Skateboard publication Concrete Wave has launched an iPhone application that features all of the advertisers and ads from its actual print magazine free of charge.

Concrete Wave claims to be the first skateboarding magazine to launch an iPhone application. The application features digitized versions of all of the print ads.

?I wanted to engage my readership in a unique way,? said Michael Brooke, publisher of Concrete Wave, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada. ?I know that our publication is niche and that there will always be folks who want a printed version.

?This is a bridge strategy until the iTablet launches ? assuming it does launch,? he said. ?I felt that by charging $0.99 for the app, I have at least set a precedent.

?The one thing that magazine publishers must learn from is the mistake that the music labels made: Apple has a great business model in that folks pay for content.?

Concrete Wave is a magazine dedicated to all things skateboarding.

Taking a different mobile approach
Mr. Brooke said that one of the things magazine publishers always say is that they do not want to trade dollars for dimes.

Because of the nature of small, niche publications, Mr. Brooke said that many are a slave to their printed edition and cannot develop a large Web presence.

?Rather than devalue my overall cost per thousand, I have taken a radically different approach,? Mr. Brooke said. ?All of the current issue advertisers get their ads shown on the app for free.

?Yep, this is a huge value-add, but to me, it makes the most sense,? he said. ?With a niche magazine, the ads are very much like editorial. They are welcomed and discussed on forums.

?Of course, this completely challenges the status quo.?

Concrete Wave?s application does not feature banner ads. It runs the graphical ads as consumers see them in the magazine.

Mr. Brooke said that revenue will be generated after the application builds up its user base, then the magazine will start charging the online stores, who are also advertisers, a fee to send out messages to the consumers.

The magazine is in the test phase of that plan right now and Mr. Brooke said that he knows shops will pay a premium for this very targeted approach.

Mr. Brooke said that eight online retailers are rebating the cost of the application download when consumers purchase items at their stores.

Some shops are offering special discounts only available to those who have downloaded the application.

Concrete Wave said that 75 percent of its audience is over the age of 18, whereas other skateboarding magazines? readership is 85 percent under 18.

Mr. Brooke said that the application was designed to enhance the print magazine, not compete with it.

Besides the advertisements, the application features photo galleries, news and Twitter updates.

Mr. Brooke said that the application is a bridge strategy and he is banking on it to work.
 
 ?The truth is that mobile is emerging as another key marketing tool,? Mr. Brooke said. ?I can understand this since magazines, like mobile technologies, are truly portable.

?For me, it?s about offering a number of different media and access points,? he said. ?I still believe that the printed page, beautifully printed and bound, is a sight to behold. I?ve seen firsthand the impact that print has had on skateboarders.

?And these are young kids, under 18. As long as there are walls in bedrooms, people will still want to cut out photos. You can?t do that with a mobile application. At the same time, magazine publishers must move forward to open up new ground. Otherwise, it?s too many eggs in one basket.?