My name is Jason Solarek, and I met you at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens this past spring at an antique garden furniture show. I was there with some colleagues in the magazine industry.
I saw your comment in today's New York Times. It that says that people do not go online to see an Oscar de la Renta gown.
I thought I may share some recent website statistics to shed light on this. Apparel is now the number one seller on the web. Even bigger than news or travel. How can apparel be the number one seller if, as you say "no one goes to the Web to see the latest Oscar de la Renta beautiful gown"?
This is from Foxnews.com on May 15, 2007:
"Online shoppers spent more on clothing and accessories than on computers for the first time ever, according to an annual industry study released Monday. Online sales of apparel, accessories and footwear reached $18.3 billion last year and should hit $22.1 billion this year, according to the Shop.org survey conducted by Internet research firm Forrester Research.
I may think you may have meant people would prefer to see the gown in a glossy magazine vs. on the web. Even if I were to interpret the comment like that, I still think this comment is a little outdated. That is why consumers are flocking to the web.
The web is a great tool to show people products, and it can do much more than a magazine. I do think the web and magazines supplement each other, but let's face it: with a magazine page, I get one look, one page, and it's done. On the web, I can have multiple angles and 'pages' to zoom in or out on the dress (to use your dress example). If I want, I can view the dress on a computer full screen, just like in a magazine. And, I can buy the dress 24/7. A magazine cannot do these things as well. A website can also offer user reviews, and endless supplemental information.
As you've seen, the magazine industry has changed a lot in the last 30 years, and it needs to better understand the web. An article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal states that while "eight in 10 Americans are now online" and spend as much time on the Web as on TV, most marketers allocate only 5%-10% of their ad budgets to digital media. The world–from advertisers to magazine consultants–needs to catch up to today's consumer.
I don't know you, so I'm not sure how much you use the Internet, or what your computer is like. I only mention this because this may shape your view of the Internet. I may kindly suggest a trip to the Apple store in Soho or the one on 5th Ave. On an Apple computer, please visit these sites:
Now, you may remark that your quote above refers to the mass consumer (who buys an Oscar dress?), and the masses don't own Apple computers or similar models with large, bright screens. Well, many do and millions more do each day. As such, your quote above only becomes more inaccurate with each day of increasing computer usage in America.
Of course, I welcome your comments on the above. I would happy to meet and compare our views in person, in front of a computer, with a magazine in tow. I am working on some exciting magazine projects, and maybe we can collaborate.
Otherwise, it was a pleasure to meet you this past spring. My colleagues spoke highly of you. I wish you much continued success.