Where have all the adverts gone?

[Erfolg]

I have just received my RCM&E (December), I thought I would scan the adverts to see what is on offer (for sale). Much to my surprise the most significant advert was that of SMC, there are few others, which seem to be about maintaining profile than this is what we have sell. In the case of Sarik, I always suspect that it is an in-house, division, than an independent retailer.

 

Why am I bothered, because I have seen the adds, as very much about the hobby experience, as well as a part of the read. An other back of the mind issue, is that, adds, help keep the mag going. 

 

I do not dismiss the "we are here type" of add, they remind me of the retailer/manufacturer/product. But the good old lists of items for sale, take some beating IMO.

 

 

[Ron Gray]

31 minutes ago, Erfolg said:

But the good old lists of items for sale, take some beating IMO.

Long since gone, replaced by websites.

[Peter Jenkins]

Websites are under the control of the model shop or advertiser and far faster to update.  You need to send in copy for mags over a month before publication and that provides a potential currency problem.  Most people just search the internet.

[leccyflyer]

The magazine, post Covid, gets thinner every month and the pool of advertisers is shrinking - most of the adverts (and there are lots) are for RCM&E and other Mortons titles, plus RCM&E-related stuff- Sarik, Tony Nijuis Models, 4-Max follow ups on those plans etc. The number of out and out retailers with conventional advertising is very small. That content has gone to the internet where, as Peter said, it is much easier to keep the content current and reflect actual stock levels.

 

Haven't received my December issue yet, I thought it would be next week, not on the 13th, so I'll look forward to that arriving.

[ken anderson.]

must admit the mag is a bit lean(thin) this month.......remember the times when we got a free gift or an extra mag etc.....am tempted to have a go with the canard.....and i've renewed my subscription....

 

ken anderson....ne...1...mag dept.

[Nick Cripps]

I noticed that the last issue came with an extra mag if bought at a newsagent but I didn't receive anything as a subscriber.

[RottenRow]

I bought a copy of the November (Fighting Falcon) issue from WH Smith a few days ago, and it had the free book on Supermarine Flying Boats bagged with it.

In the top right corner of the front cover of the mag. is a panel showing the free book, and stating ‘free copy… with this issue’.

The photo of the same magazine on Morton’s website doesn’t have that panel. It appears that two different front covers are printed, one for retail sale and one for subscription.

 

Brian.

[Frank Skilbeck]

17 hours ago, Erfolg said:

I have just received my RCM&E (December), I thought I would scan the adverts to see what is on offer (for sale). Much to my surprise the most significant advert was that of SMC, there are few others, which seem to be about maintaining profile than this is what we have sell. In the case of Sarik, I always suspect that it is an in-house, division, than an independent retailer.

 

Sarik are not an in-house division but an independent retailer.

[Erfolg]

Not being critical, Sarik seem to work closely with the mag, in that there often appears to be linkage with articles. If so, this symbiotic relationship, is working in the interest of all of us.

 

Yes, times have changed, it seems all of us now surf the internet, looking for what we ideally require, at a price (monetary as well as time).

 

Yet, deluxe materials demonstrates that both adverts and placement articles move the awarement of a  business and products up the awareness table (at least in my case).

 

It is a great pity IMO that more modelling businesses do not do more to raise our awarement to their presence and what they have to offer. It probably would be to the advantage of both the businesses and the mag. I do have internet retailers that I first look to, based on security, price, delivery and product range. 

 

It does seem a little more than a suspicion that us aeromodellers are reducing, roughly speaking BMFA membership moving from 33,000 members to circa 28,000.  Raising the profile of modelling services seems a no brainer.

[leccyflyer]

December issue just arrived. As noted above feels thinner again. 99 pages including the inside cover and 28 of those pages are adverts, mostly for a small number of concerns, namely the aforementioned Sarik, the magazine itself and other Mortons' titles and lots of pages for 4-Max. It's about a 30% reduction in content compared to pre-covid issues, IIRC.