"The Power of Print"

There are very few things in this world that are better than becoming totally absorbed in the pages of a magazine or book. And, once completely engrossed there is nothing more thrilling than hearing the pages scratch and crinkle as you turn them. I am a print activist. Yes, I love technology and the ever useful Google. However, a Nook or an Ipad will never replace the smell of an old book or an opened-for-the-first-time magazine. The above advertisement from Vogue speaks the same sentiments. These pro-print ads can be found in many other magazines and are from a campaign created by 5 major magazine companies (Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Time Inc., and Wenner Media) to "tell the world of their impassioned belief in the power of the magazine business".

As a recent college grad aspiring towards a career in the magazine business, KUDOS to this ad. Here is what it says:

"Magazines don’t blink on and off. They don’t show video or deliver ads that pop up out of nowhere. You can’t DVR magazines and you can’t play games on them.

But you can take one to the beach, to bed or just about anywhere else and, chances are, it will engage, entertain and enlighten you in ways no other medium can.

Perhaps that explains why magazine readership has actually increased versus five years ago. The top 25 magazines continue to reach a wider audience than the top 25 prime-time TV shows. And despite the escalating war for consumers’ eyeballs, readers spend an average of 43 minutes per issue.

What accounts for this ongoing attraction? Why do nine out of ten American adults choose to spend so much time with an unabashedly analog medium?

One enduring truth: people of every age love the experience of reading a magazine, even when the same content is available online. So curl up, get comfortable, and enjoy the rest of this magazine."

The obvious irony is that I am posting this on the internet and not in print form. The even bigger point is that I was inspired by print to even write this.

Now that you've read my post, sufficiently surfed the web, and are tired of sitting at your desk, go curl up with a book or magazine and settle in!