The advantages e-magazines have over traditional print magazines are the ability to share content, gain immediate access, the portability, the incorporation of video media to existing print. E-magazines also offer a greater selection of photos, and an instant “link-up” of relevant information. The advertisers are also faced with an entirely new frontier of advertising options, which are highly beneficial to them.
Some disadvantages to e-magazines are the ability to have it lost, stolen, or damaged. Also there is potential for software bugs and glitches, the older generation would most likely be resistant to change, and only those with an e-reader could access the content. Additionally, an ipad with 3G capability costs $69.99 per month for “anywhere” access. The cost of e-readers and the 3G subscription fees are huge drawbacks.
Fundamentally, the audience for e-magazines won’t change. However, one must consider demographics such as income level and age. The starting price for an ipad is $499, so in order for one to access the content, one must be able to afford one. Retirees may not embrace online content because it is a whole new way to access information in comparison to the traditional magazine.
Yes, the subscription model could still work, but when pricing e-magazines for the iPad why not go both ways? They could sell subscriptions to loyal customers and single copies for those people that are just interested in a one time edition. This process would be mutually the same as regular print magazines. People walk door to door to sell magazine subscriptions or maybe even as a fund raiser for schools and once you’re in, you keep buying (or that’s what they hope will happen); then there are the one time buyers, like those that impulsively buy magazines from the checkout lines in stores such as Publix or Walmart. By giving the consumer options when making a decision they will be more likely to purchase something from your company whether it be a one time purchase or a one year contract. And in this economy, every penny of revenue counts.
The advantages to companies advertising on a digital, interactive platform seem to far out weigh advertising in a print magazine. Being able to advertise something and give the reader a view from every single angle or a product with the flick of a finger, is much more enticing then seeing that merchandise from one view point. Also, on an e-reader or an iPad, the advertisers can now include hyperlinks to their website to get more information on a certain product, or to view other similar products that may better fit the reader’s personal needs. These are milestones in the advertising world. They now have the ability to extend their advertising techniques from the Internet to e-device magazines, and they can even expand their tactics because some e-readers give you capabilities that a regular computer don’t- such as touch screen and auto rotation features.
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