Microsoft, Hinge, And Others Roll Out Magazines

Blue-chip brands and marketing agencies like Microsoft, Hinge, and Day One Agency are rolling out premium print publications to highlight unique stories or share novel insights on their respective industries.

Why It Hits: In an ironic twist, print presents an attractive opportunity to avoid the saturation of digital marketing and provide a product that feels a bit more special. In an era of nostalgia and limited-edition releases, print publications could be the streetwear drops of the corporate world.

Between the Pages: It’s time to make some space on your office shelf.

• Microsoft is releasing its first-ever print publication, Signal — a 120-page magazine featuring a piece by Bill Gates, interviews with the company’s various CEOs, and thought leadership on a range of tech topics.
• Only 1,500 copies of Signal will be available, with most being sent to the CEOs and other C-suite execs of companies that Microsoft works with.
• Hinge released its second installment of Ordinary Love — a hardcover anthology of dating stories that will be distributed to book clubs in NYC and London. The first edition led to a 10.5% increase in “brand consideration” in the US, per Axios.
• Day One Agency, which does marketing for brands like Nike and Amex, introduced its first edition of The Day One Almanac, which charts cultural trends and features curated product recommendations.

Last Looks: If there’s a North Star in the corporate world for what print can do, just look at Costco. Yes, the big box retailer is the king of the magazine, with its Costco Connection reaching more households than Better Homes & Gardens, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic… combined. Not too shabby.

Prediction: For employees, being featured in their company’s corporate magazine or book may soon become the ultimate form of recognition — because the most influential customers are the ones reading it.