Baltimore Dog Magazine

Have you seen it?  If you need a copy you can stop by the store -- they're complimentary.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the magazine and the general idea of a Baltimore Dog magazine.

If you do have a copy, you may notice that Pretentious Pooch does not have a ad, nor is it mentioned editorially.  The ad prices were on par with national magazines.  I just thought it too early in their distribution to pay the prices they wanted.  We're doing best with word of mouth advertising--we treat our customers as we would want to be treated and that seems to work for us.  I'm sure you will see us in there eventually.

What I didn't like:
1.  It seemed a bit generic with topics adapted to but not specific to Baltimore.
2.  It was a bit condescending in it's content -- we dog owners were not running around with our hands in the air (like Momma Harper) shouting, "What do I do? What do I do?" before the magazine rescued us from our stupidity.
3.  It seems to me very Canton/Fells Point/Patterson Park centric, but that could just be me.
4.  It is a bit one sided in it's writing.   Here are the feature articles in Baltimore Dog Magazine:

"Bark in the Park" by Denise Iannatuono
"Ready, Pet, Go!" by Denise Iannatuono
"Scratch -n- Sniff" by Denise Iannatuono with a photograph by Denise Iannatuono
"The Great Food Debate" by Denise Iannatuono

What I liked:
1.  I liked the community calendar--that's a real service.
2.  The doggy obituaries are touching.

What I would like to see:
1.  How about some news articles about Baltimore and Baltimore dog issues and legislation?
2.  How about a voting guide for Baltimore dog residents?
3.  I hope with all that advertising income they collect the magazine will plan and/or sponsor some Baltimore Dog events or give back to Baltimore dog's somehow.

It was only the first edition and I really do hope it works out for Baltimore Dog Magazine -- it can only be a positive for a city who hasn't been ranked all to high on the dog friendliness scale.

What are your opinions?
Would you pay for a subscription?
Should we advertise?

Tom Berger
Co-Owner Pretentious Pooch
A Baltimore Dog Store
1017 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
443-524-7777
www.pretentiouspooch.com

Comments

[Sandy Brown]

As a casual observer and publishing insider in another part of the country I would say this:

The Upside
-Dog lovers will probably become very passionate about this mag assuming the editorial content is well put together (sometimes even if it's not)
-It's an excellent targeted niche for advertisers...no waste, virtually every single person who reads that mag is a potential customer

The Downside
-Her rates are pretty high for a regional mag...especially since circulation is only 25,000...Your cost per thousand for a full page ad is $118 - compare that to a national mag with a cost per thousand of about $10-25 for a full page
-The media kit claims each reader shares the mag with 10 other readers...I find that a little optimistic...Industry average is 2.8 readers per issue, so I wonder how she came to 10? Did she really do a poll of all her readers for the first issue? Probably not.

Should you advertise? I would, because I'm sure this mag will take off just like all the others across the country. However I would negotiate those rates because there's no way you'll be getting your money's worth at the rates posted.