National Geographic is Magazine of the Year

On May 9^th, the American Society of Magazine Editors announced the winner of Magazine of the Year 2011 to be National Geographic. Growing up with National Geographic, I couldn’t be more excited. I remember looking at all the pictures of animals, landscapes, and people, before I could fully understand the articles that went along with them, and being in complete awe.

The awards were hosted by Katie Couric and were attended by more than 700 magazine editors and publishers. Magazine of the Year is the highest honor given and commends the best magazines published both in print and on digital platforms. National Geographic was chosen over finalists The Atlantic, Backpacker, Foreign Policy, and Wired.

National Geographic also grabbed the award for Single-Topic Issue, honoring magazines that have devoted an issue to the comprehensive examination of one subject or topic for “Water: Out Thirsty World,” the April issue.

Here are the 22 National Magazine Awards winners:

• General Excellence -- News, Sports, Entertainment
  New York magazine

• General Excellence -- Literary, Political, Professional
  Poetry

• General Excellence -- Fashion, Service, Lifestyle
  Women's Health

• General Excellence -- Food, Travel, Design
  Garden & Gun

• General Excellence -- Finance, Technology, Lifestyle
   Scientific American

• General Excellence -- Special Interest Magazines
  Los Angeles magazine

• Design, Print
  Gentlemen's Quarterly

• Photography, Print
  W

• News and Documentary Photography
  The New York Times Magazine

• Feature Photography
  ESPN

• Single Topic Issue
  National Geographic

• Magazine Section
  New York magazine

• Personal Service
  Men's Health

• Leisure Interests
  Men's Journal

• Public Interest
  The New Yorker

• Reporting
  Harper's magazine

• Feature Writing
  Los Angeles magazine

• Profile Writing
  The New York Times Magazine

• Essays & Criticism
  The Paris Review

• Columns & Commentary
  Vanity Fair

• Fiction
  Virginia Quarterly Review

• Magazine of the Year
  National Geographic

Sources:

www.magazine.org

http://www.minonline.com/news/National-Geographic-Is-2011-Magazine-of-the-Year_17046.html

Honda Civic "To Each Their Own" Campaign

The new Civic, released at the New York International Auto Show, went online two days ago. It has a sportier design and better fuel economy than the last model, released in 2006. With choices of a coupe, sedan, hybrid, performance SI, fuel-efficient HF or Natural Gas, the new 2012 Civic is trying to compete in a saturated compact-car market against the new Chevy Cruze, the redesigned Ford Focus, the Hyundai Elantra, and the Toyota Corolla. For a standard gas engine, the Civic will set you back between $15,605 and $23,905, or for a hybrid gas-electric engine it will cost between $24,050 and $26,750.

Although Civic is run on an Ohio-made engine and transmission, with other parts coming from Ohio-based suppliers, and the car being assembled in Indiana, Honda is feeling the effects of the earthquake in Japan last month, as some parts for the Civic are made in Japan. Because of this, US plants have cut production by about 50% to make parts supplies last as long as possible. For the first few weeks of the roll out, dealers are expected to have an adequate supply of Civics, but the production slow down could have an effect on availability of the new Civics. Consumers may have a better chance of getter the new Civic sooner rather than later, especially if they are picky about features or color.

Enough about the car, let’s talk about the advertising.

Honda is launching a new ad campaign to support the Civic, entitled “To each their own.” The campaign shows all of the options available to the consumer and the different types of consumers who buy Civics. The characters include a ninja, zombie, monster, woodsman, and professional wrestler.

John Mendel, Honda’s top sales executive in North America, explained the need to distinguish types of Honda owners; “We’re talking about perhaps the broadest and most diverse customer demographic in our industry.”

It’s all about positioning: According to RPA, an independent advertising agency working with Honda, the new Civic is positioned to be “the latest canvas for personalization.” The campaign is targeting consumers who personalize everything in their lives, from social media to fashion, to their cars. Honda aims to have consumers view the Civic as well-designed, trendy, and technologically advanced.

What exactly can consumers customize or personalize in their car?

-       Audio preferences, including iPod library, can be set to the intelligent Multi-Information Display.

-       Navigation system with turn-by-turn directions

-       Fuel Economy readings

-       Door locks

-       Headlights

-       Color

-       Displays, such as personal wallpaper on MID

-       Many, many others

Wanna meet the characters in the commercials?

• Aiko, the ninja. She is a cute, innocent, and deadly martial-arts master. She drives the high-energy performance SI model Civic.

• Jack, the urban woodsman. He lives in the city, but his heart is with the woods. He drives a Hybrid for its fuel efficiency, which comes in handy on all his trips to the great outdoors.
•  Mitch, the zombie. He is a salesman and into high-tech gadgets. He drives a Civic Sedan loaded with features such as the Bluetooth HandsFreeLink and the navigation system with FM Traffic.
• Teeny, the monster. She is a college student with a bubbly personality. She has a practical nature and is a frugal budgeter who drives the fuel-efficient HF model Civic
• Teeny's commercial doesn't air until May 5th.
• 
  
• Cesar, the Champion Luchador. He is a handsome celebrity, however a bit vain, he drives the sleek-lined Civic Coupe.

Honda also trying targeting Gen Y consumers not just through their technology driven lifestyle, but through the breakout artists they use in their spots. Music plays a large role in the commercials and Honda features artists such as Snake and Jet’s Amazing Built Band, McChris, Barry Louis Pollsar, The Virgins, and Oh Land.

Civic spots will air during premiers or finales of highly rated programs including Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, Bones, Fringe, NCIS, Vampire Diaries, Chuck, Nikita, The Bachlorette, and So You Think You Can Dance, again targeting Gen Y consumers.

Sources:

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2011/04/21/hondas-2012-civic-holds-line-on-change.html?sid=101

http://www.rpa.com/subsections/press.html?section=2011&id=2011_04_20_Honda_Civic