This is a customer magazine, sponsored by Lexus and published by Time. The idea is clever in principle. You register here and give some basic information about your lifestyle and interests and choose five magazines from the Time portfolio that interest you. For non-US readers of this blog, Time's other titles include Sports Illustrated, Golf and Food&Wine.
Every month you will receive a 'customised' magazine delivered to your inbox with content aggregated from these titles and selected based on you and your interests.
Yes, there is some advertising from Lexus, but no more than you would see in any other publication. And yes, the content is very worthy as you would expect from a Time publication.
But does it work as a package? I don't think so; for two reasons.
The platform on which each issue is presented looks like the usual digi-mag software. This means lots of zooming in and out to read copy, naff flicking pages and a painful read if you are trying to access the information on a netbook.
The magazine has been designed as a printed magazine, not for web viewing. Just as importantly, the features do not offer the flow and synergy of a normal, original, magazine. Features from each of the chosen titles simply butt up against each other, making the whole package feel cheap.
When I read the original press release promoting this new publication, I thought it may represent a new avenue for custom content. Instead, like almost all digi-mag presentations I have seen, it represents re-purposed content at its most basic.
I have yet to see any response figures from Lexus and I will happily eat my words if it helps sell lots of vehicles. Then Mine will have fulfilled its purpose.
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