandemic led to shortages of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, meat and more.
I could have told them about this because for the past two months I've been working nonstop on production schedules for several magazines.
Long term, I don't see this going away anytime soon. Part of what we're experiencing is just a business cycle as producers adjust to different demands. But I also wonder if some of this can be traced to producers who were way too quick to lay off staff and shutter things at the start of the pandemic.
Your moment of Magazine Zen is brought to you by Hour Detroit Magazine
If that cover doesn't make you splork your coffee, what will?
And now, for your moment of Magazine Agita...
Small specialty SIP dropped in front of longstanding front row weekly? Check! POG logo for a long dead title still in place with category encroachment reaching the front row? Check! Bunch of OTC junk dropped onto the shelf? Check! Check! Check! And this is actually pretty darn good merchandising.
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You can reach me at: joe.berger@newsstandpros.com
Have a great week!