In a cab in Newcastle today I met a passionate magazine lover. Unprompted and not knowing of my interest in magazines, my cab driver told me what she loves about Woman’s Day and New Idea, her two best friends as she calls them.
She buys one on Monday and the other on Tuesday, swapping the title she buys Monday week about.
For close to half an hour she talked about the magazines and the current stories she loves. I was looking around for a camera thinking it may have been some setup. No, she was genuine.
It was terrific to hear her passion and the joy she gets from her gossip fix.
As we neared Williamtown airport I asked where she bought her magazines. “Anywhere” was her answer. “Not the newsagent?” I asked. “I don’t care love, as long as I get my fix”.
This is the impact of pushing magazines into more retail outlets. Customers will not connect their purchase with a retail shingle. This impacts our businesses and the magazines outside the top sellers which rely on foot traffic to drive browsing and eventual purchase.
By facilitating and even encouraging other retail channels, magazine publishers and magazine distributors are harming the channel which has been so good to them.