In May 2013, Ellen Verbeek predicted in an interview in Adformatie, together with her husband Derk Sauer: “In five years, there will be no more magazines, with a few exceptions.” Pardon? I thought so! We see enough reasons why there will be media brands that periodically visit their target group even after 2018. Especially in the digital age.
It's the commitment, you stupid!
Magazines traditionally create a strong bond with their readers and subscribers. Some even proudly say that they are 'members' of Margriet, VI, Volkskrant or Okki.
It is deeply ingrained in humans to want to belong to like-minded people and that is why we connect through societies, associations and (media) brands. The connection (engagement) is confirmed by the ritual. The cryptogram from the Saturday newspaper that is often solved in consultation, the Libelle Summer Days that are visited with girlfriends, the plate on the lap at Studio Sport on Sunday evening; these are iron-clad rituals that illustrate the power of periodicals. Whatever form they have.
Verbeek said in Adformatie as motivation for her prediction: “I will never buy a magazine again. I see everything on the internet”. But googling and rssing information yourself is not enough to establish and maintain a bond. The means and the technology may change, what remains is the power of a strong format, within which you periodically surprise your audience with things that confirm and strengthen the engagement.
LINDA!
What Ellen Verbeek actually means is probably something like: “Paper magazines, as we know them now, will hardly exist in five years”. And we understand that too. But the addition that she reads everything on the internet instead, that is a serious error in thinking. Witness the rest of her argument: “A magazine like LINDA. is doing well, but in a few years people will only go to the site. It is strange that it has gone so quickly, but I am convinced that in five years there will be no more magazines, with a few exceptions.”
. LINDA.nieuwsblog is slovenia mobile phone number list also in the title bar, to emphasize the difference with the magazine. On the blog a selection from the world news, as far as that fits within the worldview of the LINDA. readers. With of course the possibility to respond to the content and share it. And further the lists 'most' (shared, read, responded), the tweets, the photos, videos (extras with reports from the magazine), a single advertisement and of course a description of the content of the latest issue. Because that is still where the money is made. A shop could also have been added.
Linda.Newsblog
The LINDA.news blog is a logical extension of the magazine
The site is therefore a logical extension of the magazine: supplement, showcase, sounding board. Without too many costs for extra content. But it is not a replacement for the magazine. The magazine in print format can be read digitally via tijdschrift.nl , although the editors do not recommend this on their site: “Letting glossy pages slide through your fingers is of course much nicer than digital browsing”. Then there was an app, but that is no longer active. In short, LINDA. is alive and kicking, experiments a lot and makes sure that it is where its target group is: offline and online. And it makes sure that it is predictable (in format and publication frequency) and at the same time surprising (in content and appearance). We predict that LINDA. will still be around in five years.