Excellence magazine is 58% ads

[LakeCleElum]

Besides this forum, I rely on Excellence Magazine for my other 911 Technical Info.

It's always seemed like more ads than meat and potatoes. So, I sat down with my Nov. 2011 issue and counted. 67 pages of material out of a total 160 pages. 41.8% information I use.

Does this seem in line with other Magazines you subscribe to? I recently renewed for 3 yrs. Although one would think that with all this AD revenue, it might be one of the more reasonably priced? Seemed like of the 12 of 15 magazines I subscribe to, this one is more than most...Just an observation, like I said, I did just renew for 3 yrs.

[redstrosekNic]

There are many ads, but I actually enjoy looking through them. I never knew about Pelican Parts until I looked through my 1st issue of Excellence.

[Jrboulder]

One of the latest issues was really weak.

Besides for all the ads they had a really interesting article about a junky targa and then they had an article about how they failed to check out their 3.6 they put in the teener so it had to come out for a valve job.

I thought this was Excellence, not Pano.

[Joe Bob]

Do they still take ads from motor scheister?

Edit: just checked. No MM ads, but I see Sierra Madre and Patrick....

[john walker's workshop]

haven't bought one in years. same-o, same-o and a couple of articles different from the last one.

[drl911]

So then.... what's the 911 magazine of choice (must include air cooled content, of course)?

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

haven't bought one in years. same-o, same-o and a couple of articles different from the last one.

same here

[DanielDudley]

I expect that for every issue I am not personally thrilled with, there is some guy out there just feeling like he won the lottery. They still do articles on cars I am interested in, try to follow the new trends in old cars, and keep me updated on all the latest and greatest from Stuttgart.

Oh, and I have actually utilized the services of some of the vendors who advertise there.

[Reifle]

I enjoy Excellence! The articles are good and sometimes they throw a nice curve with something new and very different. A couple of the vendors I have contacted appreciated I let them know I found them in the magazine. I have learned a lot from the magazine as well from this forum - which is great for me as I am able to do a lot of work on the Porsche by myself.

[TOO RUF]

I appreciate Excellence mag. They seem to have more substance than other magazines i take. One magazine I take powerboat, where it is as thin as can be. All those articles are fluff. I also get many trade publications for audio video, mostly ads. But I do like all years. I've had from 65-06. I have currently a 65 356sc my first car a 68 911 L and a 2006 cayman s.

[chocolatelab]

i think E is great. I'm in the middle of hunting for a 996 and all the tech stuff and advertisements adds fuel to the fire. But then I see a great article about 69 911 and i think hmmm, maybe thats what I should be looking for.

It might actually be good as it keeps me guessing and my $ in my pocket

[darkbeer]

Excellence Magazine is not a charity, or a blurry eyed devotee's publication. It is a money making enterprise that creates a product that you may take, or leave. It does a GREAT job of promoting this weird little German car, with interesting stories and pictures. It is a platform for many small businesses that survive by serving the needs of the folks that love these very same weird little German cars.

Is there a problem ???????? Really ???????

[MichaelN]

Oh c'mon...you're upset with the number of ads? That's it? Please, the number of ads are a sign of success and health in a magazine dedicated to Porsches...and it's cheap! There is a finite, relatively small number of people who will buy and support this one-marque enthusiast magazine - the ads literally make it possible. Rather read Motor Trend? I've long ago stopped buying Road & Track, Car and Driver and every other American mag for the simple reason that their road tests and everything else read like car company advertisements and say next to nothing about the way cars drive. Excellence has a long history of bringing us writers who really care about Porsches and are skilled enough to share their observations with clarity and insight. And they know what they're talking about. You didn't enjoy the road test with Patrick Long? Chris Harris is just the latest addition, and he's probably the best automotive journalist currently writing (you can catch him in EVO too), and I'm sure he did not come cheap!. You don't learn anything from Bruce Anderson?? C'mon again! I'd sure like to know what you think is so much better.

Don't like the ads? Turn the page.

Excuse my frustration. I don't mean to be rude, but one after another over the last 20 years I've seen some of my favorite magazines either fall by the wayside or slip into amateur status. It's not cheap being "excellent".

[JJ 911SC]

and 58% is rather low compare to other magazines where Pharma ad have 3 or 4 page of disclaimers...

[wayner]

Has it always been this way (in recent history) or is the balance shifting?

I seem to be getting to the end more quickly than I did in previous issues.

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

Do they still take ads from motor scheister?

Edit: just checked. No MM ads, but I see Sierra Madre and Patrick....

hmmm i note a tad bit of aggressive vibes here.............? LMFAO!


please watch youtube........."i am a big douche bag in the scottsdale bars" sit back, place seat belt across waist, and enjoy the show.

[Cornpanzer]

The only way to add more editorial pages is to have more advertising pages. They are connected. If they had fewer ads, they would be forced to have fewer pages devoted to the things you enjoy.

Print media is a struggling industry. The reason that magazines are getting thinner is because fewer people are advertising. Excellence is one of the few that I have see that is bucking that trend. It makes me happy to see that they have tons of ads, because that tells me that they will likely be a survivor.

Having some inside knowledge of the editorial philosophies, I also find it impressive that they refuse to pander to advertisers to find that success. You wont find any product tests or tech installations that are thinly veiled product advertisements. Contributors are not allowed to accept free parts or merchandise for stories (which is how it is done with most car mags).

[wdfifteen]

I don't see it as a problem, but then I'm in the magazine biz.
Anyone is sales can tell you, you work and work to create a relationship with a client with no results, then wham, they come through. And you can't always predict when they will come through. If people want to advertise you sure don't want to turn them down. It's like slamming the door on a customer's face.
A lot of vendors is a sign the subject is healthy. When ads start dropping it will mean vendors aren't interested in your cars, parts and services will be harder to come by and more expensive.
Editorial content is a legitimate complaint. With a name like Excellence, every issue better be fantastic! But as someone else pointed out, good content is in the eye of the beholder.

[Rot 911]

That ratio is about the same for most magazines I subscribe to. Only magazine I get with NO ads is Motorcycle Consumer News, but you pay a lot more for that magazine.

[URY914]

It's still better than Pano. It least it is full size, not the silly Pano size.