Magazine as Message.
“Snowboard.”
Snowboard
magazine began in 2006 and has billed itself as the original high-quality
snowboarding magazine ever since. From its inception it has stood out to me because
of its exceptional design and print quality. Snowboard Magazine’s key audience
is the 25-year-old male. Old enough to have their own money, yet too young to
be over the fads and trends that sell most snowboarding outerwear and
equipment.
Snowboard
Magazine attempts to walk a fine line between traditional alpine culture and
the new schools “take snowboarding to the streets” philosophy. As someone who has
never understood the latters view point, half of this magazine does not appeal
to me. However the “on the mountain” content does generally appeal me. I got
into snowboarding because I am a skateboarder and I cannot understand why
someone would use a snowboard on concrete or a handrail in an urban setting when
clearly a board with wheels is more suited. In skateboarding you don’t need to
haul drop in ramps and truck beds full of snow (from the mountains where you
should be) just to enjoy your chosen activity.
In
conclusion I admit that I do understand why they allocate so much real estate
on “street snowboarding.” The majority of potential snowboard magazine buyers
do not live anywhere near a notable mountain range or ski resort and those that
typically buy magazines and the latest trendy outerwear are young and dumb. However
I have never fallen into this demographic.
