Association of Magazine Media

Association of Magazine Media

The trade association for consumber magazine publishers has a new name. To reflect changes in how publishers interact with readers (if you call them that anymore), the Magazine Publishers of America now calls itself MPA-the Association of Magazine Media. From the press release:

“Reflecting the growing ways – online and offline – that magazine content reaches consumers, industry leaders today unveiled a new name, tagline and logo for their trade group: MPA —The Association of Magazine Media. By adopting the well-established initials, MPA, as the organization’s formal name and dropping “publishers” from its tagline, MPA is underscoring the fact that magazine media content engages consumers across multiple platforms, including websites, tablets, smartphones, books, live events and more. MPA will officially launch its new name and logo to its membership at the annual American Magazine Conference (AMC) on Monday, October 4, in Chicago.”

The new logo replaces the classic one depicting pages turning in a magazine; instead, the squares are meant to evoke ” multiple ways through which magazine media are being experienced and enjoyed today.” Read more about the change at the New York Times, here. The Times points out that the name change only marks the second time the association has changed its name. Founded in 1919 as the Magazine Publishers Association, the group changed its name in 1987 to Magazine Publishers of America. Writes Stuart Elliott of the Times, “The 1987 renaming took place a week before the Black Monday stock market crash of Oct. 19, so investors who are magazine readers — and vice versa — might want to re-examine their portfolios in coming days.”

Part of the new campaign includes videos, called Magazine Media Minute, published on YouTube highlighting some of the latest developments in magazine publishing, er, media. Here’s an example: