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Only a very few magazines have a substantial lifetime. When you look at the numbers, almost 4 new magazines are launched each week. So asking if they have a future is a bit silly. They never have had a future.

Er, really. Relevant to both. You don't seem to have had experience in the industry (no problem, I probably don't have experience in various things you do) but call up an editor of any major magazine and ask them if they son't set out to create content relevant to the advertiser.

I don't know what magazine you edit, but if you really set out to create content designed to please your advertisers, please tell me the name of your publication so I won't make the mistake of reading it. We don't do that at InfoWorld and I wouldn't want to work at any magazine that did. You may also want to bone up on editorial guidelines for ethical standards and practices, such as those published by the American Society of Business Publications Editors or the American Society of Magazine Editors.

It's human nature to respond to a pretty face, whether it belongs to the same or opposite sex. Marketers know that, which is why the only people you see on TV or in magazines are as attractive as possible. Video games are no exception.

Those fashion magazines you dismiss are in fact quite popular, even with women who don't look like the ones on the cover. Cosmo had over 2 million single-issue sales in the US in 2004, the most of any magazine. Check out their current cover and tell me if that looks like many women you know.

Hmm. I don't recall the last Sony campaign to get a Grand Kelly, kick ass at the Clio's, and win big at Cannes all in one year, but maybe I just missed it.

Part of the success of the iPod is the marketing, and it's not about brute force dollar spending. This is an amazingly well crafted brand. Unlike what I would call Sony's portables...is there even a brand there? Oh yeah...some alien who pulls mad tail. Neat.

Contrast that to members of the American Society of Magazine Editors who must follow strict guidlines about the inclusion and identification of advertising content (in both paper and online publications). Their ethical standards (Here) include:

Neither links nor other references to special advertising sections, or "advertorials," shall appear in the table of contents, directory of contents, or in any listing of editorial content of an online publication.

and

The layout, design and type face of advertising pages should be distinctly different from the publication's normal layout, design and type faces.

Does anyone know if Yahoo or any other portals have been pressured to accept such codes of ethics?

Contrast that to members of the American Society of Magazine Editors who must follow strict guidlines about the inclusion and identification of advertising content (in both paper and online publications). Their ethical standards (Here) include:

Neither links nor other references to special advertising sections, or "advertorials," shall appear in the table of contents, directory of contents, or in any listing of editorial content of an online publication.

and

The layout, design and type face of advertising pages should be distinctly different from the publication's normal layout, design and type faces.

Does anyone know if Yahoo or any other portals have been pressured to accept such codes of ethics?