NYT mag sells cover wrap for first time

The New York Times Magazine has for the first time sold a cover wrap. Its August 10 issue comes with a half over-cover purchased by U.S. Trust, the Bank of America private wealth management arm. The decision is evidence of the increasing pressure on magazines generally to entertain arrangements with advertisers that might not have been considered before. A story in Folio: said:

The New York Times Magazine section is in good company experimenting with cover wraps. Last December, New York magazine sold a four-page cover wrap to the New Museum.

And some magazines have incorporated advertising directly into the cover itself. The September issue of Esquire magazine features a blinking, flashing electronic display designed by E-ink and sponsored by Ford. Although Ford is not mentioned on the cover, the high-profile cover leads directly to a Ford ad spread in the front of the magazine that takes credit for the innovative cover.

Last year, Harper's Bazaar delivered 5,000 VIP copies that came embedded with "crystals"--courtesy of Swarovski, also an advertiser. In 2005, The New Yorker produced a single-sponsor issue for Target that incorporated the Target logo's distinctive red-and-white coloring on the cover as well as inside the magazine.