Comments

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  Geri Bain December 2, 2012 at 9:36pm

  Tony, how often do you buy the first time you see a product? Your plan doesn't seem to fairly compensate the publications and websites that help build awareness for your product all those times someone sees your product, and maybe even clicks or sends for more info, but isn't yet ready to buy. 
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  Ed Wetschler December 2, 2012 at 9:04pm

  Yup, Tony, they'll fight you to the mat on this one, but your reasoning makes sense. Yes to you, too, Hal: Maybe counting rosary beads is not the appropriate response. 
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  Tony Humphrey December 2, 2012 at 8:27pm

  Perhaps if advertisers were able to advertise with a different arrangement.

  Over the years, in various business endeavours, I have paid 'lots of dosh' to advertise in national and regional newspapers and magazines plus bill-boards, radio and TV... at no time did I feel I was getting a good or even fair deal to increase my biz....but it was the only way to go....or so it seemed...

  I am constantly being approached to buy advertising, PR, click fees etc....by print media and online SEO and SEM agencies.

  I reject the offers but counter with a more logical and IMO, more reasonable suggestion....

  I will advertise or use your PR and SEO and pay you a fee on each successful sale....not click throughs or visits....ON SALES!

  Often the response is..."we do not do business that way"...maybe that is why many are going out of biz.

  Advertising and SEO professionals either do not have confidence in the quality of their services or targeted consumers or they do not have confidence in my product being able to produce 'sales'.....but they would have taken my dosh for 'old-style' advertising...

  Any media business using a 'Pay for Performance' method of a fee or commission per sale may just stay in business and prosper.
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  Hal Peat December 2, 2012 at 1:34am

  Ed, I'd add that in the context of some of that time period, some of those acquisitions might have seemed the logical business development.  But so many people both in personal and professional decisions had their eyes still sealed to the bigger picture even well into 2006 when many of the signs of the recession were in place.  It is easier to launch and acquire than it is to either salvage or divest in the print publishing realm, I'd guess. Never had to do it myself, just had to suffer as a writer the consequences and fallout of "big dreamers" who went on thinking that all you needed to launch a print mag was two Macs and two interns and two credit cards.

  Rosary beads?  While I'm sad at the passing of some magazines, I reserve the rosary beads strictly for flights on....oh well, certain carriers on my beat whose inflight magazines I still have to write for.  So I'll only tell on that when they're history too:)
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  Allan Lynch December 2, 2012 at 12:55am

  The irony of the internet is that while it may deliver larger numbers of eyeballs, advertisers won't pay print rates for equal or greater exposure. And most cyber pubs pay less than print. I wonder if advertisers are making a statement with their chequebooks: cyber costs less, you pay less for content (if anything), so we're only paying a fraction of the cost per thousand of print? 
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  Ed Wetschler December 2, 2012 at 12:49am

  Hal, you're exactly right on both those issues -- the overly aggressive acquisitions and (of course) the internet. Too bad. 

  I wonder if anyone else here, like Hal, was getting the rosary beads ready.
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  Hal Peat December 1, 2012 at 10:15pm

  Ed, just learned of that in twitter yesterday.  Yes I saw it coming, because Bonnier acquired too many independent titles in the years just before the recession and the move into online, now they are reaping the fallout.  Empires crumble.  But they still have many other viable titles.
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  Ed Wetschler December 1, 2012 at 8:26pm

  I just learned that Caribbean Travel & Life will fold next year, merging into Islands Magazine. I didn't see this coming; did you?
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  Vacation Wanderer October 21, 2012 at 8:43pm

  I prepared a Seven Tips For New Thailand Travelers blog post on my website that would be useful to review. http://wp.me/p2A7tC-bP   I have traveled to Thailand many times and know the ins and outs especially because I have a Thai wife who has helped me as well.  :-)
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  Camille Hoheb October 20, 2012 at 9:02pm

  Requesting Referral for Hotel & Spa PR contacts for Seoul.

  Will be there in Dec and would appreciate a helping hand with contacts and content for upcoming article on wellness travel in Korea.

  Thank you!