New Green Mag for “Influential” Readers
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 07.12.06
On August 31, a green magazine produced by New York-based Cottages and Gardens Publications will hit the newsstands with a 50,000 circulation rate. Verdant will be the nations “first sophisticated consumer magazine dedicated to covering all aspects of eco-friendly living—from design, art and fashion trends to news summaries and authoritative product reports,” according to the magazine’s Web site. How does this glossy compare to what’s already out there? Says Verdant editor Sharon King Hoge, "Verdant is nothing like the typical environmental magazine. Verdant is designed for influential readers who seek realistic ways to implement green strategies to improve their lives and reduce their impact on the environment." King, former National Consumer Reporter of the Year, is a contributor to Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes FYI, and Cottages and Gardens magazines. Verdant was founded by Michael Ekstract, former director of marketing for the U.S. Green Building Council, the leading regulator of green building criteria. ::Verdant via ::mediabistro.com
This sounds like an interesting concept - appeal to the influencers who will then "trickle down" emerging green trends and technologies.
It would be nice to be able to subscribe to this one premier issue. Also, if they would offer and RSS feed of their content, or even just "teaser" content via RSS, they would reach more influencers as well.
--Jim
Truly "green" magazines use online subscriptions. I won't be reading this one until they realize that!
Interestingly, nothing on their website indicates that Verdant will be printed on recycled-content paper with soy-based inks...
hmmmm....
Great concept for a print magazine. It may be using up resources, but it's also putting green information into a tangible form that's hard for the mainstream to ignore. My only qualm about this magazine is that it doesn't seem to be inclusive of middle to lower class income level individuals, which make up the majority of the population. Although their targeted audience may have monetary influence, green living isn't about being a member of the upper crust, it's about living in a way that reduces one's negative impact on the environment. Everyone has the potential to do that regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Um, one of their first stories in on Angelina Jolie... I'm not impressed.
I don't understand why they're marketing towards big companies. Sure, they have money, but aren't they the ones causing everything? They should market towards everybody, especially children [they are the future], teenagers [they have the guts to actually do something], and young adults [biggest consumers].
"Sohisticated consumer magazine" translates, to me, into promoting products and/or services to society's elite ... not the average person. The average person doesn't want to pay $1,000 for a product or service with a value of $100 just to labeled a "sophisticated consumer" to stroke their ego.
This in association of actually using print matter simply equates to more consumerism and consumption.
In my opinion, this is greenwash and not green.
Funny that the launch of a new green mag would cause such an outcry from fellow greenies! But then again maybe they should have delayed their launch until their own eco creds are up to scratch. No recycled paper? No soya inks? Green? Are they sure?
Melyssa,
Marketing to big companies makes a lot of sense if you think about it. If you can influence the way a huge company does business you can help to create a larger impact more quickly. They have the money to spend on new initiatives, and if they are currently spewing thousands of tons of carbon emissions into the air with an old business model/infrastructure, they could make an enormous difference almost immediately with a new one. Also, don't forget about the marketing muscle a large company has. Who has more influence on the average American, McDonalds or Treehugger? If McDonalds goes truly green so will everybody else.
I have to agree with Matthew.
The power to transfer trends or ideas to the different levels of the society has always been in the hands, like it or not, of the influential people (call it political, religious or economic power). I, personally, would really focus more on the message...if everyone would take little steps to live in socially responsible environment, the ultimate goal of achieving a greener, cleaner world would be definitively closer.
Talking and criticizing people who are doing something and investing money in putting out the message is ludicrous... Verdant is doing something, what are you doing?