Comag Marketing Group, LLC » People

Magazine Tumblrs Creating Buzz

Kim — Fri, 27 May 2011 16:03:13 +0000

Tumblr, a rapidly maturing microblogging platform recently passed 250 million page views per day. There are currently at least 61 publications active on the platform, including Newsweek, GQ, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, The Economist, and the most followed, Vogue. These publications use Tumblr as a behind-the-scenes look at the magazine, an outlet for voicing opinions that may be too feisty for the publication itself.

Newsweek has used Tumblr to defend the publication’s sale and subsequent newsroom turnover. GQ uses Tumblr to point out impressive features in the latest print production and thinks it helps show that the magazine goes beyond fashion. However, when magazines fail to utilize the platform on an interactive level and simply as an RSS feed, as was the case for People magazine, their Tumblr fails to take off.

Tumblrs are helping create buzz around magazines and hence, attracting new readership. The Atlantic believes Tumblr has been really useful in attracting a younger audience than their website. “There are plenty of incredibly thoughtful, intelligent, creative people that publish in new media, and Tumblr as a platform tends to attract creative types; as a result, it’s been a great source for really brave thinking and brave ideas…” said Jared Keller of The Atlantic.

Business Insider (5/25/11)

Will Obama be People’s Sexiest Man Alive?

Jennifer — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:58:25 +0000

An announcement is expected Tuesday, November 18th. Min (Nov. 17, 2008)

ABC and People Mag Team Up to Slim Down

Kim — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:49:14 +0000

ABC and People mag have teamed up to present an hour-long weight loss special on Sept. 30 at 10pm. “Half Their Size: The People Magazine Weight Loss Challenge” will focus on eight residents of Mississippi (the nation’s most overweight state) for a nine-month period to show how diet and exercise changed their lives. The “Half Their Size” People franchise began in 2002 to help those who desperately need to lose weight. Mark Bracco, ABC’s vp of alternative series and specials, says that if ratings are strong, the network may consider running this special annually. Variety (Aug. 26, 2008)

People Wins Bid for Brangelina’s Baby Pics

Greg — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:23:49 +0000

People magazine has won the bid for the first pictures of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s twins – Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline. The pictures are scheduled to be in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Reports indicate that the winning bid was anywhere between $10 and $15 million, to which the money has already been embarked for charity. JustJared (July 29, 2008)

The Napster of Magazines Launches

Greg — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:58:54 +0000

Mygazines.com, a Web site that enables users to “share” magazines with each other online, launched yesterday. The contains current issues of magazines such as People, Playboy, Dwell, Domino, Allure, Spin, Smithsonian, Popular Science, Martha Stewart Living, New York, Men’s Journal and Esquire. Many people in the magazine industry are not happy about this site, calling it “blatant infringement on all magazines’ copyrights.” Folio (July 30, 2008)

Bidding War For Brangelina’s Baby Pictures

Greg — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:40:12 +0000

The bidding war for the first photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s expected twins has already begun and some reports say it could get as high as $22 million dollars. While officials at OK! and People claim these numbers are exaggerated, they both do acknowledge they are in the hunt for exclusive rights to the photos. The pictures are expected to break the record previously held by Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s baby for most expensive first baby photos. NY Post (June 4, 2008)

Not Just a Stunt, Welch’s “Lickable” Mag Ads Work!

Jennifer — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:35:38 +0000

Besides garnering millions in free publicity (some of it courtesy of Diane Sawyer and Al Roker), the two-page spread for Welch’s Grape Juice featuring “Peel ‘n Taste” flavor strips that appeared in the February 18th People magazine is scoring well as an advertisement, itself. A study by Starch Communications, commissioned by Time Inc., found that 70% of people interviewed remembered seeing the ad, and 62% took some kind of action as a result – from talking about it to buying it. That level of performance is similar to what would be expected of an eight-page insert. The ceo of First Flavor, producers of the “Peel ‘n Taste” flavor strips, envisions a day, “…when you walk into the grocery store and there are [flavor strip] dispensers down the aisle.” (Delicious!) Advertising Age (June 2, 2008)

Celeb Weeklies Racked Up Rate Base “Misses” in 2006

Jennifer — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:04:11 +0000

Audit reports for the celebrity weekly magazines are now available for calendar year 2006, and most missed their numbers surprisingly often. The shortfalls were small and one publisher described the practice as more are than science. People bucked the trend with a squeaky-clean audit report. The New York Post (Apr. 23, 2008)

Founding Editor of ‘People’ Back as a Writer

Jennifer — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:42:02 +0000

Richard Stolley, whose illustrious career included the purchase of film footage of John Kennedy’s assassination the day after the crime from Abraham Zapruder and who later was founding editor of People magazine, has returned to the business. Now, at 79, he is a contributing writer for People, based at his retirement home in Santa Fe, NM. In an interview with the NYT, Mr. Stolley suggested his submissions are treated like those of any other staff writer. “If they want to do it, fine, and if for whatever reason they don’t, I was an editor for too long to try and demand an explanation.” The New York Times (Apr. 21, 2008)

“People” Loves Death

Kim — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 19:48:24 +0000

Based on the best and worst-selling covers of 2007, Media Industry Newsletter found that death sells, at least for People magazine. Their top-selling covers of all-time are the destruction of the Twin Towers and Princess Diana’s death. And so far, for 2008, Heath Ledger’s death has been a big seller for the magazine. NY Post (Mar. 10, 2008)