The social role of magazines is as uncertain as their commercial basis Essay

The social role of magazines is as uncertain as their commercial basis - Essay Example Over the years, there have been reports of increasing demands among customers regarding a certain extent of control and influence over their media experiences as the media and technology industries have compelled them to do so. At present, digital formats can enable readers to easily navigate and establish interactions with the magazine content. Publishers have increased their ability in retaining the design conformity of a typical print magazine and, at the same, integrate the dimension of interactivity which attracts readers and generates a more engaging and dynamic experience (Machin and Thornborrow, 2003). In addition, the engagement of advertisements can also be enhanced owing to this digital resolution. However, there is still an increasing concern as to how magazines can retain their readers, establish and sustain effective brands, and increase profitability. Therefore, a number of factors must be emphasized, including brand awareness as well as the engagement of customers and their intentions to purchase. This paper will then focus on how readers relate to the magazine as a brand and how this process can influence their recall of the brand along with their intentions of purchasing such publications. Opportunities from the use of the new media have been recognized; if publishing will strongly depend on effective content delivery, consequently, the conventional print format will experience considerable threat. Retail wastage along with excessive reliance on distribution through newsstands has been associated with such format in the United States and in a number of European countries (Al-Olayan and Karande, 2000). On the other hand, the new delivery of media content has offered publishers and companies various opportunities; for instance, it helps reduce waste similar to the advantages of subscriptions, and provides real time interactivity between the readers and content. Such immediate interaction with these readers often entails a considerable culture ch ange which brand owners and manufacturers should effectively carry out to retain their readers. Finally, online publishers increase their ability in become a search engine with which a magazine site can help direct their readers to the source of information which they are seeking, implying that their magazine fits the readers’ lifestyle. Owing to the fact the online market has continued to present increased choices, one of the most crucial actors for success when using the new media is brand image (Vargo and Lusch, 2004). Many publishers have recognized that the branding concept is a solution to the threats of the new media. On the whole, the customers’ awareness of a certain product, also characterized as their ability to think back to it, has typically been viewed as a crucial factor that determines their choice of purchase. However, others have underestimated the advantages that branding can provide by overlooking the usage of new media or considering such as a non- profit platform, similar to the free supply of magazines during events. The fact that numerous publishers have been offering their magazine content for free through the Internet can bring about risks for these firms. As branding has been increasingly deemed as an important component for magazine publishers, this emphasizes the traditional role of these publications in the society, which is to bring together