We are promoting Madison and the free gift at the entrance to our women’s magazine aisle. We also have the title in its usual location taking up double pockets – thanks to the free scarf which comes with the magazine this month.
I wonder if magazine customers are feeling tip-on fatigue like newsagents. Finding space for these fold out double spacing packages is a challenge. While we could leave it folded and taking one spacing, the value of the gift is then hidden.
Looking down the women’s magazine aisle and it feels as if all the major monthly titles have a gift or one sort or another. There will be a point at which the gifts have no perceived value.
It amazes me how a gift like this switches the mind of the consumer from whether they want a copy of Madison to whether they need a scarfe.
Most freebies cheapen the magazine, both appearancewise and journalistically. Bent bits of cardboard do no favours to our efforts to sell a title. Sachets inserted in the middle of a mag result in a sloppy appearance.
A well timed or well selected giveaway can do wonders, but these seem rare. The scarfe seems to be a good one. Please no more free bags or t-shirts – or notebooks.
Bonus back issues would be better off given to the newsagent to hand out as samplers.
In my neighbourhood people don’t like the giveaways. They’ll often debag the magazine at the counter and hand the bonus back.
Harpers Bazaar crashes every time they attach a bonus and charge the buyer 2 or 3 dollars for the privilege. It seems people aren’t completely stupid…