‘Dowdy’ B&T reduces frequency and overhauls magazine
Four months after shifting frequency from fortnightly to monthly, trade magazine B&T is to move to publishing only every other month.
The brand today published a short video labelled “B&T is dead” promoting a redesign of the magazine and labels its previous look – created by award winning designer Vincent Frost in 2008 – as “dowdy”. According to the video the new look title will be “collectible”.
The switch comes the same week that rival print title AdNews unveiled a new look, moving away from news on its front page to an image led cover.
Both AdNews and B&T say they will be looking to agencies to design their pages, with The Glue Society behind the cover of the latest AdNews. According to a column from new AdNews editor Brendan Coyne: “Over the years we’ll be briefing creative and design agencies.” Readers will be invited to “critique” the work.
And according to B&T’s new media kit: “An exciting new concept in user generated content. Each issue of B&T will hand over ten pages to the best creative, strategic minds in the country.”
The two new look titles have also taken a similar approach to content.
According to B&T’s media kit the first edition will include professionally directed and shot photo essay of the very top CMOs in Australia”. The article comes six weeks after the AdNews Annual featured a photo essay with several of Australia’s biggest CMOs.
B&T’s media kit said a new iPad app was due to launch in January, while the new title was scheduled to be on sale yesterday. However, neither appears to be publicly available.
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So b&T want the industry to design their pages for them. And then presumably, some years later, they’ll go public that they think the design is dowdy, in the same way they’ve dumped on Vince Frost.
Meanwhile, AdNews want the industry to do the same, before being opend up to being ‘ critiqued’ .
Sounds great. Remind me to do that.
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As a digital copywriter from way back, I used to read B&T and Adnews all the time. Now, however, I just can’t be bothered to rea
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the dangers of hubris …
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Is there any point to even do a printed publication anymore? If they’re only going to publish every couple of months what’s the point, just go completely online with a subscription?
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In this day and age isn’t it tempting fate to be running around telling people your print magazine is ‘dead’?
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When the Publisher states “B&T is dead” on his LinkedIn update, one has to question even his belief in the brand’s future.
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Based on the sales pitch, this is going to be mainly advertorial. If you take an ad next to the feature, your guaranteed they will write about you. Good for me as an advertiser, but turn off for me as a reader. I don’t think I’ll renew my subscription.
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As a heavy consumer of the trade publications I am looking forward to B&T hopefully breathing some new life into the sector.
Anything which raises the standard above bitchy low blows has got to be a good thing.
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So “B&T is dead” and Adnews put a big funeral wreath on its new look picture cover, so clearly the trade mags are doing what they do best… giving the industry the news it already knew. Unless they plan to provide some quality content it might be time to let those tired rags rest in peace.
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Bleat.
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