Fan Mail

By Laurie Hileman

Fortune magazine recently reported that vinyl record sales were up 32 percent in 2015, putting them at a 28-year high. The article notes that what began as a hipster trend is gaining traction as more and more folks are drawn back to the depth and warmth found in those old school sounds.

Print magazines—especially those with substantive content aimed at the specific interest of the reader—now hold the same appeal.

Magazine readership is on the rise across all demographics, including tech-savvy Millennials. A 2014 report by the New York marketing communications firm JWT (formerly J. Walter Thompson) showed more than eight out of 10 American adults would rather read magazines in hard copy than online.

“There is almost no way to absorb all of the messages that are being thrown at you, especially in the digital world,” says Paul Adler, business strategist and director of integrated marketing at The F.P. Horak Company.

“People notice print, especially when it’s delivered through the mail. It’s like a gift. We tend to stop and spend more time with it. If we don’t have time right now, we can set it aside and come back to it later,” says Adler. “You really can’t do that with any other form of media. The fact that it is personal and relevant is good, but the fact that it is tangible is really good.”