There's something intrinsically wonderful about receiving a magazine in the mail. Oftentimes it's a status symbol. If you read Wired, you're on the edge of innovation. If you read Elle, you're on the forefront of fashion. It's also sort of enchanting. You have to wait for it, it only comes once a month, and there's weeks of anticipation between every issue. Every other form of content is instant, immediate, or delivered daily. In my own opinion, the digital editions of Men's Health, Wired, or GQ don't hold a candle to their print counterparts. Then again, I see why advertisers are ready to move past print. It's interactive, allows for links, videos, and social networking/sharing functionalities. More importantly, it eliminates the unnecessary step of reading the magazine, opening up a computer, and typing in a url. It's instant, therefore, to advertisers, it's immaculate.

I like separating my forms of media and in some cases, digital does win out. I read the USA Today on my iPad every morning, but haven't once considered subscribing to print. Books are another form that I prefer to read digitally. It's a new medium, much more entertaining, and much more convenient. It's strange how much I appreciate the digital bookshelf, but steer clear of the digital mag rack. I think the rich content of magazines make it harder to appreciate online.

Time will only tell if technology surpasses the magazine. There will be more engagement, but the line between professional editorial that's worthy of a subscription and online content that can be accessed with the click of a button will blur and blur into a period of publication panic. For all of us in advertising, this could get exciting. For the publishers out there, let's reaccess the value of print before we turn immediately to digital. The latter, while in its infancy, still leaves much to be desired.

Check out AdWeek's column on this subject titled, "Reading Ads" for a great video from Michael Wolff, two-time National Magazine Award winner and contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

Advertising needs to reeinvent intself in the age of earned attention.  This ad for Amnesty International does just that.  Using "eye tracking" camera technology, the poster can alternate between a scene of domestic violence and a scene of happiness.  All of it correlates with the copy, "It happens when nobody's watching." 

Sure, on the surface, it's not a whole lot different than a hologram.  But it's smarter, sleeker, and guerenteed to grab more attention in an age where less and less people take notice of the advertising around them.

Would this ad work on you?

Ever since the release of the new iPod Nano, people were wondering whether or not it could one day become a watch.  Well, the idea as officially been realized.  Scott Wilson, founder of design firm MINIMAL, has come up with a concept, delivered on the execution, and funded the project through an online pledging platform Kickstarter.  His goal was $15,000.  He raised over 300,000.  Pretty amazing use of existing technologies.

Now, can someone put one of these in my stocking?

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