• The Wall Street Journal et al., Thursday, March 25, 2010 2:06 PM

As the iPad's April 3rd launch looms, top publishers and advertisers are unveiling what can only be described as highly experimental revenue models.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," The Wall Street Journal is reporting that The Wall Street Journal plans to charge subscribers $17.99 a month for iPad subscriptions. By contrast, the print version of the WSJ costs $349 for 52 weeks -- or about $29 per month.

Meanwhile, six advertisers -- including Coca-Cola and FedEx -- have agreed to advertise with the Journal, and a four-month ad package costs $400,000, say "these people."

In fact, "FedEx has bought advertising space on the iPad applications from Reuters, The Wall Street Journal and Newsweek," reports The New York Times. "Chase Sapphire, a credit card for the high-end market, has bought out The New York Times's iPad advertising units for 60 days after the introduction."

What's more, "Advertisers including Unilever, Toyota Motor, Korean Air and Fidelity have booked space on Time's iPad application," according to The Times.

Phuc Truong, managing director of Mobext U.S., a mobile-marketing unit at Havas Digital, tells The Times that iPad ads on print publishers' applications will cost $75,000 to $300,000 for a few months -- with some exclusivity.

Meanwhile, "Through a marketing deal with Procter & Gamble's Gillette brand that was brokered by Publicis Groupe's Starcom MediaVest, Rodale's Men's Health magazine will offer iPad users 10 free pages of its April and May iPad editions," reports The Journal. "Gillette Odor Shield products will be the lone advertiser on what Rodale executives are calling the 'preview issue' of Men's Health for the iPad ... Those who choose to download the full iPad issue will pay the $4.99 Men's Health newsstand price."

By and large, "Magazines appear set to offer weekly or monthly editions out of the gate, not annual subscriptions," notes Engadget.

In another instance, the April issue of Hearst's Esquire magazine will be available without ads for $2.99 -- $2 less than its newsstand price. Flexing the iPad's multimedia capabilities, the men's glossy will also include five music videos, "each containing the phrase 'somewhere in Mississippi,' oddly enough," Engadget points out.

Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal et al. »