Magazine Conference Draws an International Crowd

Held November 12-14, the conference focused on the challenges that hard economic times are imposing on magazines, which are media outlets with strong individual character but meager capital and profits. Nine different speeches were given, under the general theme of "Winning in Publishing." They covered all the key issues in the magazine industry, including advertising, publishing, brands, and internationalization. There were numerous questions after these speeches, and enthusiastic discussions.

The first such conference in Taipei, held in 1999 on the topic of the Internet, was well received, but the lineup of speakers this year was even stronger. They included Per R. Mortensen, former president of the Federation of the Periodical Press; Donald D. Kummerfeld, president of the Magazine Publishers of America; Yoshiaki Kiyota, from Japan's Shuppan NEWS; Donald F. Brown, former managing director of US and International sales at Time Inc.; Philip Rich, general manager for AC Nielsen in Hong Kong and China; Henry Marks, advisory managing director of Weider Publications in the US; and Sim Lee, president of the Korea Magazine Association. The speakers brought a wealth of professional experience to bear in examining the fiercely competitive age of global media. They explained how magazines, although existing as a medium for over 100 years, can reinvent themselves through a strong "nose for the news" and editorial planning, and can survive and prosper by seeking mergers, alliances and partnerships inside and outside the industry, finding new marketing channels on-line, strengthening their core products, creating brand value, and understanding local appeal.

Although competition is fierce, the industry is rising to the challenges, and there are many recent success stories. A Japanese company, for instance, has issued a single-topic, magazine-format publication about Japanese temples that has sold 450,000 copies in two years. Established magazines have found continued success by staying close to what readers want. Per Mortensen quoted Glenda Bailey, editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar: "You've got to understand your reader. You've got to be clear about what she wants. We can talk forever about how fashion reflects society, but at the end of the day what a woman wants is just to buy that season's most fashionable bag. She wants to know what to buy and how to match it with the rest of her wardrobe. She wants to join the fashionable life." Grabbing the reader's heart is key to publishing success.

One topic not discussed in detail at the conference, but nonetheless of deep concern to people in the industry, is how WTO entry will change the publishing industry on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. What kind of opportunities will it provide to Taiwan's magazine industry, which is the Chinese-language magazine market with the most energy and potential? What plans and strategies are major international magazines drawing up for the massive Chinese-language market in China? Actually, the mainland market was the focus of discussion at the press conference announcing the conference. The several major international media experts who spoke to the issue agreed that currently the best approach was to watch carefully and proceed cautiously with confidence and patience.

James Gin, director of the Magazine Business Association, believes that the enormous potential of the mainland market presents great opportunities for Taiwan's magazine industry. He argues that the island should orient itself as a Chinese-language media center. He enumerates five of Taiwan's strengths-its free society, entrepreneurial spirit, cultural background, commercial structures, and technological talent-that make it well suited for developing Chinese-language magazines. In truth, the outstanding media workers and flourishing magazines already in Taiwan bear witness to this suitability. In particular, he pointed out that the main reason that this conference was able to attract so many major international media figures was that they were interested in coming to Taiwan to seek partners with whom to tackle the greater Chinese-language media market.