RSS
Twitter
Facebook
YouTubePress Release wrote
Local publishers bet big on Columbus
At what might seem an inopportune time to launch a new print publication, a pair of local publishers are betting big on Columbus and its largest demographic with the launch of 614 Magazine.
“We call ourselves “Generation Columbus”. There is nothing that really speaks to our group and there are more than 150, 000 people in this city between 25 and 35. That is what got us started thinking about this magazine. We wanted something good to read,” said Wayne T. Lewis, publisher.
Lewis, along with Clark Gaines are the publishers of the new, free monthly that will launch April 1, 2009. Despite being five months away, the publishers have approached the launch of their new publication in a unique way. They have produced a 104-page pilot issue which displays the depth and quality of the magazine to potential advertisers.
“This pilot issue has given us the opportunity to invest early in the sales team that will help make this a success. If advertisers have learned anything in the last few years, it’s that targeted advertising gives them a better bang for their buck and 614 will deliver that,” said Lewis. “Plus, the quality of our content and the way we do business will reflect highly on our advertising partners.”
614′s high-quality, original content covers a wide range of interests from the city’s dynamic arts and cultural scene to its music, both national touring acts and local artists. From personal finance to real estate and from fitness to fashion, the magazine shines a light on all that Columbus has to offer its largest group of residents.
“614 Magazine isn’t just for young professionals. We have reflected the wide variety of tastes, styles and values that make up our demographic. We are a true niche publication, rather than a typical, general-interest, “city magazine”,” said Gaines.
The editorial staff includes a certified culinarian, Angela Theado. In her At Home Chef feature, she shows readers how to prepare a gourmet-quality dishes in their own home, from ingredient selection to presentation. Also setting the magazine apart are other unique features like Adventure Girl. Spunky Stephanie Reighart explores a variety of adventures close to home, from hang gliding to spelunking, and provides tips for do-it-yourself weekend-adventurers. Walker Evans of columbusunderground.com contributes his deep knowledge of Columbus with city and dining news.
“The magazine is large, it is gorgeous, and people are going to pick it up,” said 614′s editor-in-chief, David S. Lewis. “The content is focused and intelligent, the photos are beautiful, the layout is clean, modern and very Columbus. It’s going to fly off the racks.”
The magazine will be distributed at over 250 locations designed to effectively target the audience. Over 100 of those locations will receive custom-designed, stainless steel displays which will help push 25,000 copies into readers hands.
It is no secret that print media in general has not fared well in the face of the shift to online media consumption. That, combined with the general economic uncertainty has not deterred the publishers from making a considerable investment in the project they believe will pay off.
“During tough economic times, advertisers make a flight to quality, and we intend 614 Magazine to be the quality print media in Columbus,” said Gaines. “We realize that’s a high place to set the bar right off the bat, but we would have it no other way.”
Columbus-area businesses seem to agree.
“We’re delighted to be participating in the pilot issue of 614. We take a very targeted approach to marketing in Columbus and are always looking for ways to reach out to the upwardly mobile, tech-savvy 25-35 demographic, said WOW! Internet and Cable Marketing Manager, Denise Bauer. “It looks like 614 Magazine will fit the bill perfectly.”
“I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it in Columbus,” agreed Allison Sweeney, Field Marketing Manager for Buca di Beppo restaurants. “We are very excited to be involved with this new magazine and, from what I’ve seen so far, I think it’s going to be a huge hit.”
The company’s continued growth & success with their two other niche print products, Tiger Weekly at LSU and UWeekly at Ohio State, has reinforced their confidence in launching another niche publication in Columbus. The publishers have also enlisted the help of an advisory board made up of the demographic which will meet each month to help keep the magazine on target.
“April can’t get here soon enough. We have hired great people, we’ve developed a unique concept, Columbus is the perfect city and we have the experience to make it a reality,” said Wayne T. Lewis. “That, and I’ll finally have something engaging to read while I’m waiting for lunch.”
Comments
- Eliza Ho: Looking forward to try both TILL and Glaze! This interview educates my sens
- James: We went tonight for Valentines. It was absolutely sublime. The house wine,
- howatzer: When's happy hour?
- Down the Lane: @mbeaumont,@SJT, @Mercurius, @drew thanks for all the love and support! @J
- SJT: We had our employee xmas party here and the service and food were excellent
Top Stories
- ODOT Seeks Feedback on Downtown Bridge and Street Designs34
- Dublin Grows Upward: The Bridge Street Corridor Calls for Urban Development29
- TILL Dynamic Fare Takes Culinary Standards to the Next Level13
- Edwards Companies Converting Born Brewery Building into Apartments11
- At Home: In Harrison West10
- 89 Fish & Grill Opens Downtown10
- Oval Brewing Company Looking to Kickstart New Beer Business7
- Specials to Make Your Valentine's Day Special6
- Tomorrow's Antiques Opening Soon in The Short North6
- Columbus Ranked as 21st Most Lesbianish City in the US5
Local Entrepreneurial News
- Business branding, design is best left to the pros
- Camelot Cellars hosts unique events designed to support local charities
- CCAD MindShop incubator to help creatives succeed in business
- Ballroom at Oakhurst relaunches with help from Two Caterers
- Weiland’s Gourmet Market in business for more than 50 years
614 Magazine to launch in April 2009
By: Walker
Related Posts:
Looks like everyone’s got an opinion. Columbuzz what ad agency do you work for?
1. No disrespect was intended toward Ms. Lessner. However, when one of our businesses is publicly and yes, falsely accused of something, we will respond. We aren’t perfect, but her claims were simply inaccurate.
[/i]
We received our most recent stack of U Weeklys just a week ago at Betty’s. I am not sure what about my claim is untrue.
There is a prominently displayed sign in our foyer at Betty’s requesting that all publications and flyers be approved by a manager or they will be recycled. No manager has ever received a request to accept the papers from U Weekly.
Would U Weekly appreciate it if I dumped a pile of papers in their foyer each week? Further, I called the distribution number many times and asked them to pick up the papers, they didn’t. This is how U Weekly has treated our community and their potential customers.
It is our business philosophy to leave our communities better than we found them. In doing so, we pay strict attention to the amount of waste we generate, as that waste often ends up in landfills and as litter on our streets.
I am committed to being part of the solution and not adding to the problem.
I wish U Weekly and 614 all the best and I am very much looking forward to the 614 launch. I don’t believe this city can have enough publications to reflect the wide diversity and interests that exist in Columbus. Like restaurants, you can’t have too many papers for a whole range of tastes. My favorite Thursday evenings are spent reading the Alive and The Other Paper over a beer at O’Reilly’s pub (with the lovely Ann Marie). At one time it was the Guardian too. Hell, I would read ten great papers if we had them.
My only request is you publish what people ask for, take what you need. Respect the small businesses and our neighborhoods and we will support you.
Hi Liz,
I know this is a little off-topic, so apologies in advance. I just checked with my manager, and he’s extremely amenable to the proposition of you dropping off piles of your product in our lobby. Perhaps the pot roast, on a thrice-weekly schedule. Or maybe we could arrange for a rotating lineup including sweet potato fries, potato pancakes, and pork loin. Whatever works with you. Really, I’d be satisfied with a carton of stale pretzel rolls.
I feel that this would help grow
my gutyour client base, as well as provide a unique opportunity for side-channel advertisement revenue. Maybe etch The Other Paper’s logo into a piece of flat iron, and use it to sear some delicious salmon steaks. Just an idea.If you’re interested, please contact me via the traditional messaging system of “cucumber dill yogurt spelling out words on top of a tuna nicoise, left on my front porch.”
If not interested, just leave the nicoise with no message.
Thanks very much,
-Jim (L2)
that’s funny.
and i’m a young professional, so JimL2 knows how to appeal to the target audience.
As someone who has been subjected to the “findings” of these hucksters, I don’t know of any other way to say it other than I think Next Generation Consulting’s services and “deliverables” are a load of shit. Especially if we’re talking about the creation of psychographic profiles of young professionals.
Their methodology, is flawed, templated and seeks to impose proprietary language on all cities who seek their services. You’d think that mid-sized city after mid-sized city who continue to get suckered would recognize that. “Ohh, she gave you the bike path speech as well?” – Duh.. Wake up Louisville and Dayton. We’re all competing for the same piece of the pie. It means differentiation. Not the same ol’ BS.
Outside of data in the public commons, their means of collecting data (if you would call it data) involves the exploitation of eager Young Professional Groups (see free labor) and gimmicks like free iPod minis to coerce attendance and responses of interviewees. Collecting real data to paint these pictures means immersion and it means spending money that would eat into the profitability of a NGC engagement.
Last week I received a phone call from a Louisville YP who was furious about the city of Louisville taking on NGC. It was one of those calls where you go “ohh, yeah, we got the same recommendation. same speech”.
I could go on and on about this – but, anyhow the jist is this – the wild goose chase of psychography and retention this shit unleashes is destructive. Don’t get suckered. Build a killer product whether it is a city or a magazine and use real data… And here’s a big one NGC – LISTEN. The conversation is not linear anymore.
and i’m a young professional, so JimL2 knows how to appeal to the target audience.
I’m neither young nor professional, but if JimL2 were to publish a newsletter, I would subscribe to it.
Denver has a killer magazine [url]http://www.denvermagazine.com/[/url] and this one I think is sooooo cool…it is the altitude of Denver=mile
[url]http://www.5280.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.core-media.org/content/view/12/26/[/url] This is a clusterf*&^ [url]
I hope they remember there are LOTS of YP’s in suburbia too who have condos downtown!!
This is my whole problem with most things in the world….if more businesses and people were INCLUSIVE rather than EXCLUSIVE think of how efficient information would be communicated and how much more efficiently problems would be solved if not avoided all together. Better communication. I feel myself going off on a tangent and will keep it to myself.[/url]
Build a killer product whether it is a city or a magazine and use real data..
Yes!
I can’t speak to retention, but attraction is, and always has been, a function of booming industry looking for people to work for it. No big city would have been built at any point in history if not for a period of innovation where so many people were needed that people moved in by the hoard. Once that occurs, you can classify and cater to the most predominant or niche groups you want. First thing first, get people living in/moving to the area. Foster business and innovation.
You can market Columbus as a playground for 25-35 year old college grads all you want, won’t work. Become known for the place to be in one industry or business and they won’t have a choice.
[url]http://www.5280.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.core-media.org/content/view/12/26/[/url] This is a clusterf*&^ [url]
I hope they remember there are LOTS of YP’s in suburbia too who have condos downtown!!
This is my whole problem with most things in the world….if more businesses and people were INCLUSIVE rather than EXCLUSIVE think of how efficient information would be communicated and how much more efficiently problems would be solved if not avoided all together. Better communication. I feel myself going off on a tangent and will keep it to myself.[/url]
I did a LOT of looking to other niche publications for marketing ideas during my time at the Alive. Far and away, the coolest one i found was in minneapolis. Precisely to what you are speaking to, it has an amazing amount of user-generated content with members being able to rate stories, etc.
Really, the online membership model is a win-win for publishers looking to show something tangible (besides pick up rates, which are not universally regulated and can be skewed) to advertisers. Having a strong web presence cannot be separate from a publication of this sort to maximize success (ad revenue). There is so much value added to being able to package web and print advertising and tie ins to promotions, contests, collecting primary market research, etc.
Check it out: http://www.vita.mn
Really? Is that why young people are flocking to Portland and Austin?
Really? Is that why young people are flocking to Portland and Austin?
One can argue Portland was built up by the presence of Nike & Adidas’ corporate headquarters being located nearby. The boom of the shoe revolution in the 80s certainly did a lot to attract a ton of advertising boutiques as well. In my opinion, that’s how the creative, free spirited image of Portland probably began. True, now it attracts on the cool factor alone.
I’m sure Austin had a similar story, although I have no idea what that might be.
Just my opinion.
Thank you. Someone should have told that to CBUS. Instead, what we saw there was a “free membership” to CYP so he could come up with numbers to show advertisers (sorry “club members,” but that’s exactly what he was doing – using the club to drive ad revenue for the magazine; that’s why you had a “free subscription,” so he could claim a subscription base and then – guess what? – show that to advertisers…).
He might have been more successful with an online membership kind of model to show advertisers the actual number of active members (as in, frequency of sign on rate instead of, “well, they asked to receive the e-blast, but I’m never going to show you the open rate.”), and what their likes/dislikes are as opposed to spouting off made up numbers and claiming that he reached a ridiculous percentage of the entire YP population of central Ohio when there is no possible way. He was never audited, so he just took a standard readership rate of, let’s say 2, and multiplied that by his “circulation” in “highly-targeted areas of Columbus.” Then you print however many you want, drop off hordes of them in areas around Columbus and claim the number you printed x 2 is your readership.
Anyway, sorry, got worked up for a minute. Steering back to the topic about 614, I wish them success and I look forward to seeing the issue. Kudos to them for a couple of the steps that have already been taken – hiring people from Columbus who are “in the know” (for example, Walker) and establishing a focus group to keep the publication on track.
I, however, would have liked to have seen some more tact and better customer service displayed regarding Liz’s situation. Even if you believe the customer to be wrong, put your ego in check and assume they are right. My advice if something like that happens again: “Thank you for bringing that to my attention, I will be happy to look into it and correct it for the future. If there are any future concerns regarding this subject, please contact me directly at ____.” That’s basic customer service and you kind of lost a few points on that one…
Again, g’luck and bring some quality and class (which has been sorely missing, although there’s some redemption to be done in regards to the above paragraph – I will say it’s easy to look like a defensive jerk on here, I do it frequently apparently) to this “niche” group and you’ll be a success.
If you have gmail, give Jim your address. While drunk he treats the instant messaging feature like one constant ongoing JimL2sletter. I am proud to be a subscriber.
I too am a (proud) subscriber to that IM newsletter from jim2L.
We usually end up talking about philosophy, so I’ve become fond of thinking of myself as his philosophical booty call.
If you have gmail, give Jim your address.
I don’t. :(
Can I get some drunk PMs instead?
If you have gmail, give Jim your address. While drunk he treats the instant messaging feature like one constant ongoing JimL2sletter. I am proud to be a subscriber.
I subscribe too.
Each edition starts…
HEY LAUREN GUESS WHAT
And the statements that follow are always stranger than any of my guesses.
Really? Is that why young people are flocking to Portland and Austin?
One can argue Portland was built up by the presence of Nike & Adidas’ corporate headquarters being located nearby. The boom of the shoe revolution in the 80s certainly did a lot to attract a ton of advertising boutiques as well. In my opinion, that’s how the creative, free spirited image of Portland probably began. True, now it attracts on the cool factor alone.
True to an extent, but that’s kind of like saying young people move to San Francisco because of Apple (they’re in Cuppertino). Much like voting usually is – I think young people move to places because of culture (and what they think the culture of these cities holds), a city’s brand and more often than not, it’s not in their own self economic interest to move to these cities. I think people being drawn to cities because of industry did dominate an era, I just don’t think it’s the dominate force that attracts young people anymore.
There was a very interesting series of columns on Slate called The Big Sort, which posited that people move to places where people share their beliefs. The conservative parts of the country are getting more conservative, the liberal parts are getting more liberal and there are fewer areas that are closely split. This goes down to the neighborhood level. The people and reputation of those people already living in an area goes a long way to attracting similar new people to that area.
This is going to circle back to the various threads on the potential Columbus has and what we are doing to build a SOLID foundation to thrive, allure travelers, businesses, residents,etc. I am really excited that we are not married to a corporation here…we are independently cool.