I bought a magazine this week that I don’t believe I’ve ever bought. It’s called ShopSmart and is produced by ConsumerReports. Without looking or considering the content, I bought what magazine first caught my eye. I actually found it very interesting, but what grabbed my attention was the use of bright magenta on the cover. It’s in the images on the front, is part of the background, and is used in part of the magazine’s title. The accent color is a teal blue.
Besides color, I found the main content sub-titles interesting which includ Online Shopping Secrets, Easy Fall Wardrobe Updates, and Store Brands that Beat Big Brands. From this I figured that the magazine probably shows consumers how to search for great deals and bargains when shopping…which seems to be a very appropriate topic for all who are running with the theme of ways to save money in our economy.
Inside the magazine I noticed quickly that there are no advertisements. By reading the editorial page I found out that the magazine is a non-profit and therefore doesn’t get paid to publish support for advertisements of products. There are a lot of reviews of products in the book, but they are done through lab tests and surveys of people not being paid to be biased. I like this; it makes the magazine sound more truthful and honest, and actually would encourage me as a consumer to avoid buying magazines that do otherwise. (Even though I'll probably forget about it the next time I see Vogue.)
ShopSmart also has a lot of their content online, including information about how they test products for review.
What attracts you to the magazines you pick up off the shelf? Do you go with whatever first pulls you in, or do you buy purely based on the inside content?
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