Goodbye Magazines, Hello Web

We knew this was coming, but it's still a significant moment... Ad Age says Merrill Lynch is predicting 2006 will be the year that more advertising dollars are spent online than in magazines.

But according to Ad Age, magazine publishers aren't worried. Nina-Link, the president and CEO of the Magazine Publishers of America has this take on the situation:

"It just says there are more opportunities to reach consumers and make powerful partnerships. The powerful brands and media are going to thrive."

And that seems to be the case. Merrill Lynch is also predicting that 2006 will mark a huge push for magazines into the digital arena. Ad Age itself is a testament to this. They recently redesigned their website, catching it up with the times by adding more features and functionality.

I, for one, am looking forward to magazines removing ridiculous subscription walls from their websites, getting more involved in new technologies like blogging, podcasting and video content. I think it will take much bolder moves like these for magazines to have an online presence that's in demand.

But I'm still not convinced this will stave off the shift to online. Remember, it's the printed publications that are the bread and butter of these operations, and there's a reason people are abandoning them for online. The money is following the consumers. - John Keehler