Last month, Essence Magazine did an on-line subscription campaign. They offered a one-year subscription to readers for $6. Essence, like many of the other black magazines are losing readers because of our new Digital Age.
Like Johnson Publications, Essence is trying to play catch up. While other publications were embracing our new Digital Media, Essence missed the boat. I got a survey last month about them . Asking me what articles I read, did the article speak to me, how likely was I to recommend this to a friend, and how did I like the website.
Frankly, I don't go to their website. The last time I went there wasn't much there. One of the major criticisms that I have with some of the black publications that we always come to the game too late.
In this case, advertising and communicating with readers via the Internet is expensive. Today's consumer gets their news, information, and shops on line. Essence probably just saw the initial money they would have to shell out to be on-line and decided to put it off. The investment was too great. However, when you are in business, you have to take risks. Essence didn't see the BIG picture.
Now, Essence is paying for it. Circulation and sales are down. Many younger women don't think the magazine applies to their lives.They can't relate to it. Then a few months ago, there was a brouhaha about hiring a white editor. And readers didn't realize that whites were always a part of Essence because when it started it had white editors and photographers.It might have been founded by blacks, but white people worked behind the scenes.
The other criticism is that black people NEED to support each other more. The fact that we as black folks will spend $200 to go out to a club for one night of fun. However, we refuse to pay $12 for a one-year subscription to a black woman's magazine. We need to be ashamed.
I hope we don't lose this magazine, but right now, things aren't looking good.
Posted By: Marsha Jones
Monday, September 13th 2010 at 9:23AM
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