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Byline: Nat Ives Two auto enthusiast magazines are turning their most important editorial content - vehicle reviews - into online tools for advertisers. Other magazines could adopt the practice. The [...]

The article reports on 20th Century Fox's use of fake news sites to raise awareness for its films. Topics discussed include the growing number of fake news sites for the advertising revenue, the Society of Professional Journalists' disapproval of fake news sites, and the efforts of 20th Century Fox to push the boundaries of traditional marketing to creatively express its message to consumers.

The article examines marketing of magazine subscriptions by periodical publishers related to the electronic versions of those periodicals available on tablet computers. The decision of the periodical "Sports Illustrated" to abandon a price increase in which subscribers to its print edition also received a subscription to an electronic issue for iPad computers is discussed in terms of an overall industry debate on whether to issue such combined subscriptions or market the versions separately.

The article examines magazine advertising marketing by the periodical publisher Meredith Corp. A pledge made by the company to several of its largest advertisers in which it guarantees advertising in Meredith periodicals will increase sales by a set amount is considered. Meredith promises it will compensate advertisers with free advertising space if its advertising fails to produce the set rate of return.

The article considers marketing and public relations by the U.S. government. The vacant positions of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the Corp. for Travel Promotion, a public-private tourism marketing organization, and the Undersecretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs are examined in terms of opportunities to improve the image of the U.S. in other countries. Marketing executives offer suggestions on means of doing so.

The article examines the effect on the mass media industry of its journalism covering the royal wedding of Prince William of Great Britain and Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011. Examples of industry marketing linked to the event are presented, including the distribution of application software for the iPad tablet computer by NBC News which presents nothing but information on the wedding. The possibility that radio broadcasting of the wedding will have strong ratings is considered.

The article examines in-flight magazines, the free periodicals offered air travelers by the airline industry. The marketing of magazine advertising by the periodicals of airlines including United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines is considered. Although the readers of these publications are an affluent audience, the magazines must compete with increased Internet access and television broadcasting offered to air travelers by those same airlines.

The article examines co-branding and marketing by the periodicals "Men's Health" and "Women's Health," published by Rodale Inc. The two periodicals have combined with the video game industry firm Ubisoft to create an exercise video game Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. The game is designed for the Ebox Kinect video game console from Microsoft Corp.

The article discusses periodical publishing finance. Periodical published on a monthly basis recorded a 5.45 increase in magazine advertising pages in July, 2010 compared to the same month in 2009. Advertising page gains were also reported at a significant number of weekly periodicals. Michael Clinton, a marketing executive for Hearst Magazines, expresses optimism the increases will continue.

The article examines a strategic alliance between periodical publisher Time Inc. and the media buying service Starcom MediaVest Group. The two companies are offering advertisers guarantees on rate of return on magazine advertising purchased in Time Inc.'s periodicals based on mass media ratings data. If the guarantees are not met, Time and Starcom will offer compensatory advertising free of charge.

The article discusses the decision by periodical and newspaper publishers to sign marketing agreements with Amazon.com to have their publications distributed on that company's Kindle electronic book reader. Although the terms offered by Amazon are less favorable than those it gives book publishers and authors, many periodical publishers have signed the agreements.

The article discusses the significant decline in magazine advertising sales in 2009. Periodical publishers maintain that the losses, which have been particularly acute in fashion and business periodicals, are primarily the result of the recession. Executives from several media buying services disagree, saying that changes in marketing management begun due to the recession could prove permanent even when economic conditions approve.

The article reports that the cosmetics company Elizabeth Arden has had its advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners place the company's $35 million annual magazine advertising budget up for competitive bidding among periodical publishers. A request for proposals drafted by the agency told publishers that Arden would place advertising in no new periodicals.

The article reports that a coalition of large mass media corporations are urging Internet industry Google to alter the search algorithm for its Web search engine. The companies are asking Google to elevate the rating of their expensively created paid content to the front page of search results viewed by Internet users ahead of Web pages which merely link to their content.

The article reports that periodical publishers are increasing their marketing effort to attract so-called "regional" advertising. Regional advertising is purchased by businesses wishing to appeal to a specific geographic area of the periodical's circulation, as the periodical is published in separate editions for that purpose. The competition for local advertising spending among mass media is already intense, and this could drive all forms of advertising rates lower.

The article focuses on the periodical "Wired," which is devoted to high technology topics. Publisher Chris Mitchell is attempting to attract advertising from fashion and luxury goods marketers, a new direction for the magazine. Mitchell notes that "Wired" readers have a higher per capita income than the subscribers to many fashion magazines. "Wired" is owned by Conde Nast, which publishes many well-known fashion magazines.

The article reports that the United States Golf Association (USGA) has created its first corporate sponsorship arrangement for the 2008 U.S. Open tournament. The USGA has joined with broadcasting partner NBC and sponsors including AT&T and Rolex to present "The U.S. Open Golf Challenge," a television program in which celebrities such as Matt Lauer and Justin Timberlake will play the course on which the tournament is to be held, Torrey Pines in San Diego, California.

The article examines an ethical conundrum facing periodicals and their publishers. Periodicals will be heavily involved in promoting environmental concerns and in green marketing in advance of Earth Day on April 22, 2008. Yet because they are published on expensive paper and physically distributed over wide geographic areas, periodicals have one of the largest carbon footprints among all businesses.

The article focuses on a magazine publishing trend. Periodicals which are aimed at an affluent audience, such as "W" and "Martha Stewart's Living" are printing larger-sized editions in order to attract advertisers of luxuries and project an image of wealth. By contrast, periodicals aimed at a mass audience are shrinking in area, including another Stewart periodical "Everyday Food."

The article focuses on how the 2007 writers strike could affect television advertising and sales. Because of the strike, media buyers are considering asking for their money back, should the two sides in the writers strike not come to terms. The author reports that traditionally, when ratings fall below guarantees made during the upfront sales period, marketers are content to make-goods, or additional ad time that helps build the promised viewership reach.

The article focuses on the plans of Kent Brownridge, who will become Chief Executive Officer of the men's magazine publisher Dennis Publishing on completion of its purchase by the private equity firm the Quadrangle Group. Brownridge wants to cross-sell advertisements to the magazines Maxim, Blender, and Stuff in hopes of both increasing revenue and cutting costs. Circulation of all three publications has dropped significantly in early 2007.

The article reports that the newspapers "The Wall Street Journal" and "USA Today" are developing glossy magazines that would be distributed under their names. The magazines would be devoted to lifestyle concerns, aimed at attracting the affluent producers of luxury goods and services who advertise in beauty and fashion magazines. Neither project is near completion.

The article discusses the possibility of the words "magazine" and "publisher" becoming obsolete due to magazine publishers increasingly moving into territory that once belonged only to advertising agencies. The article focuses on the reasons for this shift in the publishing and marketing fields, and gives examples of how publishing companies and magazines are responding to the shift.

The article presents forecasts for media spending in 2007. Ad dollars in newspapers are compared with ad dollars on television. A chart is presented which shows ad spending forecasts by three media buyers in dollars and percent change from 2006 with a breakdown by media type. A forecast of internet advertising is also presented.

The article looks at a report card evaluation process of the magazine industry in 2006 conducted by "Advertising Age." The findings suggest that the magazine business is showing some progress by finding new ways to bring their brands to the market, but need to show more improvement overall. Areas in which the industry was graded included working faster for advertisers, being brands and not books, and rethinking the rate base.

This article reports on a decision by the People brand to turn its infrequent "People Style Watch" into a full-fledged, 10-times-a-year magazine starting in 2007. The move will thicken the already mad competition for fashion advertisers, complicate sales for similar brand extensions such as Cosmopolitan Style & Beauty, and provide another platform for the already formidable People brand. The original People magazine reported selling an average of 1.5 million copies per issue over the first half of the year, part of its 3.8 million total paid circulation.

The article reports on the upfront efforts being done by People Group and periodicals Entertainment Weekly and In Style to sell sponsorships of the 2007 Oscar, Emmy and Grammy awards event programs. The ability of the upfront efforts to demonstrate the significance of event marketing to the magazine industry is discussed. The article also explains the opportunity of advertisers to purchase multi-title programs around entertainment industry events.

This article presents guidelines to protect the advertising and circulation revenue of magazines in the U.S. That ancient frame for pricing-the average paid circulation that magazines guarantee to advertisers-may have outlived its usefulness. Many argue it now hurts the business. Both sellers and buyers must move beyond this outmoded metric. Outside magazines' log cabin, Nielsen Media Research delivers TV ratings overnight. Online advertisers can see results in real time. They can even swap one creative execution for another almost as soon as they decide to. When media swirls essentially constantly and we consume it more than we sleep, advertisers need nearly constant information just to keep up. Magazines make them wait for months. Good marketers spend all day thinking about how to accommodate their customers. The long lead times are worse than a hassle. They discourage agency executives who are used to doing business on demand.