Magazine "Church and State Separation" Business Model No Longer Makes Sense - Steve Blacker - MediaBizBloggers

Men's Health Magazine recently included a cover mention for Calvin Klein Jeans, crediting the designer for the line worn by its cover model. Is this simply a smart editorial/reader service or is it the start of selling cover mentions to advertisers? Here's nine reasons it should be the latter.

1. It is a definite reader service as it is only natural that readers would be curious as to whose brand the cover model is wearing. According to David Zinczenko, the editor in chief of Men's Health, the magazine has been including credits on its cover for more than a year for such advertisers as Adidasand Patagonia.

2. The only fault I find is that the mouse type that mentions Calvin Klein is difficult to read. Selling editorial credits within a magazine has been common place for most beauty, fashion and home decorating magazines for quite some time.

3. Rather than force the reader to hunt for the credit lines of what a model is wearing, or their make-up on a cover; it makes good sense and is a reader service to provide that information on the cover through a readable cover line.

4. If this service becomes part of a promotional package that an advertiser buys into there is no problem nor great conflict of interest. What the cover model wears or what make-up they use is just one part of a total cover package. A smart editor,and David Zinczenko is certainly that, will not compromise his cover as it is their single most important promotional tool for newsstand.

5. Magazines need to wake up and become even more promotionally geared to affiliations with TV shows, advertisers and anything else that can gain them more readers and advertisers. TV shows have been doing this since their inception. And product placement within a movie is now no big deal.

6. According to David Zinczenko, "There was no quid pro quo with Calvin Klein. Nor has there ever been with any advertiser for an on-cover mention." Neither Adidas nor Patagonia advertised in the magazine. Maybe that's the real problem. Why not sell this opportunity to advertisers who would normally qualify to be featured as part of the cover?

7. Magazines need to come up with new ways to involve advertisers editorially both within the magazine, on Web sites and any other platform that exists. The editor can make sure that quality standards are maintained.

8. The lines between editorial and ad sales; the old church and state business model no longer makes sense. Viewers and readers could care less; they just want a vital product that either informs or entertains them.

9. Good Housekeepinghas been using its "seal of approval" to sell ad pages with for quite some time. As long as the product passes its tough test lab standards, an advertiser can use the Good Housekeeping Seal in their promotional efforts when they buy a certain number of ad pages. Other magazines ought to look to develop similar opportunities.

Steve's new book You Can't Fall Off The Floor - The Insiders' Guide to Re-Inventing Yourself and Your Career chronicles his 50 year career working for over 25 different companies with 189 lessons learned and insider tips from Gayle King, Cathie Black, Chuck Townsend and 28 others; Blacker is still going strong today as a partner in Frankfurt & Blacker Solutions, LLC. His web site is blacker-reinventions.com and e-mail address is blackersolutions@aol.com

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