Method Magazine Sets Print Free

Method Snowboard Magazine CEO Rasmus Ostergaard announced today that they moving to a free distribution model for the “pan-European” magazine.

It’s very simple, over the past 5 years it’s become increasingly clear that newsstand sales are in steady decline. Sadly, our target audience simply doesn’t buy magazines anymore. We could continue working with the old paradigm or radically change our business model to adapt to the market’s new realities. . . . Going free is a win-win situation for everyone –advertisers, retailers, readers, riders and photographers. From now on METHOD will be found where it counts most, namely core snowboard shops and other spots where snowboarders hang out.

We’ve always been big fans of free, plus, it’s just one step closer to 100% digital. Follow the jump for the official release and unleash the kitties.
METHOD BECOMES THE FIRST-EVER FREE PAN-EUROPEAN SNOWBOARD MAGAZINE

METHOD announces that we will completely change our distribution for the upcoming 10/11 winter season, leaving newsstands and becoming a free publication distributed across Europe in over 1,200 shops continent-wide.

Snowboarding thrives on progression. Here at METHOD we believe that ethos should be followed by snowboard media as well, and we have been at the forefront of the digital revolution the whole way. But we also feel that nothing beats a quality magazine as the ultimate showcase for snowboarding, and we definitely know how to make them.

What it boils down to is that every advertiser wants to broaden their reach and increase sales, and making METHOD Magazine free is a sure-fire way to guarantee just that. When you add the fact that we will also be offering a free digital version on our site, www.methodmag.com, it creates unbeatable ROI for every advertiser.

METHOD CEO Rasmus Ostergaard explains the reasoning behind going free: “It’s very simple, over the past 5 years it’s become increasingly clear that newsstand sales are in steady decline. Sadly, our target audience simply doesn’t buy magazines anymore. We could continue working with the old paradigm or radically change our business model to adapt to the market’s new realities.”

“Going free is a win-win situation for everyone –advertisers, retailers, readers, riders and photographers. From now on METHOD will be found where it counts most, namely core snowboard shops and other spots where snowboarders hang out. With a 100% pick-up rate as opposed to 30-40% sell-through rates* (*generally accepted as an industry standard), plus the digital version also offered for free on our site, we will hit more eyeballs than any other snowboard magazine in Europe, effectively increasing our advertisers’ reach in the process.”

Thomaz Autran Garcia, METHOD Editor in Chief, said “I’m really excited about this decision, I think it’s a step in the right direction for our company and I’m looking forward to the editorial freedom we’ll have from here on out. METHOD was already the best snowboard mag out there, now we’re going to take things to 11!”.

So once again METHOD is upping the ante and changing the game. We hope you’ll join us on this new adventure in the wild and wacky world of METHOD.