目前共有2.5万家廉价商店，比如美元均一店和家庭美元店，每年增长率为12%。
会员制仓储超市如Costco and Sam's，销售额达到了大约800亿美元。
食品零售商如Save-A-Lot和Aldi，以相当于普通超市3倍的速度增长。
许多情况下，单一的重复模式似乎并不合适。Costco中杂志的位置在哪儿？Trade Joe's中的呢？我们需要创造出一种适合的模式。很多增长迅速的新型渠道都不销售杂志的原因非常简单，就是因为我们单一的、千篇一律的分送模式不能满足他们的要求。
在服务零售商的问题上，我们需要更大的灵活性。
商品化带来的威胁
在我们的主阵地——超市中，我们也面临着许多挑战。
此处杂志面临的巨大危险是商品化：销售下降，关系丧失。
在从超市购买杂志的消费者看来，杂志是一种几乎没有增长、利润平平的商品。我们没有能力让消费者像对待那些冷冻食品或者健康及美容产品一样来对待杂志。
零售挑战
杂志业正处在岔路口上。我已经列出了选择：只是摆设，或是成为目标商品；走小路，或是走大路。
道路一，如果我们在零售方面没有新举措，零售商们仍然不会将杂志摆在显眼的位置上。作为一种增长缓慢、利润一般、耗费劳力、内容凌乱、难以理解而且要与饮料或贺卡等争夺位置的商品，杂志很有可能在某一天被清理出去，为更加生机勃勃的商品让位。
这是一条潜藏着危险的路。毕竟，比起十年前，杂志销售点少了很多，而迅速增长的新型销售渠道根本就不卖杂志。
选择另一条路。我们可以选条大路，把更多的注意力放在零售渠道上——投资、促销、宣扬杂志的优点，使它成为人们想要寻找的目标商品。如果我们做了，我们就为自己创造了一个好机会。我们能够改变零售商的看法，使杂志成为每一家商店的必备商品，并因此带来顾客盈门，提升购物体验，赢得更多的满意和忠诚。
要想做到这一点我们必须促进杂志与读者以及与超市购物者之间的关系，这一关系至关重要甚至关乎性命。我们必须让零售商相信杂志可以带来真正具有吸引力的经济前景。我们必须向他们解释为什么杂志应该成为每一家商店的重要商品——就像熟食一样，我们还必须让他们明白如何将杂志从摆设商品变为目标商品。
到目前为止杂志业还一直在遵循着Yogi Berra的建议：如果在路上看到了一条岔路，就走那条岔路吧。我们想改变这一做法。我们必须确定下来要选择大路——当然是在你们的支持下——我们要把杂志从一种摆设商品变成一种宝贵而充满活力的目标商品。
这就是我们所走过的路。接下来《电视指南》的总裁约翰·卢夫林将谈一谈我们正在做什么以及我们可以看到什么结果这两个问题。
John Loughlin
TV Guide Publishing Group
American Magazine Conference
October 25，2004
Boca Raton，FL
Good Morning.
Peter certainly got the MPA Board's attention when he presented these eye-opening facts at our retreat in January.Tom Ryder asked John Griffin，President of National Geographic，and me to lead the magazine industry's response，overseeing a number of initiatives aimed at stimulating the retail sector.
Growth Goals
Simply stated，the magazine industry must focus on both changing retailer perception and on-the-ground reality.We must engage in the present and anticipate the future.We must develop new approaches to magazine retailing that incorporate how the retail marketplace behaves today，no less 5 years out.We need to change the industry's traditional，operationally-driven mindset to a new，more strategic focus.We have to convince retailers of magazines'relevance and importance for their customers and their stores，to give magazines the position they deserve.And，we must have a consistent and coherent industry position on the contribution that magazines make to store profitability.
These are serious and demanding goals，but I'm pleased to share some real progress.
What We're Doing
We have six initiatives in support of these goals...First，we have been mobilizing the industry around the task.Second，we have developed a clear message to retail and have begun communicating it broadly in the retail community.Third，we have started strengthening retail relationships through our top-to-top program.We are opening doors and engaging long ignored，but high potential channels such as Costco.We have established and agreed to common performance benchmarks to change retailers'perceptions about the magazine category.
And finally，we have initiated programs that will support and build momentum around efforts to shift the current retail paradigm from Display to Destination.
1.Mobilization
First，industry mobilization.
Six working groups have been set up，with members broadly representative of the industry.Their objectives were near-term，to define new practices to stimulate growth in existing and emerging channels；and，longer term，to establish industry goals for the next five years.These teams have already put in many hours and a great deal of thought and importantly，demonstrate the industry-wide commitment to improving our collective position at retail.
2.Communication
Initiative 2，clear and consistent communication.
Tom Ryder charged MPA with communicating better with our retail customers the unique role magazines play in stores...selling our product more effectively if you will.
“Magazines Make Connections”launched at the March Retail Conference，presented a new theme to change retailers'perceptions.For the first time it linked together，cogently，the unique assets magazines bring retailers under the theme of“Connections”.
*Connected to customers with buying power and influence through our brands，our content，our relevancy：140 categories to match every consumer passion.
*Connected to stores through a unique logistics and distribution system that handles incredible product complexity and assures freshness.
*Connected to retailers'bottom line，providing value beyond pure profits.
*Connected to the future，through constant innovation and renewal.
What was key to this message is that for the first time，it celebrates the differences of magazines from the rest of the store，rather than apologizing for them.Magazines have unique strengths and we need to aggressively articulate them.Since the Retail Conference in March，this message was extended and amplified through the retail community.
It was reformatted into a 24-page advertising supplement in the FMI issue of Supermarket News，translated into discussion and presentation materials，and has been presented to numerous audiences，notably at major retail industry conferences，such as FMI，NACDS and GMDC.
3.Relationships
We've also embarked on a top-to-top program to raise the visibility of magazinesto the top management of our retail customers.With the increasing concentration of buying power，just 23 retailers represent over 80 percent of volume.
How many of us have called on our major retailers？We don't flinch at flying to see Procter&；Gamble at a moment's notice.But，few of us ever make it to Kroger，America's largest supermarket chain，also based in Cincinnati.
