When I was reviews editor of a computing magazine, an IT director called to ask which laptop to buy, between two models. He was buying 10,000 for £15m; his trust in a 25-year old journalist was both touching and terrifying.
Later, as an editor, publisher and now a dark-arts practitioner, I’ve learned the most influential magazines can even decide whether a product or brand flies or dies.
It’s one of the many reasons I fear magazines having fewer resources: the chance of errors and rushes to judgement increases – with consequences that can last far longer than a publication’s on-sale period.
Clare Newsome | Group Marketing & PR Manager | Computers Unlimited