Turns out saving print might be easier than finding your nearest newsstand
Greetings from a sunny, crisp and buzzy Zürich, where the first Monocle Christmas Market of the season is underway on the street below me (Paris, Toronto and Tokyo are next weekend, with London and Hong Kong the following). Up here on the executive level, it’s all budgets, forecasts and seating plans for the meetings and dinners that need to happen over the coming three weeks. I always enjoy our markets as opportunities to introduce new customers to our business while also gathering feedback and story tips from those who’ve been with us for nearly 20 years. It’s a powerful statement when a reader approaches you in the middle of a room packed with vendors and shoppers and says: “I’ve been with you since the very first issue and follow all of your new projects.” Such an exchange happened earlier this morning as we were just setting up and it was a reminder of how deep our relationship is with our audience, how much they’ve invested across the decades, how important it is to listen to what brings them back for more and, perhaps more importantly, where they feel their eyes and ears are being drawn elsewhere.
When the idea for Monocle was hatched about 22 years ago (it took about two years of thinking through the case and another two to raise funds), much of the field research was done in airport branches of WHSmith and Relay early on a Tuesday or late on a Sunday. I was watching which newspapers and periodicals people were purchasing before takeoff and figuring out how I might find a gap in the market to either replace what they were buying or add to their regular stack of titles. When we launched in 2007, it was quite straightforward to break into the market and get in front of readers. For the most part, it was a game of paying to play in grocery stores, bookshops and kiosks. We focused our push on three dozen key markets and grew from there. I won’t say it was a doddle but it was quite easy to achieve cut-through at a time when smartphones were still nascent and print editions of daily newspapers still set the tone and drove people to newsagents to buy their favourite title.
Two decades on, we know how different both the media and retail landscape look and the challenges we face. On Wednesday, I flew back to Zürich from Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport. As the main hub for a nation defined by good design and architecture, it’s not a great experience and the retail offering even less so. As I made my way to the gate and passed shops that used to be key retail partners for us, I struggled to see if these companies still offered space for magazines and had to question how Vitaminwater could still be a thing no matter how much it was pushed to the front of the fridge. Later that evening I relayed this story to the crowd gathered for the signing of our new release, The Monocle Book of Designers On Sofas, and explained how essential it was for people to start subscribing as points of sale for print continue to disappear. It was a simple statement of fact but it clearly clicked as a number of people nodded and opted to join our ‘club’.
So now I’m going to try this again. Given we already offer 24 hours of free radio every day and send out more than 500 editorial newsletters a year (completely gratis), it’s important that we get more people to buy subscriptions. Particularly as newsstands, in all corners of the world, vanish. To be blunt, we cannot do the journalism that we do if people are not paying to read in print or at monocle.com. As this is the season of giving, I cannot think of a more fitting gift and at a cost that’s considerably less than your daily coffee intake across the year. As for matcha drinkers, this is a positive steal and exceptional value. Here’s 10 reasons why you should give the gift of Monocle or simply treat yourself.
1.
We strive to be a place of reason and polite discussion.
2.
We also strive to be a home for common sense.
3.
Ours is an optimistic, not divisive take on the world.
4.
Monocle’s editors are focused on introducing opportunities – business, cultural, political, real estate and otherwise.
5.
You get 10 per cent off all purchases from our ever-expanding retail offering.
6.
We like a good party and host many around the world (yes, we could do more in the US, and we’re working on that), and subscribers are always invited.
7.
We also do more intimate and elegant events that will allow you to meet your favourite editors, writers and radio presenters.
8.
You get access to our growing range of City Guides.
9.
Your coffee table or bedside table will always look up to date with handsome new issues.
10.
It’s a solid investment in the future of journalism. Also, I just noticed that our first issue is available on eBay for €200. Imagine if you had all of the almost 200 issues? A great nest egg for the grandkids.
You can order your gift and personal subscriptions here. And if you want a corporate deal for 10 or more copies, you can drop me a direct note at tb@monocle.com and I will ensure that we sort you out in time for Christmas. Cheers and to those who are already fully paid-up, thank you for your support.
Enjoying life in ‘The Faster Lane’? Click here to browse all of Tyler’s past columns.
