Birth of new advertising opportunities

It’s hard to avoid the talk about the death of print, whether it is newspapers, newsletters, magazines, or beyond. This year hasn’t been kind to Gutenberg’s baby, with doors closing at Gourmet, Blender, Travel & Leisure Golf, Elegant Bride, to name a few.

But is it really the death of print, or just time for a rebirth? Some of the biggest names in publishing are collaborating in hopes it is the latter. This year saw 60+ magazines go online-only. Time Warner, Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith and News Corp. are taking it one step further: digital versions for e-readers such as Kindle. The publishers are teaming up to develop an application that is compatible across all e-readers and allows the feel of each magazine to remain true. 

An added bonus (or perhaps the original intent?) is greater opportunities for advertising. Here are a few that initially come to mind:

• Interactive ads with click-to-buy capability
• Customized ads based on the subscriber information provided
• Embedded video for movie trailers or TV shows
• Links from movie or music reviews for simple purchase
• Access from the ad to consumer reviews or forums related to a product
• Ability to update the ad in real time (e.g., update pricing or offers)

These are just the beginning of the possibilities, but the end result is a unique reading experience for users. 

So is this the end of the printed, hard copy magazine? Not any time soon. Plenty of people still want to curl up next to the fire with the latest copy of Time, and it just isn’t as cozy with a computer-like device. But it is a sign of things to come. A customized experience for users that lowers production costs and opens up new advertising opportunities sounds like a win all around. 

What do you think? Will you be first in line for an e-reader-friendly magazine, or are you perfectly content with the copy that shows up in your mailbox?