Recently I asked three of our printers why it is so important for us to deliver our files on schedule. And all three basically gave the same answer.
The basic building block – the DNA, if you will – of the United States Marine Corps as a fighting force is the rifle squad. And in an era of asymmetric warfare, the Corps is reshaping and re-equipping its squads to do more and do so with greater autonomy.
As described in the latest issue of Semper Fi, the member magazine we publish for the Marine Corps League, “The Marine Corps is the only military service in the world that uses a 13-man infantry squad … The squad is the lowest element in the Marine Corps that can actually receive a mission.”
The new issue of Semper Fi explores how the Corps is modifying its DNA at a new facility called “The Gruntworks” aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA. With the assistance of field-proven Marines, the Gruntworks crew is working to lighten, toughen and make more efficient every ounce of gear carried by today’s Marines. That’s a tall order – typical equipment loads can weigh 100 pounds or more.
Elsewhere in this issue, we begin exploring the history of Camp Lejeune, NC, and the Marines presence in the Carolinas. The flat, sandy coastal beaches have seen innumerable practice assaults as the Corps developed and continues to perfect its signature amphibious attack methods.
Semper Fi also revisits Beirut, Lebanon, where 25 years ago this Oct. 23, terrorists bombed the Marine peacekeeper barracks, killing 221 Marines as well as other military personnel. Many regard that as the first open shot in today’s Global War on Terror.
We also remember another iconic moment in Marine history – the 90th anniversary of the bloody, WWI battle of Belleau Wood, France, where tradition holds that the US Marines earned the nickname “Devil Dogs” as they ferociously defeated a larger German army and turned the tide of that war.
Every year at this time, Hammock editors work with our clients to compile annual editorial slates. Here are a few hints we’ve learned that make the process go more smoothly—and pump up magazine stakeholders about the coming year.
This time of year, it’s nearly impossible to stay indoors all day long when it is so beautiful outside. So when the weekend rolls around, it isn’t unusual to find many of us hiking, camping, bicycling, canoeing, white-water rafting or savoring other outdoor activities. That’s why we took particular pleasure in putting together the July/August issue of American Spirit, whose cover image of a serene wooded spot on the John Muir Trail beckons the nature lover in us all.
When we started researching the cover feature for the August/September issue of MyBusiness—”The New Frontier: Top technologies to plan for in the coming years”—we weren’t really sure what to include. What’s cutting edge to some people might be old hat to others. That’s how we picked the tech concepts we did: Each of them could speak to someone who’s new to technology and the Internet (hard to believe that’s possible, huh?) as well as to those people who have been online and plugged in for years.
Through the small business owners who have embraced these technologies, we show how these various tools—from social networking to mobile technology—can help transform the way you run your business.
This issue (like all issues of MyBusiness) is filled with ways to transform the way you do small business—from improving loyalty by keeping an open-door policy with clients to choosing the right direction in the midst of a turning point to keeping key employees from being wooed by your competition.
Earlier this year, American Business Media launched a custom media microsite. We are members of ABM and Barbara Logan serves on the Custom Media Committee. The new microsite promotes the value of business-to-business custom media. Research, white papers and case studies are available to marketers interested in learning more about custom media and how it can benefit their organizations.
Check out the site today to see Hammock’s Custom Media Craft blog and our work with the Marines Corps League featured.
Although it’s only July, media planners in advertising agencies across the country are gearing up for their 2009 planning efforts. That means that we are in full media kit mode here at Hammock—creating, editing, designing and distributing the 2009 kits for our clients to have the kits in front of buyers when they begin their planning phases. If your magazines are supported by advertising, here are 6 of our media kits tips to keep in mind during your media kit development:
For the sixth consecutive year, American Spirit, the magazine we publish for the Daughters of the American Revolution, has been honored with a Grand Award of Excellence from the APEX Awards organization. The Award was made for the May/June 2007 issue. The same issue also collected two Awards of Excellence:
Two other Hammock-published magazines also earned Awards of Excellence.
American Spirit’s Grand Award was one of only six made in the “For Profit” magazine sub-category. This year the Apex Awards judges evaluated 4,479 entries including 837 in the Magazines & Journals category. A total of 120 APEX Grand Awards were presented in 11 major categories and 1,393 APEX Awards of Excellence were presented in 110 individual categories.
First, the obvious: Magazines set out to tell a story.
Then: But the words you see printed on the page are only part of the tale. Those of us trained as writers and editors (and many in the general population) usually think that a “story” is told with written or spoken words.
But just think how a verbally told story is enhanced by these factors:
Similarly, your sense of a magazine article is also enhanced by its setting — the page layout.
I talked to our design team recently about the importance of white space in magazine design. I’ve marked up a spread with their comments on Flickr.
Hammock’s work with the Marine Corps League is featured in the latest issue of the Custom Publishing Council’s magazine Content. The article “Across a Crowded Room, ” focuses on how marketers and custom publishers are finding new ways to target specific audiences with custom content. In the case of our client the Marine Corps League, the association wanted to reposition its magazine for a number of reasons—one of which was to recruit younger Marines.
Read the article from Content here to learn how we redesigned, refocused and repositioned Marine Corps League magazine (newly named Semper Fi) to accomplish the goals of the League. “In the two and a half years since the redesign,” says MCL executive director Mike Blum, “membership in the Marine Corps league has increased 25 percent. Between 15 and 20 percent of that increase can be attributed to the magazine.”