Trade Pressed

Golf – it is the downfall of my career. I hate it, so I’ll never be an executive. I’ve made my peace with it.

But I accidentally came across an issue of Golf Digest today. I wasn’t reading it, I was checking to see what they do with their back page and TOC. And it was rockin. The design is really clean, with sharp, modern-looking tabheads and graphics. Mr. Style’s take on the year in golf, with Borat! It reads like Men’s Health.

So why are broadcasts of golf matches (games, rounds, whatever) still so boring? Lame elevator music playing in and out of commercials? Tired graphics….etc.

Are trade magazines the golf broadcasts of publishing? People who read Men’s Health and Golf Digest also read our magazines. But, in my experience, we don’t feel we can compete. Why not? Because we’re not on the newsstand? I’ve heard the comment many times that we don’t want to look “too commercial.” Why not? What does commercial mean, anyway? Does it mean it has an attractive cover concept? That seems pretty important to any magazine. If it’s not on a newsstand, it’s on a desk with 50 other trade magazines. Just not on a rack.