COVERED WELL !!

Reader behaviour has under gone a massive change in the last decade or so . The prime reason for this shift is technology and of late economic challenges all over the world. Publishers of Magazines are really up against it in most of the markets. They are finding it tough to arrest the dwindling readership figures year on year. Well, this doesn't mean that it's Armageddon for the printed word just yet.

Even in this chaos there's a sliver lining , some fabulous magazines are quietly championing the cause of print and are engaging the readers like never before. They are thrusting forward full steam and are busy defying the odds.......and winning. They continue to enjoy the patronage of readers around the world. The Economist to my mind is one such revered title which has braved the downturn. People who are familiar with the title are aware of it's credibility and the top notch editorial standards. This great magazine claims "it's not a chronicle of economics, rather it strives to take part in a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress" .

The spark for this post came from one of the latest covers of The Economist. I just couldn't resist myself from talking about it. Every Issue of The Economist has a very interesting cover..... the copy, the picture, everything is so different about the magazine. Well, I think what distinguishes The Economist and the rest of the pack, is the belief that everything that you do within and outside of the magazine is important. Though the most pivotal thing is what lies between the covers, the rich credible content .....BUT EQUALLY PARAMOUNT IS THE WAY YOU PRESENT IT, PACKAGE IT.........YOU GOT TO COVER IT WELL! Whatever you do, do it with a panache !!

IT AIN'T JUST ANOTHER BOOK........IT'S A SLANT BOOK

It feels great when you see things being done differently. Doesn't it ? At least I do. I love when people talk about new ideas, wanting to break stereotype and embark on a completely new thinking. I have always believed there's no dearth of people with money, but what is really in short supply are people with ideas, new ideas, innovative ideas.

During a quick stroll after lunch in the afternoon today, I happen to hop into a book store and laid my hands on a rather odd shaped book called THE SLANT BOOK by Peter Newell. It's a picture book published in 1910, filled with rhyming poetry telling story of all the mishaps that can occur when things are on a slant.

I am sure one might wonder, what's so special about a children's book, published 100 years back? A book very few have heard and seen, one which never made it to the top 100 bestsellers list of all times.So what am I really talking here?

Well, for the curious minds, all I can say is, it's neither the title of the book nor the author that has given the spark for this post. In fact it's the beautiful amalgamation, of the core idea SLANT and the choice of the SLANT sized book to narrate the story to young impressionable minds.

Today, due to advent of Internet, the printed word is facing a real challenge. And if the authors, the editors, the publishers of books, periodicals and magazines around the world continue to turn a blind eye and fail to innovate, the future could be full of mishaps. It's time they wake-up and realise that things are on a slant. And they need to innovate like Peter Newell and his publisher did with THE SLANT BOOK.

YES, IT'S NOT JUST ANOTHER BOOK..........IT'S A SLANT BOOK.

HOPES AND FEARS !!.....iPad unleashed

It's already being hailed as a seminal device in the world of computing. Apple's latest tech marvel iPad has got the media behemoths all over the world scurrying to the boardrooms again. This latest tablet is undoubtedly going to have a profound impact on the media landscape.

A world which has already been turned upside-down by the new age media "INTERNET"...... where the best of minds are working overtime to find a way to successfully move from print to digital, many feel that the launch of iPad would only add to the misery of newspaper and magazine publishers.

But I have a different opinion on this. Nobody can escape the inevitable and the best way to tackle the problem would be to look at devices like iPad as an opportunity which will offer new ways to reach out to the readers. With numbers plummeting in the traditional medium, this could give a new lease of life to many. In fact the tablets could offer multiple revenue opportunities. Both readers as well as advertisers would be more than willing to pay for trusted, reliable content.

When I look at APPLE all I can do is marvel.......ANOTHER PATH-BREAKING INNOVATION....WOW!

JOB WELL DONE MR. JOBS..........CONGRATULATIONS!!

GOING! GOING !!......GONE!!!

Writing is on the wall. Dwindling circulation/readership numbers, shrinking advertising volumes, overcrowded landscape, Magazines are really up against it. It's a daunting task to survive through all this carnage if you are a magazine publisher. Who would have thought, less than a year back that the joyride would come to an abrupt halt and topple the applecart in the worst possible manner.

No one has managed to come out unscathed. Every single publisher, be it a broadsheet or a magazine has borne the brunt of the slowdown. Contrary to the preachings of the marketing n advertising Guru's, the first thing that goes under the hammer is the advertising budget when the going gets tough. Remember what famous Henry Ford said once, " Half of all advertising is a waste of money; we just don't know which half ". So rather than trying to figure which half to focus on our esteemed advertisers have decided to play safe and save on every single dollar/rupee.

Pick-up any magazine and you'll understand what I mean.Due to lack of advertising revenues, even the editorial pages have taken a hit and publishers have been forced to scale down the number of pages. Magazine's have already started looking at corrective measures, like upping the cover price, change of frequency , closing down non profitable titles etc.

But I still feel that, no one has really come out with a strong long term blue print to survive and thrive. Everyone has resorted to short term measures. There has to be a paradigm shift the way magazines are published and sold. Nokia is not the same company it used to be about a decade back, nor is HP,two of the biggest advertisers. These are companies at the cutting edge of technology. Tech leaders who are looking for very innovative, clutter - bursting advertising solutions in real time.

I think we've reached a stage where both the publisher and the advertiser will have to be partners in the real sense and look at a complete new business approach.

Think about it !!

And I am not taking off my thinking cap, just yet.