Magazines thrive, still surprise

Absolutely, say media industry experts, adding that those who have declared magazines’ demise are off-track.

It may take under-served markets, unique delivery methods or tying print to digital, to enhance both media, they note.

Add a few catchy advertising tricks and you’re on a roll.

Nivea, the global skin and body care brand, has made a habit of embedding cool and useful gadgets and devices in magazines.

This year’s popular item keeps track of children at the beach, according to Innovation in Magazine Media 2015-2016 World Report.

Nivea created a print ad with a tear-off bracelet containing a Bluetooth chip. The bracelet could be wrapped around the wrist of a child and linked to an app, turning the bracelet into a beacon and the app into a radar screen that showed parents exactly where their child was. If the child wandered past a pre-set distance, the app triggered an alarm. 

Dubbed “Nivea Sun Kids,” the product’s sales and place saw a marked rise in the Brazilian market where sun lovers abound, and gave a boost to publications that carried the ad.

Gimmickry aside, the report sheds light on significant trends shaping the magazine industry worldwide with caveats to publishers and editors who may have been sleeping at the wheel.

Read Magda Abu-Fadil’s full report for the Huffington Post.

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