The Trade Mag Drag
Once upon a time, before hanging up my soft-soled journalistic shoes for tighter fitting consultancy brogues, I was a features editor. And this week I’ve found myself trawling through some of the more – how shall I put it? – technical trade publications to see what they have planned in the features department for the year ahead.
And there are some real gems.
Regular subscribers to The Grocer can put to rest the myth that April is the cruellest month with a delightful feature on ‘Yoghurt and Pot Desserts’. Or, for those who are convinced that heightening tensions in the Middle East are bound to lead to nuclear fallout, may I recommend the September 27 edition which will tell you all you need to know about tinned goods.
I have to admit to being intrigued by the Insurance Age feature on ‘Staged Accidents’ planned for February. I’m imagining a forensic dissection of Double Indemnity, but fear I might be disappointed if I actually read the piece. Surely there could be nothing dull about ‘Dynamic Packaging’, though, which will be gracing the pages of Travel Weekly in March. Particularly as there’s another feature on the same subject in May. And July. And September. And November.
For those wanting some good beach reading in July, there’s Utility Week’s must read feature on ‘Sewer Ratting’ to keep you entertained as you while away those romantic summer afternoons.
To be fair, though, I’m probably just bitter. Back when I was a features editor, I was lucky to know what was going to be in next week’s edition, let alone next year’s. Besides, as a humble layperson I am perhaps blind to the practical need for these specialist trade magazines. Or, put another way, I’m not the target reader, so what the hell do I know?
Still, it would be mean spirited in the festive season not to share the clear winner which comes from Business Traveller’s February edition. Business Traveller is not, to my knowledge, usually considered a top-shelf publication, but perhaps I’ve been misinformed. How else to explain their spouse-scaring headline of ‘Taking your secretary away’? If anyone out there has come across any other such delights, please do let me know. After all, who needs satire when you have trade mags?