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Post by rockymountaineer on Oct 4, 2023 23:52:12 GMT
Yesterday I browsed through the digital edition of the November/December CTT magazine. This isn't the first time I've noticed this, but it still made an impression to see that the few large dealers who still advertise in the magazines are down to just ONE PAGE. In most cases, that one page is a full page packed with a list of product SKU's, names and prices. And it got me thinking... do readers actually READ those ads anymore?
I realize old habits die hard... but I couldn't help but wonder if that's the best use (for dealers) of their FULL PAGE ad in this day and age. Does the print-ad content matter anymore? Or is this fine print of product listings/prices just a way to fill the page, while readers see the dealer's name in print -- usually at the top of the page? I guess the magazines are happy just to have ANY dealers advertise at all these days -- given some of the dealers once paid for MULTIPLE PAGE-SPREADS of ad content back in the magazine heydays.
What say you?
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Post by curtis on Oct 5, 2023 0:27:46 GMT
I for one, can say I look at the ads. I have purchased items strictly from seeing them posted in an ad. I have also purchased from hobby shops that I did not know about except via an ad.
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Post by Country Joe on Oct 5, 2023 0:29:10 GMT
I agree with you, David. I think the dealers want hobbyists to see their name more than a list of specific products. Magazine ads are not current. They are always a month or more old. I remember pouring over ads like Trainworld to see what was available. Now I check out their website to see what they currently have.
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Post by david1 on Oct 5, 2023 4:40:02 GMT
I may read these ad's but I usually don't buy from them. Like what Joe said that the ad's are placed a few months in advance so by the time you see them they are out of date.
Today I think most dealers use the Internet to contact their customers. For instance I get emails almost every day from the top dealers on what's coming and what's ready to ship. Magazines like CTT and OGR and many others are coming to their end in the near future imo. Do I really need information on a train item 3 or 4 months after it was delivered when I can read all about within a few days of delivery online.
Time marches on.
Dave
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Post by rockymountaineer on Oct 5, 2023 16:24:11 GMT
I agree with you, David. I think the dealers want hobbyists to see their name more than a list of specific products. Magazine ads are not current. They are always a month or more old. I remember pouring over ads like Trainworld to see what was available. Now I check out their website to see what they currently have. How many here remember when some dealers advertised big listings, and the hottest products had “CALL” instead of an actual price? Of course the Internet didn’t exist back then — or it was in its infancy at most. Gosh how times have changed… and print magazines are struggling to maintain even an ounce of relevance. |
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mopac
Junior Member
Posts: 60
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Post by mopac on Oct 5, 2023 21:16:47 GMT
Back in the 90s when I subscribed to CTT I bought many items from the ads Especially from Trainland/Trainworld Lots of blowout deals back then.
Always loved talking to those young ladies with the Brooklyn Accent. ( Whata Numba ) You had to have the number as they didn't have time to look up anything for you.
Anyone remember calling them back in those days or is this way before your time.
I joined TCA in 1977. Western division where I lived in So Calif for 30 years.
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Post by runamuckchuck on Oct 5, 2023 22:46:35 GMT
What's a magazine?  |
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Post by dlagrua on Oct 6, 2023 15:20:21 GMT
I've always liked magazines as I could take them along and read them just about anywhere but the Smart phone has replaced much of that activity.
I don't believe that a dealer ad in any magazine has influenced or resulted in a sale from myself. I've always shopped at the shows where the product and price were available. Now online shopping has also influenced the equation. In the age of the internet, many hobby events and print publications are now experiencing a steady decline. Some magazine owners that print only one publication (and you know who I mean) are getting pretty desperate as this trend continues.
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Post by atsda on Oct 7, 2023 3:40:51 GMT
I think there may be a touch of nostalgia in having a magazine in hand with glossy color prints that may prompt readers to get more/ updated info elsewhere. Alfred
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Post by chipset35 on Oct 8, 2023 15:10:29 GMT
Yesterday I browsed through the digital edition of the November/December CTT magazine. This isn't the first time I've noticed this, but it still made an impression to see that the few large dealers who still advertise in the magazines are down to just ONE PAGE. In most cases, that one page is a full page packed with a list of product SKU's, names and prices. And it got me thinking... do readers actually READ those ads anymore?
I realize old habits die hard... but I couldn't help but wonder if that's the best use (for dealers) of their FULL PAGE ad in this day and age. Does the print-ad content matter anymore? Or is this fine print of product listings/prices just a way to fill the page, while readers see the dealer's name in print -- usually at the top of the page? I guess the magazines are happy just to have ANY dealers advertise at all these days -- given some of the dealers once paid for MULTIPLE PAGE-SPREADS of ad content back in the magazine heydays.
What say you?
I never read those huge ads, where its just a giant list of SKU numbers. Instead, I have always just gone to their websites as they are up to date and more accurate than the ad inventory. Unless of course and there is just a non-dynamic list of the same on the website that you can only read and then have to waste time calling.
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Post by chipset35 on Oct 8, 2023 15:13:49 GMT
Back in the 90s when I subscribed to CTT I bought many items from the ads Especially from Trainland/Trainworld Lots of blowout deals back then. Always loved talking to those young ladies with the Brooklyn Accent. ( Whata Numba ) You had to have the number as they didn't have time to look up anything for you. Anyone remember calling them back in those days or is this way before your time. I joined TCA in 1977. Western division where I lived in So Calif for 30 years. LOL! My wife called them back in 2012 to order a Williams Scale GG1 for me for that Christmas. She remarked the the lady she spoke to sounded kind of tough and short. My response was "what you never got used to all my relatives from Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island"? She is from Boston.
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Post by rockymountaineer on Oct 9, 2023 14:16:45 GMT
What's a magazine? LOL!!! Magazines have admittedly fallen out of the spotlight they once enjoyed. No doubt about that. I certainly wouldn’t wanna be working for one these days. But for those sponsors who still run a print ad, I often wonder what the best content would be now. The large full-page ads with tons of product prices don’t seem to serve a purpose anymore. From the responses here — a small sampling I admit — it’s obvious folks don’t use them to guide their purchases nowadays. Heck, some of the dealers don’t even have weekend hours anymore… and their weekday brick-and-mortar hours are smaller than years ago too. Times have certainly changed… and will continue to do so. I guess an even broader question is, “How are magazine companies keeping up with the times?” They seem to need sponsors MUCH more than the sponsors need them in the digital world we find ourselves living in these days. |
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Post by Country Joe on Oct 9, 2023 18:20:58 GMT
I think paper model railroad magazines will eventually go the way of the dinosaur. Digital copies are much cheaper and the ads can be current, added at the last minute. The cost of producing a digital magazine has to be a small fraction of a paper magazine.
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Post by dlagrua on Oct 9, 2023 18:48:20 GMT
Just for info the last items that I purchased because of a magazine ad were the parts and cars advertised by Madison Hardware in Model Railroader Magazine. That had to be back in the late 1980's and early 1990's when I was a young guy. If you attended shows the selections were so large that you didn't have to look very far to find what you were looking for at the right price. Model Railroad magazines have never been my go to source and I do not subscribe to print or digital copies. If one wants to buy eBay, Amazon and at least 50 online dealers are there to serve your needs. Catalogs are also there. Want to find the shows or have historical info; its there as well on You Tube. If you want to chat and exchange stories, you come here. Who needs magazines?
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Post by runamuckchuck on Oct 10, 2023 22:25:23 GMT
What's a magazine? LOL!!! Magazines have admittedly fallen out of the spotlight they once enjoyed. No doubt about that. I certainly wouldn’t wanna be working for one these days. But for those sponsors who still run a print ad, I often wonder what the best content would be now. The large full-page ads with tons of product prices don’t seem to serve a purpose anymore. From the responses here — a small sampling I admit — it’s obvious folks don’t use them to guide their purchases nowadays. Heck, some of the dealers don’t even have weekend hours anymore… and their weekday brick-and-mortar hours are smaller than years ago too. Times have certainly changed… and will continue to do so. I guess an even broader question is, “How are magazine companies keeping up with the times?” They seem to need sponsors MUCH more than the sponsors need them in the digital world we find ourselves living in these days.
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