Have you seen Monocle’s new iPad app? One actually came in the mail for me this morning. No, seriously.
This app isn’t Apple compatible, it is a special summer-edition of Monocle printed on newspaper stock. Because you can’t read an iPad on a beach. I first heard about Monocle Mediterraneo at a lunch with a contingent of Monocle staffers (including a very pleasant Mr. Brûlé) at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Now don’t get too excited, that’s not how I normally roll. But the Monocle crew was at the hotel for a conference, so it was an obvious choice.
Apparently the idea behind Mediterraneo was that, while this is the “summer of the iPad,” you can’t use one of those things at the beach. So being the rebellious pub that they are, Monocle went the other direction and struck gold. The summer edition is laid out beautifully and is an equally interesting read. The only problem is that while Mediterraneo can transport me in spirit, it can’t get the physical me to the Côte d’Azur. Or can it? [Monocle Mediterraneo]
Well played Persol.
Hey is that John Mayer’s new watch?
am a monocle subscriber and despite owning all the issues, somehow this newspaper makes me start to dislike the brand more (that, and the fact that they have been increasingly doing “collaborations” with every which company, some of which are half-baked.). i can’t quite put words to it, but they should just stick to the magazine proper.
The only one doing worse collaborations is that ACL guy. What a DB.
Awesome! How can I get myself one of these?
Jake — click the link! Anyone see these at newsstands in NYC?
I haven’t seen these on newsstands, but it was at the Liquor Store when I dropped by last Saturday
The design looks rather ho-hum. What does it offer that’s truly unique from the variety of other print media already on the shelves?
Print lives!
I don’t get why their newspaper costs more to subscribe to than on the newsstand… other than that it’s a pretty good rag. Sometimes the articles are a bit surface level though.
@Oliver: not sure about the MM newspaper, but the reason a subscription to Monocle the magazine cost more than cover price is that the subscription cost isn’t subsidized by advertisers. That’s paraphrasing what I heard Tyler Brule say in an interview. The reason most magazines can offer a year’s subscription for what equals the cover cost of 2 or 3 issues is that they recoup the loss through ad sales. Or that’s how it used to work until circulation rates started to fall due to competition from the internet and other media.
@unitedstyle:
I know you’re paraphrasing, but that still seems like an odd justification – it’s not as if there are no adverts in the subscription version. Though now I come to think of it I like the idea of special edition magazines for subscribers that don’t contain any advertising…
just about two-thirds through my copy. I work in midtown (kill me now) and picked up my copy at Universal News on 35th btw. 5th and 6th.
Re: advertising it appears that Rolex and Blackberry are the chiefs with Persol thrown in a bit… The thing that threw me was the BMW/Monocle 4-color piece. As a huge fan of BMW vehicles and bikes it seemed odd, although I did like the Q&A with Bangle’s successor, van Hooydonk. I also liked that they chose the 6-series to analyze, it being a continuation of the most beautiful of BMWs (excluding the 507) the 3.0 csi.
I am a fan of the large format. My only gripe would be that the cover stock should be a bit more sturdy, as this is something I’d want to hang on to.
Monocle is great. I’ve kept all of my issues as if they were books…up to about 25 issues. Mediterraneo is great.
They sell it at Universal News on 14th btw. 5th & 6th for all of you in New York.
Liquor Store was the first to get it. They still have a couple copies left and are selling for like $7.
Other than, it is a cool idea, but it should have been for one issue and not an entire series.
@unitedstyle:
Thanks for the explanation. I knew there was probably a reason. So does that mean that the newsstand version has more adverts than the subscription version? The costs would definitely make sense if that were the case. For identical rags though, I’m still a bit puzzled. I’m actually pretty interested, so I’ll see if I can dig up that interview somewhere online.
Around the world newstand 41st btween 5th and 6th ave
just picked it up. Nicely done.
maybe they made this more throwaway because the nature of monocle magazine is becoming less collectable and more a giant amalgam of ads- a bunch of smaller advertisements, hidden advertisements and blatant advertisements with a little content thrown in. thumbs down to this new venture for monocle.
J.Crew Liquor Store and J.Crew Men’s Shop both have it along with Universal News citywide.
This is the best thing that has happen all summer. The Paper is great for people who excercise their brains and not their thumbs.
For all the negative comments about this and Monocle, its obvious you are not avid readers of Monocle or one of its philosophy which is about Branding. This paper is to further the brand and combat the overwhelming influence of technologogy against go old fashion reading of print media. If you know anything about Monocle or Winkreative or actually listen to Brule, its always about branding and marketing. That is the basis of Monocle and his first Creation Wallpaper.
so-called branding and the contemporary emphasis on marketing- those two words are far removed, if not the antithesis of, quality and craft.
In certain cases, but not in connection with Monocle philosophy.
Not having time to look for holiday reading in either airport, finding Monocle Meditteraneo in a small newsagent in North Mallorca just about saved my holiday.
The paper format resisted abuse by the pool and seaside. The BMW advertorial was a letdown, but easily removed. My only other complaint is that there was not enough of it.
Read a solid article on the editor of Monocle a couple of weeks back on BusinessWeek. I think it’s great that a print magazine is actually flourishing in this day of instant blog gratification. Reminds me of when a new issue of Details would show up back in the early nineties and soaking up every page.
Indeed, print lives. I love the convenience of reading on my phone and other e-devices. But having a book, newspaper, magazine, etc. in my hand will never get old for me.
Living way out in Asia, I don’t know if there are any distributors for the Mediterraneo, which I am hankering to read : ( Have been a Monocle reader since day one, and though the branding bits have become more blatant than the earlier issues (you see Brule’s editorial hand in 60% of the mag), but I would say I continue reading it because it still gives me an alternative point-of-view of issues and places i would never set foot on.
Wow, I can’t believe you had lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel (in Beverly Hills!) with Tyler Brûlé. How did his cock taste? Because you sure did a good job sucking it in this post.
It tasted like sunshine. No wait, rainbows. I can’t remember exactly. All I know was that it was really nice. Thanks for asking.
I bought this after checking out this blog post, and don’t really get it. It’s a magazine for rich people? I have always thought monocle looked really pretentious, but after this post and after an appreciation for good print design ( I am a graphic designer) I decided to check it out. Could someone give me a brief synopsis as to what I can gain as a monocle reader, aside from pages of articles about places I can’t afford to go or shit I can’t afford to buy? Rolex, persol, and bmw? Someone like me ( new yorker, designer, young, employed but no where near well off) isn’t supposed to be into this, are they?
Initially I really liked Monocle’s concept, but I’d have to agree with the other posters. It’s just a consumerist clusterf*ck of a magazine full of things I can’t afford, even if I wanted to. The writing is ho-hum, and they really seem to be promoting jet-setting (and airline companies. What’s with the editor’s fascination with telling airlines how to run their operations?). It also seems a bit racist, with an extreme focus on white, chiseled gladiators. Much of the news on non-Euro countries seems to focus on how capitalists can exploit these danger-zones. They like the Japanese though. All-in-all, I thumb through at the Barnes but rarely purchase them any longer. Esquire and GQ suit me just fine, and their writing is a thousand times better.