The (Not So) Surprising State of Magazine Readership Today
By: Identity Team
I was reading Redbook over the weekend…yes, the actual magazine. Not the digital version. I’m a diehard fan of the hard copy. I don’t have a Nook or a Kindle. They don’t interest me. I just can’t give up that feeling of curling up with a good story and reading it from cover to literal cover.
I came across an interesting excerpt (it’s in the March issue; I’m a bit behind on my reading!) from Ben Hassett of Conde Nast that I thought was worth sharing – mainly because I had not heard these stats before:
“Barely noticed amidst the thunderous Internet clamor is the simple fact that magazine readership has risen over the past five years. During the 12-year life of Google, magazine readership actually increased 11 percent. What it proves, once again, is that a new medium doesn’t necessarily displace an existing one. An established medium can continue to flourish as long as it continues to offer a unique experience.”
This caught my eye for two reasons: One, here at Identity, we’re all about the experience. Clients need to feel good about what we’re accomplishing together. Two, it seems that all we’ve been hearing over the last couple of years is that print is dying, whether it be newspapers or magazines. I never bought into that idea. I believed print would survive, but would need to evolve in order to do so. And, I think it has.
Perhaps the experience Mr. Hassett refers to is the evolution. There’s an experience you get from reading an actual book or magazine that you just can’t get from reading a screen. I know there are a lot of people out there embracing technology who find comfort in screens. I’m not one of them. And, I have to believe I’m not the only one.
The lesson here is simple: Video never did kill the radio star (if you were alive in 1981 when MTV debuted, you know what I’m talking about!). And, so far, the Internet hasn’t killed print.
Do you think print media will continue growing as more people are getting their news and information online?
