Jon Stewart absent from new MPA ads

Who needs Jon Stewart, anyway? The Magazine Publishers of America, which paid handsomely to be insulted by the Daily Show host back in September, is rolling out new ads from Mullen to convince people that magazines are, in fact, relevant, and darn it, they don’t belong at the kids’ table. The ads are made to look like a page has been torn out of the magazine. The one here (click on it for a larger version) says, “Maybe someone just saw the latest installment of their favorite brand’s ongoing campaign and just had to share it with someone.” Yeah, like that’s ever happened. You can see other new ads here. We’re a bit skeptical that the magazine industry believes any of this stuff. In a story in the Boston Business Journal, Mullen creative chief Edward Boches has this to say: “There’s a lot of buzz these days around viral advertising and word of mouth. The fact is, magazines are the original viral medium. Their content and ideas spread to every aspect of culture and inspire action.” If magazine people weren’t developing a serious inferiority complex, would they really feel the need to claim some influence over viral marketing?

—Posted by Tim Nudd

February 15, 2006 | Permalink