Maxim going down the tubes?

adios

 

Maxim doesn't know how to run a business these days. They get some hot babes that guys would really like to see and they usually put a couple of the worst pictures in the magazine. Then on their web site, they put the same pictures and maybe one or two more... and always in hideously low quality. Make a Maxim "Subscription site (to go along with the free one) that can that can be purchased and offer HQ copies and LOTS of pictures (there are probably a hundred shots they didn't publish, I'm sure they could find 20 of them to put on the site). Make a subscription part of purchasing a magazine subscription. Then do the Playboy routine of actively going after sites to prevent the pictures from being published on sites.

That's all it would take to make them successful. Literally, it's almost no additional cost and would bring in a lot more revenue.

 

I was going to highlight important parts of what you have written, but everything is right on. Back in the day when I actually had a subscription to their magazine it was great, but then they didn't make the transition to the web. I mean those lq's they put on their site are pathetic. It's so sad that the last time I went to maxim.com it was probably over 8 years ago.

 

I don't know - this routine worked for Playboy for a while, but they aren't exactly rolling in the dough these days, and I've dropped my subscription to their pay site (they changed it, I didn't like the changes), and every year, I debate long and hard about resubscribing to the magazine. If Maxim, which I haven't had a subscription to for probably 5 years, goes the pay-site route, I certainly wouldn't PAY for what they've had to offer lately. They'd have to really push to get me even interested.

The big problem, IMO, is the decrease in quality of both magazines. I've had a subscription to Playboy for more than a decade now, but I used to pay almost half of what I pay now for 12 issues a year. Now, I'm lucky if I get 10 and the quality of the celebs they get is increasingly shitty. Add to that the fact that Playboy seems to have forgotten that they made their name on the PLAYMATES, and it gets harder and harder to resubscribe each year. Maxim, while they get bigger named celebs (comparatively), offers even less photos and of course there's the no-nudity issue. And now I see they, too, are putting out MAYBE 10 issues a year. I know magazine publishing is hemorrhaging money, and is a dying medium, but putting out less content for more money is NEVER a solid business plan for the long run.

 

What print media isn't a shadow of it's former self? Digital is killing the old school print media, and will never be profitable again. Who wants to see LQ poorly printed images 2-3 months old when there are much better available online instantly? Just as online music sales have all but killed the in-store CD & record industry, online is doing the same to print. Those who don't change and embrace technology will be doomed by it.

 

Managers not changing the business model are bound to sink the ship they steer. Um, if that makes sense.
I agree with some of you about the digital world thing. It's now about if you get enough clicks and traffic on your site and thus can bring exposure to the content you provide.

But sometimes I still do roam through the shelves and look at every kind of magazine (mostly non-titty stuff) in the store though.