Last Thursday’s surprise announcement that Disney Adventures would be terminated after its November issue spells a competitive advantage for The Magazine – the only other such monthly in Canada that caters to youngsters 8-14.
A spokesperson tells MiC that, while the Canadian publication is ‘very sorry to lose our newsstand competitor,’ the timing couldn’t be better for The Magazine. Not only is November the seventh anniversary for the pub that bills its content as ‘entertainment, life + stuff,’ but by that time, a major redesign will be complete.
Proud of operating ‘for youth by youth,’ The Magazine is produced by a staff of five 20-somethings who regularly interact with hundreds of tweens and teens to come up with relevant and engaging content. Their efforts result in a monthly print run of 80,000 and, with three readers per copy, a total of 240,000 pairs of eyeballs.
Major advertisers in recent issues have included Crayola, Wrigleys, Pizza Pizza, Parmalat, Sunny D and Viz Media. Cartoon maker Studio B (whose productions frequently air on YTV and Teletoon) and MGA (Bratz) are unofficial partners of The Magazine because they buy interactive and ad space in bulk. Other sectors that regularly advertise are home video, toys, governments, confectionary companies, record labels, book publishers and theatrical and television entities.
To celebrate the publication’s upcoming seventh anniversary, plans are in the works for in-store promotions with A&P/Dominion. Additionally, $2.50 for every copy of The Magazine sold will be donated by A&P to the Kids Help Phone and Breakfast for Learning programs. As well, the publication regularly works with the Family Channel on a feature called ‘Interview Your Favourite Family Star,’ in which kids get the chance to do just that and then see their work published in The Magazine. The Family Channel supports this with an on-air contest.
