Extending the Sales Impact of a Blockbuster Cover

Rolling Stone attempts to keep up the post-Tsarnaev momentum.

BY LINDA RUTH

http://www.audiencedevelopment.com/

No one any longer has any doubt that in terms of visibility and magazine sales, Rolling Stone's controversial Tsarnaev cover, which led to the title's ouster from retail stores throughout New England, has done the publication nothing but good in terms of newsstand sales. The question, it seems, is how much good did it do, and how long can that good last?

Every publication looks for the residual impact of promotions, sales, and special issues. The residual impact refers to the ripples of increased sale on subsequent issues to the blockbuster. Publishers weigh the subsequent issues' sales increases in determining the effectiveness of a promotion; they track subsequent issue sale whenever there is a blockbuster issue.

In many cases, subsequent issue sales ride the high of the blockbuster, and sales taper off gradually. In other cases, the effect on the subsequent issue can be negative-everyone ran out and bought the big issue, so the interest in the subsequent issue drops off.

Rolling Stone appears to be determined not to see that happen.

Retail sales of Rolling Stone's Tsarnaev issue, as reported by Magazine Information Network, were over double the average sales per issue of the entire previous year. The publication clearly didn't miss the Stop & Shops, Rite Aids, and Tedeschis that refused to carry the issue.

How to follow such a tough act?

Rolling Stone's September 12th issue features Bob Dylan-the Lost Years. On the face of it, as different from the Tsarnaev cover as you could imagine. Back to the music, away from the terrorism. Except.

The image of Bob Dylan on the September 12th cover looks enough like the image of Tsarnaev to have been stamped from the same template. They could be brothers. They could be twins.

They could be the same person.

The topmost cover line has to do with Drugs, Guns, and Murder (nothing to do with Dylan).

Could this be a coincidence? I doubt it. 

Rolling Stone has been around for a long time. The publication has a long history of exciting controversy, getting talked about, getting sales. They might be old-timers now, but they still know how to keep themselves in the headlines. And though, in reality, I haven't seen a single headline relating the Dylan cover to the Tsarnaev, or in fact a single mention in the trade press or news, Rolling Stone knows what it's doing. Riding the wake of a big win.

Going for the residual sale.

 
Linda Ruth is Principal of Publisher Single Copy Sales Services. Her book of case studies, "How to Market Your Magazine on the Newsstand," is available at BookDojo.com and atAmazon.