Just watching this YouTube video once, makes me relish in the idea that there will be a sustainable future for the magazine industry. We have all been watching the world slowly transform from print into digital, but print media has been a questionable evolution.
Since before the inception of the Wired Magazine’s first iPad digi mag app, magazine publishers have been deliberating over the best ways to present their circulation plan for their individual publications. There is no doubt that digital magazine apps are the future and that the iPad has sprung a new source of advertising revenue into the publishing world again, but how soon will people catch on to the digital magazine wave?
Over the past 12 months, some changes have sped up the advancement of the digi mag platform, and thanks to our YouTube baby sensation, we know that the print we are used to will change, because soon she and her peers will be out of diapers and into the pages of all the latest and greatest editions of the tween digi mags. I am sure the mother of adorable little “YouTube iPad Baby” can’t wait to hear all about the newest gossip concerning the 2021 version of Justin Beiber. OMG.
Here are some of the latest changes in the tech world that have helped shape and speed up the bridging of the gap between digital platforms (ie. iPad and other tablets) and media readers.
Subscribe Now
When the iPad first came out in the first quarter of 2010, publishers only offered individual, monthly magazines. With the hassle of paying every month, as well as remembering to purchase the next issue, readership loyalty was not a stable feature for digi mags. Now, publications like Men’s Health and Time offer yearly subscriptions. Not only does this hold the attention of readers of a particular publication on a regular basis, it also assists in the effort of reeling in this subgroup of readers into the digi mag world.
While Conde Naste has more subscribers, Hearst is racing to keep up. In general, subscriptions are helping out in the entire transformation of this industry solely based on frequency of exposure. Plus, subscribers to print magazines are often offered a free digital subscription, such as the one from The New Yorker Magazine. Sometimes that one time exposure is all that is needed to get a reader hooked.
Newstand for iOS5
Although many readers already had subscriptions to particular magazines and newspapers on their iPad and iPhones before Newsstand existed, they now have a centralized location of all their news sources. This may seem like an obvious, or even unnecessary app, but to hone in on a particular aspect of your tablet allows readers to go straight to their news, while bypassing the enormous distractions that come with Angry Birds and Words With Friends. Better yet, Newsstand presents each publication with its latest cover, instead of just the logo of the brand. It also prompts automatic updates to download the newest edition of your publication. Media today is all about being current, so as long as your publication is presented to the reader in the most timely manner, then that is just another reason to stay loyal.
Kindle Fires and Nook Colors and iPads, Oh My!
The competitive nature of these e-reader brands is not only felt internally between the companies, but the public is aware of the fight to be on the top of the ‘Must-Have’ tablet list. With the fast paced growth of technology, readers are choosing which device best suits their lifestyle, as well as their wallets. Although a clear competition is taking place and there is currently a clear winner (cough, cough, iPad), pop culture puts an obvious emphasis on the need to read on a mobile device. And, in an effort to promote to all audiences, the ‘go green’ movement is just another reason to buy an e-reader.
The Children are Our Future
“YouTube iPad Baby” is not the only infant that has only lived in the world of touch screens and virtual networks. In just a few years we will have an entirely new young adult generation who was born in an era where their favorite fairytale books were read to them on screens and cursive was not necessary to learn because the keyboard is the most important form of written communication. By the time they are in grade school, they may only be learning on e-books, and the Dewey Decibel System will be extinct. The future is in the hands of “YouTube iPad Baby”.
