Magazine gets mixed reviews

Its Web site says it “brings its readers the hottest topics you look for in a subscription-based magazine and combines it with your local interests.”

Its publishers claim to produce 26 versions of the magazine for cities such as Dayton, Ohio, and Rockford, Ill., but only three are listed online.

Sounds good. Some local companies, however, aren’t thrilled with the results they got from purchasing advertisements.

They say employees of SunInk Media, the magazine’s Springfield-based publishing group, claimed that the magazine would be advertised through city bus advertisements, billboards, television ads and radio spots.

But none of that has happened yet, and copies of the magazine were distributed more than two months ago. The Web site states that at least every other month “a new campaign will kick off, raising awareness for both the magazine and this year’s participating sponsors.”

Carol Cruise, head of transit operations for City Utilities, said she has no record of Metropolitan purchasing advertising space on city buses.

SunInk Media co-owner Michael Nelson did not return repeated calls requesting an interview for this story.

But SBJ isn’t the only business having trouble getting in touch with the publishers.

Chiropractor Dr. Brad H’Doubler bought an ad and was featured in an article about the benefits of chiropractic services. After coming away with mixed feelings about the product, H’Doubler’s office manager, Alyessa Gleason, tried to call magazine representatives. Repeated calls to SunInk’s office have not been returned, she said.

Andy Cobb, owner of Traders Printing, also bought advertising in the Springfield edition. He, too, said communication after payment for the ad space has been tough to come by.

The bigger problem for Cobb, though, is the empty promise of extra exposure.

“You get your ad in the magazine, and then you get all this additional stuff added on, like the back of a (city bus), a couple of billboards, radio and TV ads,” Cobb said.

“I would have liked a call back to let me know when the advertisement on the billboard or the transit was going to come out, or the radio and TV. I haven’t heard anything yet.”

The only ad he’s seen is the one that was placed in the print piece. While Cobb said there was some confusion with that ad – it wasn’t the one he had selected, because of a misunderstanding with the ad designer that he worked with – it sounded like a good deal.

“For the money, it wasn’t that bad to advertise, though I wasn’t happy with the result,” he said.

Neither is Dayton, Ohio, interior designer Paul Stepp, co-owner of In Stepp Design. Stepp said he asked to have his ad pulled before the Dayton version went to print, but Metropolitan Magazine still printed an ad, billing him for the cost.

“They had promised all of this wonderful stuff, and nothing was delivered but some really lame excuse for a magazine,” he said.

The magazine’s Web site says that ad prices start at $350. Both Traders and H’Doubler’s representatives declined to disclose how much they spent for advertising.

Gleason said she initially was pleased with the product that was delivered.

“I like the look of the magazine. I have it here in the office, and a lot of patients will say, ‘What is this? I’ve never heard of this,’” she said. “Since it does come out once a year, I thought that was an interesting aspect of it – it was something new to people.”

She was disappointed, however, by the fact that the magazines were delivered later than promised and that a promotional campaign offering copies of the magazine with Domino’s Pizza deliveries doesn’t yet seem to have materialized.

Domino’s franchisee Marty Prather could not be reached for comment.

In the end, the confusion may lead to a loss in advertising for the magazine. Both Cobb and Gleason said the company has offered them discounts on ads in next year’s publication to make up for the mistakes; both say they will likely not advertise in the next issue.