Southern Accents- Latest Shelter Magazine to Go Under
Time Inc., the publisher of Southern Accents, announced on Thursday that the September/October issue would be the last issue for the 32-year-old publication. According to Publishers Information Bureau, Southern Accents’ ad pages declined 37%, to 176 pages, in the first six months of this year.
Southern Accents is the latest shelter magazine to face the guillotine. Earlier this year, Conde Nast closed Domino; others to face the ax in the last two years were House and Garden, O at Home, Blueprint, InStyle Home, Cottage Living, and Country Home.
While the economy is much at fault for the lack of advertisers for our beloved shelter mags, could it also be that the emergence of social media is too taking its toll? With advertisers opportunities to stretch their dollars farther by utilizing online tools and the online ability to microtarget, could it be that shelter magazines’ only possibility for survival is to also move more substantial efforts online?
We will miss Southern Accents. As someone who has spent a great deal of her life in the South, it appears to be one of the only luxury design magazines that exemplifies and embraces the beautiful design, ease, and elegance of southern living.
Author: Alexandra Gibson
Alexandra is the CEO of Gibson Design Management and Managing Partner of interior design firm, Gibson Design Group. When she's not busy trying to build an empire, you can find Alexandra riding a horse, giving back to the community, playing with her Scottie, McCord, or drinking a martini (preferably not all four at once).
Follow Alexandra on TwitterTags: Advertising, Blueprint, Cottage Living, Country Home, Domino, House and Garden, InStyle Home, O at Home, Publishers Information Bureau, Shelter Magazines, Southern Accents, Time Inc.
This entry was posted on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 6:04 am and is filed under Industry News, Interior Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 10th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
The demise of Southern Accents is another blow to the shelter magazine industry already reeling from the loss of so many other favorites. This is coming from the very company, Time, Inc., that launched Fortune magazine during the Depression and People magazine during the recession in 1974. Yes, the economy is partially to blame for the decline in print advertising but the rise of social media and the expanding green movement also playing roles in the progressing demise of print magazines. The unlimited potential of social media allows companies to reach a global audience, establish relationships with consumers and enhance the overall consumer experience with the brand. The current economy has also contributed to the reluctance in consumer spending which leads to advertiser skepticism. Businesses are also driven by the expanding green movement, constantly looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Advertising through social media outlets accomplishes both goals; less money is spent on advertising with little to no effect on the environment. Social media is a win/win.
As a writer for a shelter magazine, the news of another magazine stopping the presses is disconcerting, to say the least. Print magazines still hold more credibility particularly when it comes to public relations professionals. Most PR firms are more inclined to give a journalist a lead with the guarantee of a printed story versus one published online. When approaching either a PR firm or the subject of the story themselves, the first question is usually “Will this be for the magazine or for the web?” Requests have been turned down for web only features, but I have yet to hear a no for a printed request. With a bigger story, most are inclined to hold out for the possibility of a printed feature. Why? – Printed magazines are tangible and they are not going to disappear or get lost in the fray of overwhelming editorial content on magazine sites. Even in terms of the green movement, those who claim to be the most devoted to improving the environment will not flinch at the opportunity to be featured in a print publication. So, while printed advertising is losing its credibility, printed editorial still has the edge.
There have been reports that Architectural Digest has seen a 47% decline in advertising and their issues continue to get thinner and thinner. The Web site 24/7 Wall Street has them on a list of 12 businesses to shut down by 2010. This would be the biggest blow to shelter magazines yet. For everyone in the industry who is shocked and saddened by the loss of shelter magazines, it’s up to advertisers to save them. Publishers and advertisers need to work together to create a balance between printed media and their online counterparts. Perhaps more interactive content between both a print and digital version of a magazine would help to strengthen the coexistence between the two.