Yes it's true. I tuned in to the Royal Wedding. I didn't really intend to (though I do enjoy Royals watching), but I was having trouble sleeping and got up to watch the telly since I knew I'd have to get up to feed Annabel shortly anyhow. I missed the actual ceremony itself, but saw much of the pomp and circumstance leading up to it (including Princess Beatrice's horrendous hat. What was she thinking!?). And then of course, I watched the ceremony several times afterward as it was replayed endlessly the next day. And I was not alone. Millions of viewers tuned in. And millions wanted to savour the moment with memorabilia including People magazine's Royal Wedding issue.According to an article in Audience Development, the issue was People's largest in four years with 220 pages. They even altered their publishing schedule so consumers wouldn't have to wait until the following Friday to get the collector's issue. Plus, the People website got a record 162 million hits on the day of the wedding. Sales figures for the issue have yet to be released, but I expect they'll be high.
Which leads me to wonder what sort of other events garner this much attention? Are there events which your magazines dedicate whole issues to? If not, should there be? How can magazines use special events relevant to their audiences to develop content around and drum up both circulation and ad sales?
Let me know your thoughts.
AND, let me know about your people news and events, too. I'd like to share the various happenings of Alberta magazine folks on this blog so your fellow colleagues can keep up. So let me know what's happening at your magazine. New hires? Retirees? Kick someone to the curb? And share your personal excitement such as weddings and babies too! It'll give us some new water-cooler talk plus maybe eliminate some awkward social moments. (Although I must admit, I really quite enjoy those!)
--- Colleen Seto AMPA Blogger-in-Residence
