• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, July 7, 2011

Magazine publishers like to tout their products as social experiences -- think teenage girls poring over a celebrity weekly or fashion title together. Digital magazine publisher Zinio is taking the social aspect to its logical conclusion: group discounts for subscription and single-copy sales.  

Folio reports that Zinio has struck a deal with Groupon to sell subscriptions and digital copies of its magazines; global executive vice president and chief marketing officer Jeanniey Mullen is quoted as describing the Groupon partnership as one of a number of "creative, innovative and interesting new ways to educate the world about Zinio and what its opportunities are."

In an initial test phase available to consumers in Anchorage, Baltimore, and Chattanooga, Folio reports  Groupon users can buy $35 worth of magazines -- combining subscriptions and single-copy sales if they wish -- for just $15. Subscription prices range as low as $14.99, while single copies typically sell for $4.99; altogether Zinio offers digital editions of more than 4,300 magazines. The Chattanooga promotion is still live and will be accessible for another four days.

People is Top Magazine Among Radio Listeners

Cross-media consumption studies sometimes produce interesting and unexpected results. A new survey of the top magazine choices of radio listeners by RBR-TVBR using data from BIGresearch,  showed that most popular magazine across almost all radio categories was People.

People wasn't the only Time Inc. title in the top spot; Time also did quite well. Somewhat unexpectedly, Game Informer also did well across multiple categories. The full results are available here, but the following is a quick scan of the top titles  in certain categories.

Alternative: 1. People. 2. Time. 3. Game Informer. 4. Cosmopolitan. 5. Maxim.

Blues: 1. Time. 2. People. 3. Sports Illustrated. 4. Ebony. 5. National Geographic.

Classical: 1. Time. 2. People. 3. Reader's Digest. 4. National Geographic. 5. Game Informer.

Country: 1. People. 2. Good Housekeeping. 3. Reader's Digest. 4. Woman's Day. 5. Time.

Oldies: 1. People. 2. Time. 3. Woman's Day. 4. Sports Illustrated. 5. Reader's Digest.

Hamptons Cleans Up with Ad Pages

Hamptons  is reporting its biggest edition ever, in terms of ad pages, with the July 4 issue, boasting a total 446 pages (including 70 real estate and shelter ad pages). Overall advertising revenue is up 25% compared to the last year, which makes it the biggest issue in the history of publisher Niche Media, which reports strong performance from other regional lux titles, including Ocean Drive, where ad revenue is up 23% compared to last year, Los Angeles Confidential, where revenue is up 43%, and Michigan Avenue, up 32%.

Vanity Fair Readers Aren't Smitten With Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber may be the Pied Piper Adonis of the teenage female set, but the readers of Vanity Fair are unimpressed by the 17-year-old pop heartthrob, judging by the dismal newsstand sales when Bieber appeared on the cover in February. According to Women's Wear Daily, Vanity Fair's February issue is the worst-selling in 12 years, and is in the top three worst sellers since 1992. WWD cites ABC figures showing just 246,000 copies sold to date. That compares to an average of 405,605 copies sold at the newsstand during the second half of 2010, also per ABC.