Don't want an ad? Can I sell you an event?

Sobe News--the Miami-based publisher of 11 regional luxury magazines including Ocean Drive and Atlanta --has created a parallel strategic marketing group to serve advertisers that aren't interested in advertising in luxury magazines. This, according to a story in MediaDaily News.

This is not that much different, except in scale, from the line extensions that most magazines do (trade shows, event management, selling list access). But it is more audacious and more upfront, acknowledging that magazines know things and have skills and capabilities that are valuable way beyond selling on-page ads and access to readers.

The Luxury Branding Agency's first client is the National Football League, which has hired the agency to integrate a variety of marketing programs into its season-opening in Miami on Feb 4. It's the kind of event not normally associated with the upscale magazines Sobe New publishes, according to Lana Bernstein, who heads the group.

Bernstein says the problem with magazines is that a company has to advertise in them to gain access to all the top-line people and events. Some brands' target demo might not be the high-end niche that Ocean Drive serves, but they still crave those connections.

"We know all the VIPs, the pacemakers" in places like Miami and Atlanta," Bernstein says. "Everyone has an open door for us."