4wd action issue 136

[joey Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close joey]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

must be a dodgy shop because they are bound and with dvd's....

you really should buy them and have a good read

joey

[ntp Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close ntp]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

must be a dodgy shop because they are bound and with dvd's

I think they place one there specifically for people to browse and determine if they want to buy. Otherwise, its difficult sometimes to work out from the bound versions what's actually offered inside.

you really should buy them and have a good read

I sometimes do... but I no longer subscribe for all the aforementioned reasons. If the mag offers a good deal or has some inspiring stories - then I'll buy it. But otherwise I just pass as I have enough past editions laying around to have a fair idea about what after-market products are available.

Again, I'm just offering a particular point of view - which seems to be supported by at least a couple of others. I'm not saying I'm right or not, just saying why I'm turned off subscribing and being a regularly customer - when once I was.

DSTM.

ps. I'll definitely be buying the edition with your Prado in it.

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

I'm a long time subscriber and value the reviews but I really enjoy the trip reports.

I wonder how many of the advertisers within 4WD Monthly would:

1. provide a discount to subscribers, and
2. provide a discount to Pradopoint.com members?

[05oiler Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close 05oiler]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

I have been a subscriber of 4WD Action for some years. I enjoy many of the editions and have picked up many ideas. The whole family enjoys the videos. I accept that advertising is a necessary requirement for publishers as the cover price will never cover the costs of production. I think it is unrealistic to expect otherwise. As for subscriber offers, have a look at what is on offer. I have never renewed without a subscriber offer. I only take the offer that suits my needs (30 issues to go). Sometimes I get annoyed by some of the content but I end up reading all of it. The travel articles are good but sometimes a little thin on detail and I can never read the maps supplied. They should identify where the points of travel are. I compare other magazines and will buy them based on my interest of the particular articles. I also subscribe to a motorcycle magazine which recently had mobile phone ringtones advertising and pictures and quite rightly the website had a meltdown of complaints resulting in a commitment not to do it again. You just can't please all the people all of the time. Good on you Brendan for taking the opportunity and time to reply. I am also a member of the Forum.

Regards

Garry

[FlyingBushPig Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close FlyingBushPig]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

FlyingBushPig - I think 4WD Action do extremely well for giving DIY ideas, so I don't know where you are coming from. In fact, the last issue had 3 ideas which would take an hour each. Previous issues have included similar ideas, like the light underneath the bonnet for working in the dark, etc.

DIY service and mod stuff is useful

Maybe I wasn't quite clear - I love the DIY stuff. I find articles on trucks that have pretty much just the big name brand stuff because the owners have too much much money and no ingenuity of their own a bit boring.

[GDS Member Find all posts View Profile Close GDS]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

I buy the mag but am continually confronted by what seem to be simple things.

I find the quality of the cut and paste production annoying. Does anyone read the mag before it gets emailed offshore for printing in the thousands?

You find it several times in every issue, you don't need to look real hard, for example, article on page 207 refers to information on page 133 which is not contained there.

It's also difficult to distinguish paid advertisement / endorsement from the articles.

Am I being too harsh?

[xvprado Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close xvprado]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

It's also difficult to distinguish paid advertisement / endorsement from the articles.

Thtas the problem right there

Magazines in this country struggle with critical and constructive comment on their advertisers products

When have any of the mag's got stuck into Nissan for its 3 ltr hand grenade or Toyota for their dodgey Diesel Injectors

If the Mag's provided unbiased critical comment the manufacturers wouldnt have the power to treat us like lemmings

As it is now "advertorials" do nothing more than prostitute the product AND the magazine

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

Express Publications (4WD Action) employes roughly 200 people and has never laid a single person off because of the global financial crisis. I think that's pretty Australian.

That's a nice tug at the heart strings but it's a statement lacking a few facts.... According to the latest media release form your own industry association, the MPA, magazines are bucking the sales drop trends and are in fact experiencing a growth.

Release dated 15 May 2009 and available online.

Magazine sales for the quarter are up 1.4% over the previous with, and here's the stand out... automotive/motoring magazines up a whopping 12.7% for the YEAR!

So I'd hardly think that 4wd Monthly/Express Publications would be on the bones of their arse and in a position to justify laying off anybody due to the global financial crisis.

Mick

[LenGXV6 Member Find all posts View Profile Close LenGXV6]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

The one thing I would like to see done in the mag is a comparo on on Recovery points - they have done just about every other type of compare.

Long time subscriber, and I look forward to the mag every month, yes the adds have increased, but I do search through them to see what is on offer and what I can con the other halve into letting me buy

Would also like to see a bit more of WA featured, so many tracks and places to visit over here and all we get is Lancilin

[mav Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close mav]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

Guys whilst I understand the annoyance of too many adverts in magazines can I politely point out that 4WD Action magazine have helped us out by providing a write up of our 2009 GTG which had the effect of attracting sponsors to our event. This very act allowed our GTG to be a lot better than had we not have had our sponsors onboard.

[GDS Member Find all posts View Profile Close GDS]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

Constructive criticism and feedback can only be a good thing.

Grant

[Prado BB Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Prado BB]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

Take a look at the latest edition 4wd Custom magazine - features a Prado with camper trailer - not sure if the owner is a PPer. Nonetheless nice set-up and good write-up.

Cheers
Andy

[stewy Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close stewy]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

Will have to give it a closer look to see the write up.

Overall, I'm happy with the publication they offer, my only criticism is that they tend to call me alot to take up further subsciptions, even though I may have 10 to go. They always mention that mag is going up in price so you I better re-subscribe. Apart from that the DVD's they have a great and the articles are often a generally good read.

[Prado BB Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close Prado BB]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

When did it come out ? Keen to have a read...



I have the say, the latest issue of 4WD Action has been alot better.

I got it yesterday - subscription - so may not be in the shops yet.

Cheers
Andy

[IRON-PAWW Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close IRON-PAWW]

Re: 4wd action issue 136

I read a number of 'Enthusiast' magazines and I've seen the increased ads occur in each one of them. Computer magazines are a good example. Certain editions of magazines have suffered a little too much from being advertisement heavy. In one case, the editors blurb at the beginning even acknowldeged the fact, saying it had been a very quiet period in that particular field making stories hard to come by. That wasn't a 4WD magazine though. So the situation is across the board.

I acknowledge that many people will indeed be interested in the ads. But there surely has to be a limit?

Lets take the TV example. I'm watching the TV because I want to see the movie. Not because I want to watch the ads in between. Given the choice, I'd turn to the TV channel that had no ads so I could watch the movie without interruptions. I tolerate the ads, but too many gets me miffed. That isn't a criticism, just my take on ads in general. The point being that too many ads could surely start to effect magazine sales? Again, just an observation from someone nowhere near the publishing business.

I remember a series of TV shows on the ABC some time ago about a chef thinking of ways to make his restaurant profitable. What it came down to was sourcing simple, cheap ingredients and doing only what was required to make people happy with the meal they bought. He came up with this method of cooking a whole fish inside this simple damper like 'shell' and drew fish designs in the surface of the damper covering. People loved it and it sold well, and was also cheap to serve up to people.

My point then, could you come up with cheap to make stories that might interest people? Easier said than done I expect, but nevertheless, surely that's what you'd need to do to increase the written content in the magazine. I'm thinking something along the lines where people outside the magazine, eg 4x4 owners, do most of the work. An example, Joes Camping fitout to his Prado. Joe fills in a form of standard sections and submits that to the magazine along with a few photos. The content is there ready to go, perhaps a phonecall to Joe to clarify some details might be needed. This could even be expanded with Joes Trip report, and how his setup went on the trip with pro's and Cons. Joe found an issue with permits. Joe didn't check the weather reports and got trapped by a rising river.... Joe's Grandtreks died on the first day..

Just my perspective.

I've only read a few issues of 4x4 action here and there so I don't come at it from a veterans perspective. But I've begun picking up a few more copies of late. 8)