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Buggy whips, going fast

I had an interesting chat with a publisher yesterday.

This guy publishes one of the country's most popular and successful print-media magazines and is succeeding with paper in a market that is rapidly converting to digital media.

How does he do it?

Well it would appear that the answer is in the demographics.

As we all know, most people 35 or younger are pretty well connected to the "online" world. These are the folk who are more likely to have a pretty hi-spec'd smartphone, a tablet, a netbook and spend a fair amount of time online.

But what about the average "old fart"?

Well it seems that those who are 50+ in age still are still happy to lay down a note or two in order to buy a real (look, you can kick it!) hardcopy, printed magazine.

It would seem that whereas the more "connected" folk out there are increasingly turning their backs on hardcopy, there is still a generation that believes a printed publication is worth the asking price.

Of course this can't last forever.

Every year, the "old fart" generation grows a year older and a year closer to death. Eventually, sales would decline, solely because there are fewer and fewer of those who aren't of the "digital" generation left.

I suspect therefore, that although this publication is enjoying enviable success in its chosen niche, it's only a matter of time before they too are forced to make plans to create a revenue-generating digital presence.

In fact, if they don't, they probably have no future as a profitable magazine.

Fortunately, the publisher has realised this and is busy making plans to extend the reach of this magazine into the online world. We had a good old chat and I shared some of my own experiences which will hopefully be of some value in this transition.

We also discussed TV as a medium and had both already come to the conclusion that TV is becoming increasingly less relevant -- in the face of things such as YouTube and other online delivery mechanisms.

Of course TV won't disappear overnight. Just as we have the "printed magazine" generation, there's also the "TV generation" out there -- and they're still a significant part of the marketplace. However, both these groups will eventually be aged-out of the market simply because everyone dies eventually.

The market that anyone considering the launch of a new publication ought to be looking at right now are the 20-30 year-olds. These are the people who are far more likely to be huddled over a computer/smartphone screen than a TV set or printed magazine.

New entrants into the publishing industry ought not be left trying to flog buggy-whips in the day of the flying car.

What is the form of media *you* use the most and how does this compare to just 10 years ago or maybe 20 years ago?

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