Lazy Sunday: Not Your Parents' Beverage Magazine

I got a note from Alan Kropf, the editor-in-chief of newly-launched Mutineer Magazine inviting me to take a look at Issue 1 of this LA-based beverage magazine (wine, beer, spirits) aimed at Generation X readers. He generously gave me a PDF of the 44-page inaugural issue to share, so now you can see it as well, without spending a dime of the $2.99 newstand price. (It's a 48 Mbyte download, so don't try this on a dialup or your iPhone.)

Let me start by saying that, at 53, I am a bit older than the target market, and my comments probably reflect that.

Nevertheless, I recommend you take a look at this magazine, because it's aimed at the next generation of wine drinkers. When I think of winery brands which have a "Gen X" sensibility, very few come to mind (can you say Roshambo? Any other nominees?). What I see is a focus on "wine as a tasty beverage," and not much of "wine as a status drink."

Regardless, they do try to impart the information you need to understand what makes one wine different from another. I think that one way to involve younger people in wine is to treat it as a exploration (without getting into the stuff that makes wine drinkers sound like effete snobs). Hey, wine can be fun! (something that Twisted Oak and Don Sebastiani & Sons clearly understand in their marketing approach).

I'm less interested in the non-wine portions of the magazine, and I while I understand the need to have a large-enough audience for the magazine, I wonder if such breadth will help or hurt them in the long run. The magazine also has a visual edginess which some older readers may find off-putting. Although the magazine excerpts some posts from the blog, the magazine format lends itself to longer pieces. I also like the magazine's helpful article sidebar which provides details without breaking up the flow of the story.

Mutineer also has a blog, to which I have subscribed (I like the writing style and the interesting show/hide technique for posts). I recommend they use Feedburner, so they can track their blog subscribers. The first time I visited their site, it took me a minute to find the blog, because its listed as BEVERAGEBLOG. I think just listing it as BLOG would be clearer.

Anyway, take a look at the first issue of Mutineer with your Sunday morning coffee, and let me know what *you* think. As a winery, would you advertise with them? Why or why not?

Comments

[M Rossman]

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