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A Picture Is Worth A Couple Hundred Thousand Sales. Or Not. The Best & Worst Selling Magazine Covers of 2011.




Ordinarily I try to write original content for the blog and do not reprint an article by another source. However, this article by John Koblin for WWD is a nice informative wrap up (albeit lacking for other variables) on what magazine covers were hits and which were bombs in 2011. Ten images accompanied the article, but I know that upon reading it, I felt the need to see all the magazine covers to which they were referring so I've found each and every one and included them here for you. Enjoy!

No matter what crisis there is on the newsstand, there are a few people who sell no matter what.

Take Sarah Jessica Parker. She pops up on the cover of Elle back in January, Vogue in August and Marie Claire in September and delivers each monthly its second or third best seller of the year.

Sarah Jessica Parker 2011 Covers:



Or, let’s consider Heidi Klum, who can help deliver Lucky its second best seller in March (175,000 sales in a year when they need it!) or bring the August Glamour its second best performer (510,000 sales, in a year when they really need it!).

Heidi Klum 2011 Covers:


Or Jennifer Aniston, who was Marie Claire’s top seller of the year in that sleepy summer month of July, and, from all indications, delivered Elle one of its best performers of the year in November.

Jennifer Aniston 2011 Covers:


It’s that time of year, everyone. Time to look back and see who sold (and who didn’t) at the newsstand for monthly magazines in 2011. All data is taken is from the Audit Bureau of Circulations, much of it from the Rapid Report, which is subject to minor change since it has not been audited. The majority of publishers have filed results through October or November issues.

So, if SJP, Heidi and Jen are consistently sellers — and have been for some time — isn’t there a newcomer we can add to the list?

Mila Kunis was the new runaway success of 2011. Kunis’ August GQ cover delivered 205,000 sales, by far its biggest hit of the year, through November. She took to W in March and delivered sales 15 percent above average for the fashion monthly. She was the February cover star of Cosmopolitan and brought in 1.7 million sales, which is nearly 10 percent better than the monthly’s average for the first half. And then she graced the cover of Elle in August in a portrait with Justin Timberlake, which brought in 250,000 sales, fourth best of the year for Elle.

Mila Kunis 2011 Covers:



And, apparently, Timberlake needed the Kunis boost. Timberlake’s W cover with Amanda Seyfried, for instance, bombed, selling a mere 15,000 copies, the title’s second worst performer of the year. And then Timberlake’s solo cover for Esquire in October brought in a teeny 73,000 sales, its worst performer of the year.

Justin Timberlake 2011 Covers:


But Timberlake should take comfort in the fact that he isn’t the only heartthrob who can’t sell: Justin Bieber bombed, too. Bieber took Vanity Fair’s cover in February and tanked — it sold 245,800 copies, the third worst seller since Graydon Carter took over the magazine in 1992. Bieber then appeared on the cover of a Rolling Stone issue in March, and sold 5 percent worse than average for the biweekly. But we’ve known this for some time. He appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue and sat down with People last year and sold 10 percent and 25 percent worse, respectively, than average for both titles.

Justin Bieber 2011 Covers:



Other bad years: Mrs. Andy Roddick, Brooklyn Decker, posted 81,000 sales for Esquire in February, its second worst performance of the year. Apparently she doesn’t work for women’s books either, as she brought in a mere 182,000 sales for Self, which is 25 percent below the monthly’s average in the first half. Moral of this story, Brooklyn: Stick with Sports Illustrated.

Brooklyn Decker (Mrs. Andy Roddick) 2011 Covers:


Fergie struggled at the newsstand as well, with the worst seller of the year for Allure in July and the fourth worst cover for Lucky in June.

Fergie 2011 Covers:


Also, Michelle Williams sold poorly at Marie Claire (third worst performer with 202,000 sales) and for Vogue (second worst performer with 296,000 sales).

Michelle Williams 2011 Covers:


Likewise, Reese Witherspoon struck out with Vogue (303,000 sales), Marie Claire (242,000 sales) and Glamour (440,000 sales), which represented a below-average performance for each of the monthlies.

Reese Witherspoon 2011 Covers:



It’s impossible to talk newsstand in 2011 without mentioning the person who landed on more covers than anyone: Kim Kardashian. She was Glamour’s bestseller of the year with her February cover and Cosmopolitans’s bestseller as well, when she helped bring in 1.8 million sales in August. But her results elsewhere were mixed. Her Harper’s Bazaar cover in March, her April Self cover and her November Lucky cover were all mild hits — they sold a few percentage points above average. Her December Marie Claire cover isn’t expected to be a barn burner, and a source said that her January 2012 Glamour cover with sisters Khloé and Kourtney is on track to fall below 400,000 sales — a really poor performance. Perhaps the Kardashian Krash is beginning?

Kim Kardashian 2011 Covers:




In the battle of New York athletes: Mark Sanchez’s September GQ brought in 175,000 sales over Derek Jeter’s April issue, which had 142,000 (J-E-T-S! Jets Jets Jets!).

GQ 2011 Covers:


And then there were the performers who had an up-and-down year: Gwyneth Paltrow was Elle’s best and Self’s second best, but her Bon Appétit cover in June and her January InStyle cover both sold below average for the monthlies.

Gwyneth Paltrow 2011 Covers:



Emma Stone’s July Elle cover was the monthly’s worst performer and her Vanity Fair cover was its third worst, but she scored with Teen Vogue (second best) Glamour and W.

Emma Stone 2011 Covers:




Olivia Wilde scored big with Women’s Health (its best), Allure (its second best) and Cosmo (third best), but not Marie Claire (below average) and Glamour (its third worst).

Olivia Wilde 2011 Covers:





And finally: What about Lady Gaga? Last year, Gaga was the absolute star of the newsstand. This year? She finally showed some chink in her armor. And why? She wasn’t in costume. Her October Harper’s Bazaar, which featured a Gaga close-up without any makeup, sold only 119,000 copies, its third worst seller of the year.

But when Gaga got all dolled up, she worked: Her March Vogue cover was its second best seller of the year and her May Harper’s Bazaar cover did far better than its autumn counterpart: It sold 159,000 copies, its third best of the year.

Lady Gaga 2011 Covers:



Last year, Jessica Simpson went without makeup for Marie Claire and it was one of its biggest bombs of the year.

Jessica Simpson's Make-up Free Cover:


So, Graydon, take comfort in your January 2012 cover with Gaga. She’s dressed up just fine. (I took the liberty of including the January VF cover with Lady Gaga shot by Annie Leibovitz below for your enjoyment)


How The World Searched Google in 2011




Each year's end, Google tallies up the most popular search terms in various categories and breaks them down by country.

Since my readership is global (only one third of my readers are actually in the United States), I'm sharing with you the top ten searches in Fastest Rising, Fastest Falling, Entertainment, Sports, Consumer Electronics, Food and Drink, Google Map searches, People and News from all over the globe.

See how your interests stack up against those of the rest of the world. Beware, Rebecca Black is number one in three categories!


Fastest Rising Search Terms:

1. rebecca black
2. google plus
3. ryan dunn
4. casey anthony
5. battlefield 3
6. iphone 5
7. adele
8. 東京 電力
9. steve jobs
10. ipad 2

Fastest Falling Search Terms:

1. myspace
2. hi5
3. mebo
4. nasza klasa
5. netlog
6. baidu
7. wer kennt wen
8. meinvz
9. hotmail correo
10. delta airlines

Fastest Rising in Entertainment:

1. rebecca black
2. ryan dunn dead
3. price tag lyrics
4. amy winehouse death
5. super bass lyrics
6. crazy stupid love
7. disney junior
8. kim kardashian wedding
9. the lazy song
10. rihanna man down

Fastest Rising in Sports:

1. mayweather vs ortiz
2. soccerstar
3. dan wheldon
4. ufc rio
5. marco simoncelli
6. troy davis
7. india vs england
8. なでしこ ジャパン
9. hope solo
10. pacquiao vs mosley

Fastest Rising in Consumer Electronics:

1. amazon kindle fire
2. iphone 4s
3. sidekick 4g
4. hp touchpad
5. spb shell 3d
6. ipad 2
7. htc sensation
8. samsung nexus prime
9. sony ngp
10. ipad 3

Fastest Rising in Food and Drink:

1. wendys
2. just eat
3. little caesars
4. chick fil a
5. allrecipes
6. 食べ ログ
7. jimmy johns
8. buffalo wild wings
9. popeyes
10. cupcakes

Fastest Rising in Google Maps:

1. utm (Universal Transverse Mercator)
2. siegessule berlin
3. dpt conforama
4. wells fargo
5. friseur
6. elementary schools
7. campgrounds
8. shopping centre
9. starbucks
10. lake


Fastest Rising in People:

1. rebecca black
2. ryan dunn
3. pippa middleton
4. casey anthony
5. adele
6. steve jobs
7. amy winehouse
8. osama bin laden
9. charlie sheen
10. kate middleton

Fastest Rising in Google News:


1. fukushima
2. iphone 4s
3. melania rea
4. salvatore parolisi
5. lamberto sposini
6. battlefield 3
7. dsk
8. iphone 5
9. gaddafi
10. libya

And a look back at 2011:

source

A Visual History Of Christmas Trees and What You Might Consider Buying Now For Next Year.



above photo courtesy of Jek a go go

Now that Christmas has passed and most of you are cleaning pine needles up off the floor and wondering how long your tree will last before drying out and having to be lugged to the garbage, you might want to consider a different sort of tree next year (now is the time, many of them are presently on sale).

First, a visual history of Christmas trees, followed by modern eco-friendly alternatives for 2012.

History of the Christmas Trees

One thing this infographic fails to reflect is the growing popularity of modern alternatives to Christmas trees that hit the market beginning in 2008-2009 and have steadily grown since. These include flat-packed, lasercut, wood, lucite, aluminum and metal versions. Below are some examples.

The Tannenboing Aluminum Suspended Tree:

Modern Lucite Acrylic Christmas Tree by Aaron R Thomas:

PossibiliTrees:

Silver Cocoon Modern Tannenbaum Tree:

The Filigree Tree:

Matteria Lasercut Tree:

Modernica Superstar Holiday Tree:

And a selection of wood trees from Buro North:

More wood alternatives



These aluminum, wood and lucite trees pack up easily and can be stored for future use - saving you trouble, preventing messy christmas tree lots (like the one shown above courtesy of Pardon Me For Asking) and saving some trees. Think about it.

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