Andre Jebbinson, Staff Reporter
IN THE age of the Internet and cable television, magazine publishers have to be on their toes to generate advertising revenue.
Jamaica has had its share of magazines, some crumbling as quickly as they were formed, or even quicker. The competition has been intense and it is now an arena for the survival of the fittest. The competition, however, is not only among magazine publishers, but also lies in the constant efforts to get a piece of the advertising pie.
The uphill struggle now has some of the magazine publishers in Jamaica reverting to the old cliché "I'm only doing it for the love of it."
Earl Derrizio, publisher of Jamaica Business, is now contending that the field does not provide as much financial reward as he would like. "Advertising is geared for mass media like The Gleaner, TVJ and so on. We only get a small per cent of it," he said. "The magazine business is narrow and you have to be skilful at it to survive."
He said advertisers are also sceptic about placing ads in magazines because it has been a problem with their longevity. Advertisers tend to do business with the more trusted and recognised names.
Financial director for entertainment and lifestyle magazine The Buzz, Ken Mitchell, said his magazine came about because there was a void for a lifestyle magazine. "We felt we could produce something to fill the gap," he said. But he too lamented that not much advertising emphasis is placed on magazines.
The Buzz, printed every two months, and Jamaica Business, a quarterly magazine, generate approximately 80 per cent of their revenue from advertising. The other 20 per cent comes from circulation and subscriptions.
ADVERTISING DOLLARS
Derrizio said 80 per cent of revenues go back into covering the overheads, which are about $600, 000 per issue.
But according to Eileen Lewis, media director at Marketing Counsellors, attracting advertisers goes beyond just having a magazine. "If we have confidence that it serves with the clients message, we encourage them to advertise with them," she said.
Lewis also said that the quality of some of the magazines is questionable. "People should be able to read magazines, that's what they buy it for... I read these magazines with a pen in my hand, because I have to correct the errors," she said.
She believes that some of the magazines are not proof-read before they are published, making them more error prone. Reliability is also taken into consideration. She said the magazines are almost always behind schedule. That, she said, is unacceptable to her clients.
Mitchell said he is now trying to appeal to the overseas market to fill the void of local advertising. He is even considering the possibility of printing the magazine abroad in order to reduce costs. "We cover a wide range of topics for family, children and entertainment. We are now trying to get in to the Caribbean, U.S. and the U.K.," he said.
Derrizio has made special efforts to combat the competition he once faced from the Youth Link and Flair publications of The Gleaner, as well as The Teen Herald. His magazine is now glossy and more colourful.
He concurred that magazine publishers have to earn the trust of the advertisers.
"Your personality has a lot to do with it and that also affects. the amount of confidence they have in you," he said.
