Is the magazine doomed?
Of course not. But it does need to make some changes to keep competitive.
I love this concept store for Conde Nast which has popped up in London recently. Acting as a showcase of each of the magazines, the store recognises that if you want the magazine to hold a special place in readers’ minds, you need to make it worthy of that place from the get go. As much as I love the humble newsagent, the cluttered racks do little to promote the virtues of magazines to the unsuspecting buyer.
Conde Nast’s store features all 125 publications from around the world in a purpose built environment which gives a subtle nod to the luxury of taking time for yourself to read, dream, aspire or empathise via a magazine. Not forgetting the future, the store also features iPads for readers to peruse the online publications.
I hope this is the future of retail for publishing in a time when the most agile competitors will win.
