October 30th, 2003

I’ve been caught: According to this story, “the storage industry’s two favorite professors have completed their annual look at data growth” and discovered that I personally am out of control.

Quote:

The average North American consumes 11,916 sheets of paper each year compared to 7,280 sheets chewed up by European Union residents. The average U.S. Internet user also spends more than twice as much time online as do users in the rest of the world. The world average is 11.5 hours per month of online time.

I am tempted to list other things we consume more of in the U.S. than they do in the E.U., but I’ll stop before I really get out of control.





October 30th, 2003

Cool: Nashville newsletter publisher (a really big one) M. Lee Smith has announced a transition strategy that involves the president of Lawrence Ragan, the PR newsletter company, joining M. Lee Smith with the option of purchasing it. Lee Smith is a great guy and rabid Vanderbilt basketball fan. Once I even saw him thrown out of a game for hassling a referee.





October 30th, 2003

Scooped: How bad is this? Hammock Publishing (what I do when I’m not blogging) wins a big national award and the Nashville Post gets the news posted before the rexblog does. That isn’t all bad, however, as the Nashville Post actually has readers.

Since the Nashville Post requires a subscription (and it’s a bargain, however, and well worth it), here is the news:

MyBusiness Magazine Wins Gold Eddie Award

Nashville, Tenn. - Hammock Publishing, custom publishers of corporate and association magazines, newsletters and online media, today announced that MyBusiness magazine has won a first-place Gold Eddie Award at the FOLIO: Show 2003 in New York, NY.
The Eddies

MyBusiness, which is produced bimonthly for the 600,000 members of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), won the award in the category of “Association magazine, circulation six or more times a year.”

MyBusiness Oct/Nov 2003Presented by FOLIO: Magazine, the leading trade publication in the magazine industry, the Eddies judge how well each entry articulates and adheres to its editorial mission statement. Winners are determined by the title’s fulfillment of its mission, the quality of its content, and its overall design and production.

Rated by Fortune magazine as the nation’s most powerful business lobbying group, NFIB has relied on Hammock for more than a decade for a broad range of print publications and online services to enhance its member communications. The bimonthly MyBusiness features articles and interviews, tools and tips, and in-depth coverage of the latest small-business trends.

“Working with NFIB to publish MyBusiness for its members nationwide is a great privilege for Hammock Publishing,” said Rex Hammock, president of the company and editor of MyBusiness. “So, to be honored by FOLIO: for the magazine’s editorial excellence is icing on the cake.”

Other 2003 Gold Eddie Award winners include: TIME, for general interest/news; Bon Appetit, for epicurean; Health Magazine, for health/fitness; and National Geographic Traveler, for travel.

I don’t know what to say except I’d like to thank the academy and Sally Field for this honor.





October 30th, 2003
Do your own test

Do your own test: It should come as no surprise that research funded by a company that produces Sunday newspaper advertising inserts should reveal that the “best media to motivate actual buying decisions” are Sunday newspaper advertising inserts. However, here’’s a way to run your own objective test (I’ve done it several times by accident.). Next Sunday, drive into the parking lot at your local Target and watch the mass of cars stream in, driven by customers clutching their advertising inserts. By the way, I suggest this to marketing managers 2-3 times a year when I hear them observe, “No one ever reads those things,” about such inserts. “No one,” I say, “Except those people who go shopping.” (via MediaPost)





October 30th, 2003
Custom publishing update - Relax, the McMagazine

Custom publishing update - Relax, the McMagazine: According to a press release the company issued this morning, McDonald’s is launching its new customer magazine in November. (rexblog flashback: July 30, 2003)

Here is the release:

Great Added Value for Moms On-The-Go

For the first time ever, McDonald’s will offer a mini magazine titled Relax with excerpts of fashion, parenting and other relevant articles. Offering an unexpected treat for parents, Relax is free with purchase of a McDonald’s Happy Meal during the month of November 2003 while supplies last and will be tipped onto the Brother Bear Happy Meal bag. The 40-page digest- sized publication provides helpful tips, quick solutions and advice busy moms will appreciate. Created in cooperation with Time Inc. Custom Publishing, Relax features abridged articles from such respected publications as Parenting, InStyle and People magazines. Relax will give stressed out, time starved parents entertaining, informative and engaging articles for all areas of their lives — from parenting to health to beauty.

I don’t know about you, but “great added value” is what I always look for in a magazine. Also, I’m curious to see how short an article is after it is abridged from People.

Let me add that I think this is a tremendous idea and that I strongly believe all fast service restaurants in America (indeed, all restaurant chains of any speed service) should publish a custom magazine.