Thought: The impact of Playboy Philippines to the publishing industry

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at September 19th, 2007

EDIT: Review of first issue here.

EDIT: Read today in the Philippine Start that Playboy Philippines will be launched on April 2 2008 at the Sofitel. The editor in chief is Beting Laygo Dolor. There will be no nudity as being daring is not a mark of success. Playboy Philippines will contain articles in good taste written by at least 5 Palanca award winners and will be very tasteful.

Though I am not updated with the rumor mill on this development, it seems that Playboy Philippines will allegedly make its way to local shores as the buzz in the industry states late this year.

Rumor or not, the scenario puts forward a lot of questions that demands a lot of answers. First, will the overused argument of “free speech” rule over the CBCP? Second, what will happen to leading men’s titles such as FHM, Maxim and UNO? Will that “raise the bar” for explicit nudity in these magazines too? Third, what exactly will Playboy Philippines have to offer? If it is going to be a “toned down” version of what Playboy is everywhere else in the world, then what’s the point of bringing in the franchise?

Was Mark Verzo correct after all when he said that Filipino males are indeed sex addicts?

Food bloggers as the new food critics

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at September 19th, 2007

I wrote a piece for the September issue of Rogue Magazine on “the new food critics,” revealing food and travel bloggers as authorities in the art and science of degustation.

In the 1950′s, the dawning of the food critic gave rise to a certain fear in the food and beverage industry. The New York Times, one of the pioneers in the food writing industry, released a weekly column that reviewed restaurants and hotspots. By the decade, the food critic wielded a powerful pen as reviews could literally make or break a restaurant. [buy the latest September 2007 issue with Cristina Garcia for the rest of the article]

Rogue sells for P180.00 and boasts an impressive lineup of contributors including Andy Maluche, Lourd de Veyra, Yvette Tan, Eggy Tioseco, Arnold Arre, and Quark Henares.

Blogger, remember your roots

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at September 15th, 2007

Every so often it would be good to reflect on your roots as a blogger and what got you started with writing in the first place. Doing this can help put some perspective in your overall goal of blogging whether it be for fun, for profit or for sharing things with others.

Remembering your roots can also help you avoid unnecessary conflict in the future as it puts a lot of things in perspective. I’d like to share you my roots:
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How to increase the chance of getting a Press Release published

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at September 14th, 2007

In the communications industry, advertising in magazines is one effective means of getting your message across. Placing a one page advertisment on the right newspaper or magazine can most probably get the message to your target demographic. However, there is always a back door to getting published without having to pay a cent. Welcome to the strategy known as the press release – a means to get your message through without having to pay P100,000.00 for an ad space.

I was part of a panel last week at the “PR Rocks” PRSP Summit together with Ms. Pennie Azarcon-dela Cruz of Sunday Inquirer Magazine and Jones Campos of Globe Corporate PR. We discussed the Malu Fernandez controversy from an editorial perspective, corporate transparency to consumers, and tips on how to pitch to the media. Ms. Pennie, an award winning editor, gave some tips on how to make the editor’s job easier in choosing which press release to place.

Are you a PR or marketing practitioner? Here are some effective ways to get your press released published. You have to bear in mind that dozens of press releases make it to the inbox of newspaper and magazine editors every day. How does the editor pick the really good ones to publish? How do you make your piece of paper stand out from the rest of the stack? Here is a compiled list from Ms. Penny with some of my notes:

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Between the Writer and the Editor …

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at August 17th, 2007

Kate Alvarez was with me last week and we talked about how she was hanging upon the lips of Doreen Fernandez (may she rest in peace) back when she used to teach creative writing at the Ateneo. According to Kate, the most famous and well loved food writer in the Philippines helped her find her voice as a writer.

It is the duty of the editor to make sure that the five C’s in the publication are met: to make the article clear, correct, concise, comprehensible, and consistent. It is also the job of the editor to ensure that the in-house style sheet elements are present in the final copy. Apart from these, the editor should be able to maintain the 5 C’s without removing the voice of the writer.

Now I hope you agree with my statement that the editor is ALSO the personification of the publication he or she works for. This means that is is part of the job description to make sure that the articles published are in keeping with the vision, niche and segment

Here’s my question: What happens then when an editor encounters an article that was submitted by a writer that clearly goes against the mission statement of the magazine? The recent hubbub of Malu Fernandez in a People Asia Magazine travel article is an example of this. I’m sure there are other Malu Fernandez wannabees out there but their frivolous comments have been prudently silenced edited out by their editors.

Malu Fernandez does have her .. unique quirks. But I feel more obliged to ask the staff of People Asia (or the Manila Standard) why they let an article like this pass through a magazine that has a clear vision of celebrating the beauty of Asia.

In this case, it is not about editing out a writer’s voice. This is about going off tangent with your magazine’s vision. The editorial staff is sure giving their sales team a hard time with this one.

P.S.Why did the editor allow a travel article on Greece when the magazine is clearly titled People ASIA? I don’t see the added value, really.

The family names of Malu Fernandez, Doreen Fernandez and …. err … Jayvee Fernandez all appear by coincidence. We are not related.

On giving up certain “rights” as a writer

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at August 12th, 2007

I was flipping through a popular technology magazine with local content recently and I couldn’t believe my eyes as I almost skipped through one of the gadget review pages. I had to double check the product review written by “writer x” because from what I know about this person’s professional background, he (or she) is currently affiliated with the same company that produces that particular device. The person in question also happens to be a writer as I’ve seen the name frequent technology publications.

But a line has to be drawn somewhere – and this is what you get when the editorial staff of the said publication is not very critical about who writes the review. The review was fair – but I do have to admit, would you, as an editor allow a product manager (or someone in a similar status) write a product review of devices manufactured by the company he or she works for?

The answer is obviously … Nope. This is a sad day in the local tech media.

I’m not sure if the editorial staff knows about this current affiliation. I obviously withheld names out of prudence to this particular magazine, the writer and staff because I don’t want this to become a huge controversy. It’s just … sad.

I don’t have a problem with the writer contributing for a technology magazine. I take issue on the position this person is in to write such a review. There are just certain rights you have to give up. Be careful next time

Going Rogue

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at August 8th, 2007

There’s a new men’s magazine in town. From the guys who created Manifesto (Jose Mari Ugarte, Miguel Mari, and pals) under the C! group, Rogue is their new brainchild under a different publishing group. Here’s the Press Release and photo from Jim Ayson’s Philmusic:

ROGUE’s long-term mission is to accurately tell the story of our times, our people, and our culture one month at a time; and to capture the people, places, and ideas that define our modern culture. if anything, ROGUE will make a strong statement about who we are, what we do, and why we do it.

I wasn’t able to go to the grand launch at the Fort a few weeks back because I was sick. I’m sure it was a blast.

I used to love reading Manifesto as it was the closest we could get to a local version of GQ. Other magazines also came close, such as MANUAL when it was being handled by Adel Gabot a couple of years back – thus showing how an editor in chief is the true lifeblood of a magazine. MANUAL’s current EIC is RJ Ledesma, who bring a lot of his Men’s Room antics into the magazine. If Rogue is anything like Manifesto – and it should be – this is one good men’s title I’m looking forward to.

I have a piece in the upcoming issue of Rogue. Check the current issue in magazine stalls now.

Disclosure: I also contribute on occasion for MANUAL Magazine of MMPI.

Bikini Female on Front Cover: Tatooed on Advertiser Mind?

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at July 19th, 2007

not a bikini, but you get the drift …

I was having a beer with a friend who works for a well known consumer technology company and we were talking about how having a bikini clad female on the front cover of a Philippine publication can be a deal breaker or a deal maker for some advertisers. Obviously, for magazines like FHM and MAXIM, the statutory bikini girl is already calloused to us. But for other publications that draw the line between geek and sexy (i.e. certain technology and men’s titles), do you really need to have a bikini clad girl on the cover?

Some advertisers have a reputation to protect and will pull out their ads on magazines that dare to include photos of bikini or underwear-clad women (note that this does not include “sexy” shots of women fully clothed). So this friend tells me of certain instances when they had to pull out of some magazines that went “sexy” — even if it was just for one issue.

I have two questions now:

1. Is this HARSH?

2. If you were an EIC, would you risk an attractive bikini clad female to grace your cover in hopes that sales go up in stall purchases, with the opportunity cost of letting one advertiser go, forever?

“If a network problogger left the blogosphere, would anyone care?”

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at June 24th, 2007

The answer would most likely be a yes, especially if you’re a blog manager.

Bloggers come and bloggers go. Just like in the traditional print industry, a painful transition can be brought about when the editor in chief of a magazine leaves to pursue other things. This can lead to a discombobulating series of events, especially when the EIC had been hand picked from the day the title, focus and market of the magazine was conceived.

Adel Gabot once told me that you can tell whether an editor in chief has a full grasp over his magazine when you turn the pages and see the content reflect his or her personality. Such editors such as Tim Yap of Super!, Pam Pastor of 2bu!, RJ Ledesma of MANUAL, as well as the boys over at C! Magazine are good examples of this. Passion driven, personality fueled.

So then the big question mark: what happens when the EIC leaves the magazine, taking with him all the personality and direction he set up throughout the many months, years and yes, even to the very point of taking the entire magazine staff with him?
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When does a “Web Magazine” Work?

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at June 15th, 2007

I always felt intrigued with the concept of “cusp” publications between traditional and new media. Take for instance the concept of a web magazine, which is basically a PDF (or otherwise) document that is embedded onto a web page. The main difference is that the “web magazine” never sees the light of print. It stays as a digital document in the same way a magazine remains in its final stages before submission to the printing press.

An example of this is the Mobius ForPlay Online Magazine accessible via the mobiusgames.net domain.
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NY Times: Blogging (and b5media) as a Source of Jobs and the “Institutionalizing” of Blogs

Posted by Jayvee Fernandez at June 11th, 2007

The New York Times has an article on blogging as a relevant source of jobs, with a special mention of b5media Inc and CEO jeremy Wright. But beyond the job opportunities, there is something more important brewing – ‘Institutionalized Journalism 2.0.’

In his recent article on Mobile Philippines, EIC Adel Gabot points out key differences between bloggers and journalists. He says that bloggers, unlike journalists are not bound by an “institutional check” which could be dangerous in the long run. I fully agree with this statement as I have mentioned that bloggers are … bloggers because they enjoy that certain “freedom” and spontaneity, unlike journalists who are subjected to layers of editors and time before an article sees the light of publishing. It is a function of prudence and what you get when you have a working institution.

However, this is subject to change.
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