Portable Porter
On my way through (it could have been any one of three) airline lounges last Monday I picked up the latest copy of “The Mr Porter Post” . This is the work of the preeminent men’s lifestyle Ecommerce platfrom, Mr Porter. I’ve done this countless times since they started adding an analogue element to their marketing mix post their 2011 launch.
What has driven me to mention it was the sheer heft of this edition of the publication, it has come a long way from the compact newsletter which could be consumed between plane push back and takeoff. It’s now thirty-two broadsheet pages - it almost contained more reading than a typical daily newspaper - on thick paper with enough content that it made it through the flight into London City Airport and is in the ‘interesting things to read again’ pile by the armchair.
It’s a skill to weave commercial objectives into a piece of free media but it’s one that Adam Welch, the Editorial Director at Mr Porter, seems to accomplish with ease - probably being with the brand for four years helps along with commissioning contributions from knowledgeable and relevant writers so that the whole publication is a seamless read - seeding purchasing ideas for when you hop back on-line later.
At Mission Critical we are passionate about print, analogue media has a role to play - this bi-monthly publication is a prime example - especially when it’s in concert with a sophisticated digital campaign (both board brush and tailored to individual customers). The secret is to do it well because the reader will quickly discard anything overtly commercial and content free. I can think of an expensive monthly magazine that could do with a few lessons here.
I’m sure this sort of activity meets with a high degree of internal budgetary pressure every year but in this case, “stopping the presses“ would be misguided.
About the Author
The author is a brand consultant and founder of Mission Critical, a highly focused and curated weekly briefing for time poor and information hungry decision makers. He flies a lot.
