Magazine Publishers Media: but then "publishing" is so yesterday

The new logo

The Magazine Publishers of America, the U.S. trade association for magazines, is dropping the word "publishers" from its name and will henceforth be called MPA -- The Association of Magazine Media. The  change, announced in a press release, coincides with the MPA's annual American Magazine Conference in Chicago starting Monday. 

The MPA is also adopting a new logo (illustrated above) that drops the classic "turning page" symbol with two rather lame, rectangular frames that appear horizontally and vertically (see above) around the letters MPA.

The old logo

"MPA is underscoring the fact that magazine media content engages consumers across multiple platforms, including websites, tablets, smartphones, books, live events and more," the release said. "
“Magazine media companies are rapidly embracing cross-platform business models that incorporate print, digital and other ways of providing content to consumers,” said Jack Griffin, incoming Chair of MPA, and CEO of Time Inc. “MPA’s new identity expresses our strong belief that, together, all of these forms collectively express what it means to be a magazine media company.”

“The essence of what consumers love about magazines – the immersive experience, the curated content, the sense of community and the award-winning photography and design – is now being enhanced by technologies and devices that support high definition imagery, video animation, mobile e-reading and Web access," said Nina Link, the president and CEO of MPA."The future of magazine reading is undergoing a transformation; audiences and advertisers now interact with magazine brands on so many different levels and platforms. MPA’s identity simply had to reflect this fact.”