Are Magazines The New E-zines?

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You may have noticed that we haven’t done an (Un)Covered post in quite a while. There’s a reason for it. Between seeing covers with the same faces every few months and alternate issues about love your body as is vs here’s what you can do to get the best body of your life, we just lost all our enthusiasm.

But, this month, Deepika’s Femina cover caught my attention. And nope, it wasn’t because of Deepika who looks phenomenal but more so, everything else. Like the hashtag, the sponsor brand logo, the social media handles.

I also did wonder what the purpose of that jacket was. Oh yes, to match the color scheme. (It also reminds me of Lucinda Chamber’s interview here).

We are in a digital era and competition is high. Magazines are not only competing with other magazines but also with websites like us. As owners of digital entertainment publication ourselves, we understand how hard it is to survive in this day and age. But I cannot help but admit that when a magazine cover looks like the homepage of a digital site, I do feel a bit sad.

Should magazines allow banner/advertising spots on their covers like a website’s homepage? Tell us!

Deepika Padukone on Femina Aug 2017

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18 Comments

  1. While Deepika looks sizzling hot, that jacket does look lame… I don’t mind the ads on the cover as much as I mind the idea of a perfect body (more often than not heavily airbrushed ) .. heck I don’t know what’s beautiful anymore..

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  2. It’s up to you to decide what you want to do with your product/magazine/website. Both websites and magazines use advertising in a way that seems appropriate to them.

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  3. It’s all about marketing. Whatever sells! Plus homepages are inspired by mag covers (i think that’s where the whole idea comes from). Also, i don’t think the cover is homepage-y.

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  4. This is such a disconnected look. A nike sports bra and high heels???
    And what is that red jacket doing under her armpit.. ooo!! the stylist decided this is not disconnected enough look, let me add a random Jacket in a very weird manner!!

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  5. I find your comments patronizing, self-laudatory and judgemental. On the one hand, you are claiming to do the magazines a favour by not covering them and on the other hand you are judging them for doing something that they need to survive. And given how many changes your site has seen in recent times, is that a moral high ground you can stand on? Innumerable ads per page, fewer posts per page so as to increase page views, subscription pop up so someday you could send offers/newsletters with ads…

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    • So agree.

      Normally I am up for redesign but the new HHC webpage literally discourages reading. Plus got to say Femina, mediocre as it is, may still be above things websites have introduced us to like “Airport Style” and a banal discussion on clothes celebs wear with ads on the side. In fact the only reason I clicked on this post was because it said magazins. So much tut tutting (with a bit of the smugness of all bloggers have – MSM wants to copy us!!) when you never look beyond the cover of a magazine is a bit rich.

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  6. The look is a bit disconnected but she looks good. But then with all the photoshopping, air brushing nothing on a mag cover or even on Highheel(lot of times) seems real. Deepika’s face is anyway pretty not sure why they have to make it look like Rekha ji. Ha!

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  7. everybody wants to make money.. let the mag team decide what spots to sell. anyways the magazine should be about whats in it till last page and not the covers.

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  8. Wait, you’re telling me people look at fashion magazines to read the “articles”? They have always been about advertising and they are trying to adapt to social media, makes no difference to me.
    Btw thanks for limiting your coverage of these mag covers. Unless they have a smouldering model on them, they’re same ol’ same ol’.

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  9. Deepika looks as hot as ever and nothing wrong with magazines doing ads .I guess everyone is running a business and wants money.No one is doing charity.

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  10. P&P, be sporting and work harder. Envy of others’ progress will do you no good. Of course they’ll promote their website, paper magazine is fast becoming a thing of the past. They’re keeping up with the times, good for them and smart of them. Just like you tried updating your website for pulling in more readers.
    Have to say, and it’s not easy to- This post was unprofessional. Showed the kind of jealous thinking you have towards businesses who are keeping up with the times and broadening their horizon. ‘Should magazines “allow” digital promotions’??? Pray, who decides to un-allow them? You? I’m concerned that you feel you have the moral ‘right’ to say this, merely because you’re an online fashion blog. There’s Afashionistadiaries that’s huge on instagram, should they comment whether you’re ‘allowed’ to promote hhc on instagram too?
    By the way, walmart trucks have only one piece of advertisement on them. It says “walmart.com”
    Everyone is adapting to the times.

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    • It seems like there is a bit of lost in translation of our point in the post but here’s my biggest concern.

      Say theoretically a certain designer or actor writes an autobiography but on their book cover it says “So and So Brand Presents” An Autobiography. And then below “#ThisPersonIsFamous”. Oh, let’s also put the publisher’s so and so media tags.

      Would you be drawn to buy the book? Or would you be turned off by it?

      I agree with you that “Allow” wasn’t the right term to use. We should have asked “Should the brand endorsements be so glaring on covers? Or should it be more subtle?” Going by your own example, Walmart does it effectively by keeping it simple. Don’t they?

      P.S. Not sure where the jealous angle comes from. Anything but. We just miss the good ole’ covers where you were drawn to the person on it first.

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    • maybe you got it wrong and theses guys were just asking (as themselves as well being fans) of a medium from over the years called ‘magazine’, being distorted into an earning as well medium.. maybe it wasn’t jealousy, and was just a pooling in of opinions over changing times. Besides online versions have always have adverts, since its easily possible/editable/removable.

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  11. P & P – this is such a hypocritical post. On one hand, you start showing ads on your pages and keep re-designing the pages. Not sure how many ppl you employ but for a magazine which is a for-profit corporation, this is perfectly legit stuff to do. It is the buyers choice whether they get turned off the cover and not buy. If I go with your line of thinking , the self aggrandizment via your instagram posts links is a complete turn off then Seriously, do you think people care about what you wear? This website used to be abt celeb fashion . Now it has morphed into a neha dhupai, sonam blind worship site with meek watered down PC posts + ads. Please sit down and re-focus and bring back this site to its glory days
    – Former HHC fan girl

    I know this comment may not get posted at all, but would like to hope it does

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    • “Now it has morphed into a neha dhupai, sonam blind worship site”…um…it was ALWAYS a sonam blind worship site! Old timer here and visiting after ages – was turned off by the steadily dipping quality in the past couple of years, with just posts salivating over certain celebs and designers with no balance, freshness, maturity…And now the site also looks – yikes! You are actually trying to be holier-than-thou when your own website is chock a block with ads and pop ups and what not. Echo comments of most of the commenters here. Sudhar jao P&P – your readers like to see you succeed but please get back your mojo.

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