This year’s winner is the October 3rd, 2011 issue of New York magazine.

The announcement of the winning cover was made by Lucy Danziger, ASME President, and Editor-in-Chief of SELF, at the ASME Annual Meeting in New York City. 

“The editors deliberately chose a model representing the story at its most extreme and photographed her in the pose made iconic by Demi Moore on the cover of Vanity Fair. Her belly was plumped with a prosthetic pillow, then carefully retouched to look real. The over-the-top poster-like cover was meant to stop consumers in their tracks-and it did.”

Did it, really? 

According to ABC stats, the winning cover sold 13,950 copies.  The average for the July-December 2011 statement was 14,204 copies.  So the winning cover sold below average.  Of the forty-two (42) issues published in 2011, fifteen (15), or 36% of all issues published by New York sold more copies.

Perhaps the cover stopped consumers in their tracks, oh the horror!, but really, if recycling an old idea from Vanity Fair 1991 is held up as somehow original, or artistically brilliant, or praiseworthy, then so be it. http://www.coverssell.com/?p=5337.  The idea has been riffed on so many times it really has become cliche, which is sad.  The original was such a classic.  See Hall of Fame http://www.coverssell.com/?p=1364

Just look at some of New York’s 2011 covers that not only stopped consumers in their tracks, but got them to reach into their pockets and purses and vote with their wallets.  These covers are just a few examples of what the City and Regonal genre does best.  The genre was invented by New York’s legendary editor Clay Felker. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay_Felker

According to ABC reports…

• September 5th, 2011 (9-11)…100% better than ASME winner
• December 19th (Love)…92% better than winner
• June 13th (Baby)…89% better than winner
• June 27th (Summer)…87% better than winner
• Mar 14th (Best Of)…64% better than winner
• January 3rd (Eat)…62% better than winner

These covers work hard at the primary mandates: 1) Reflecting positively on the brand, 2) getting subscription copies opened by eager readers, 3) selling copies at newsstand. After all, the readers are what matter the most. 

Advertisers also matter to magazines, and the eyeballs of readers had better be demographically relevant, and of sufficient reach, when ABC or PMB-like readership results are under review. These covers delivered on all counts!

Just ask yourself:   How likely is it that New York’s cracker jack ad reps enclose the winning cover in their media kits, or take this cover out when calling on prospective advertisers, or when they visit Madison Avenue ad agencies?  Not likely?  If not, why not?

I will critique the other ASME 2011 winners in my annual Reality Check.  If you wish to look at last year’s reality check, start here: http://www.coverssell.com/?p=1851

You’ll find the rest under the New & Networthy Icon.