Oprah Magazine on iPad Gives More By Showing Fewer Ads

Hearst has finally brought O: The Oprah Magazine to the iPad. The twist is that the magazine only has two advertisers. It's a risky move, but it could win big by bringing less clutter to the digital magazine and more readers to the publication.

The two advertisers are big dogs: Disney (DIS) and Lexus. Oprah Winfrey is a huge draw, as reflected in the fat O magazine, so Hearst could have packed the multimedia edition with tons of ads.

By limiting the ads, however, Hearst creates a special experience. First, it separates O from other iPad magazines by avoiding too many distracting ads. Unlike print pubs, iPad ads are flush with built-in YouTube videos, sliding panels, and other sometimes garish tricks. (Advertisers are always quick to take advantage of any new multimedia trick, like Flash-built websites a decade ago and moving gifs the decade before that.) It gives the digital O a hint of simple sophistication, as well as the subtle message that Hearst is not letting every advertiser with a budget through the door.

Second, it prevents the relatively older O audience from being intimidated by the technology. The average O magazine reader skews older than for, say, Wired, so he or she will probably be slower to adapt to the fancy and potentially overwhelming ads peppering competing digital publications.

O: The Oprah Magazine made a brave step by keeping the advertising limited. It is a practice other older-skewing, high-end publications should consider as well.

Photo courtesy of numberstumper // CC 2.0

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