Don't let ad industry marginalize magazines; they're the future, says McPheters

The future of magazines is not new media, it is magazines, says consultant Rebecca McPheters in an article published by Media Industry Newsletter (MIN). The problem is that agencies and otherwise rational commentators remain oblivious to the facts and are being allowed to marginalize the industry.

It is important not to lose sight of the fact that the true value of any medium lies in its ability to deliver desirable and engaged audiences to advertisers' messages. Publishers must not neglect their core medium--which has tremendous and growing consumer resonance.

McPheters, the former New York Times Magazine Group executive and Simmons president, now heads the consultancy McPheters & Co. She wonders why has the industry been unable to effectively communicate its strength to advertising and agency executives and says magazines' ability to become stronger in reaching and engaging consumers hasn't protected them from the damage done by advertisers' current fascination with new media and their apparent blindness to the tenets of effective advertising.

As electronic media have become increasingly fragmented, ever-larger amounts of time and money are being spent in pursuit of ever-smaller audience segments. Advertisers, agencies, and even publishers have become active participants in this trend.

As if that were not enough, new media is often held to exceedingly low standards in terms of its ability to deliver advertising that consumers will actually see, and with which they will become sufficiently engaged to possibly respond. Yet advertising requires meaningful exposure to offer even the opportunity of effectiveness and--for marketers who are dependent upon large bases of potential customers-- reach of those customers should still be paramount.