In a year where we've seen only a handful of magazine launches targeting Gen Y, here is one that could you take your breath away or at the very least, make you queasy. On May 30, "Shock," published by Hachette Filipacchi, will hit newsstands. The content will range from shockingly bizarre to erotic, however, only the corresponding Shock web site will contain nude pictures. This is a pretty big shift in thought for the same company who just shut down ELLEgirl magazine a couple of weeks ago. As I read about the upcoming launch, what I found most shocking, pun definitely intended, was that Hachette doesn't expect to generate a lot of ad dollars due to the extreme edgy content, so basically, they are relying on newsstand and subscription revenues to drive the business. Unless you are a People magazine or Better Homes and Gardens, I don't think subscription revenues are driving the bus these days. Of course, I could be wrong and this magazine will turn into the Myspace of the print world, but if it was me, I would have put a portion of the money earmarked for Shock and given it to ELLEgirl so they could keep building their business and made Shock a Web only exclusive like Office Pirates from Time, Inc.
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