What Isn't a Magazine?

If you're a content-based Web site (an online zine, a blog, whatever) and you want to sell ads, you pretty much just click your mouse. You don't have to convince any governing body that you are, in fact, a Web site, fill out paperwork in triplicate, or categorize yourself into someone else's taxonomy.

Not so in the world of printed media, where some very old audit and circulation rules still apply.

Here's an interesting story about a custom publication call MK Bruce/Lee that is so innovative in packaging and design that the Audit Bureau of Circulation -- the Olympian Bureau of Weights and Measures of printed matter -- refuses to classify it as a "magazine." The result: a major ad sales headache.

It seems obvious that magazines -- in order to compete with the Web, the iPhone, Kindle, and content-delivery devices we haven't even dreamed of yet -- are going to have to showcase their tangible packaging and design properties in innovative ways. A magazine, unlike a white plastic Kindle, can surprise you and affect multiple senses, creating a completely different experience every time you pick it up.

So what do you think makes a magazine a magazine?

Create handy shortcut menus on your Windows taskbar

 

This trick works in Windows XP, Vista, and 7 (to my knowledge—it might work in earlier versions, too). I thought this was a newbie tip, but a lot of people come into my office and point to my shortcut folders on my taskbar, wondering how the heck I did it. Here's how.

1. Create one or more folders on your desktop (actually they can go anywhere but the desktop seems to be the easiest way to do this). Give them fairly short names (I use 'Apps' and 'Games').
2. Right click on an empty area of your taskbar, and choose Toolbars > New Toolbar.

   

3. Browse to one of the folders you just created on your desktop and click Select Folder.
4. You can repeat this process as many times as you want.

Now you can start placing shortcuts to all of your frequently used applications & games in your newly-created folders. These shortcuts will automatically show up in your new shortcut menus.

Ahhhh...only nine icons on my desktop. It's a beautiful thing.

You can also add sub-folders (like I did; see my first image above) to further organize your shortcut menus. This keeps your desktop clean and ... let's just face it, takes your nerdiness to the next level.

You Never Owned Your Brand

There may be no faster growing profession than the social media marketing guru. These overly caffeinated, bleach-toothed, wireless-mic-weilding wizards bear a suspicious resemblence to their old-media predecessors in that what they purport to sell (helping you grow your business) doesn’t quite match what they’re actually selling (expensive speaking engagements and $24.99 hardcovers).

Business books typically reach the best-seller list by proclaiming a revolution and inciting mild panic. The line today’s social media marketing gurus are shilling: you no longer own your brand.

Newsflash: you never owned your brand.

Remember when FedEx was called Federal Express? The company rebranded in part to honor the shorthand their customers were already using. The customer has always had a hand on the controls. Your audience was influencing one another’s brand experiences long before Al Gore invented the Internet.

The rise of social media isn’t about losing anything. It’s about gaining — gaining new and more powerful channels to reach your audience, just as your audience gains new and more powerful channels to reach one another. Where “exchanges of influence” once occurred in person or over the phone, they now happen online, right in front of your eyes: transparent, measurable, and (buzzword alert!) actionable.

Time to panic? No way. It’s time to dive in, learn and evolve.

Whether your audience’s media of choice is print, a Twitter feed, or a laser beam, your core belief shouldn’t change: Give your customers the trusted experiences and authentic information they want — useful content to make better decisions — and you’ll get better business results in return.

[Disclosure: FedEx is a long-time and beloved client of Hanley Wood Marketing]

Bing takes the high ground

  Bing. It has a nice ring to it. If Microsoft wanted a name that captured the sound of search, they got pretty close.

 

Speaking of smart marketing, I will say this: When it comes to content, Bing captured the high ground with its position: Bing is touted as a decision engine, not a mere search engine. Don’t we all need a decision engine in our lives? Just the sound of it promises relevant content, and Bing delivers by featuring travel, shopping, health and local categories. Right off the bat, that makes decision-making feel more organized--and relevant.

 

On the Tour Bing page, they spell it out: When it comes to decisions that matter, Bing and decide. Not sure why they didn’t put it on the home page to help users understand how Bing is supposed to be different than Google or Yahoo.

 

Supposed to be different.

 

That’s what will eventually determine Bing’s success, even it’s just the perception of being different. I’m just getting to know Bing, but I found the image Porto, Portugal, on the home page beautiful and compelling. I love traveling and wanted to know more, and you know what? As I moused over the image, a few content gems popped out: “The city is known for its wine, its cuisine and its architecture. Find out what the fuss is all about.” I’m easily persuaded so I decided then and there that Porto was on our short list of must-see places.

Ok, score one for the decision engine, but score two for the power of content. Let me know if you think Bing is living up to its promise and I’ll do the same.

 

By the way, as I’m posting this, Bing’s home page changed to feature a stunning photo of the Great Barrier Reefcomplete with content pop ups. I have to admit, Bing and I are getting a little closer every day. But a couple of experiences do not a relationship make.