YOUR HELP REQUIRED - VW magazine focus group

james peene · May 4, 2012

A friend and I were invited to a Volksworld focus group at the Volksworld show 3 years ago. There was a group of 6 of us in total and we were shown magazine mock ups, so of before and after page designs and asked our opinions etc... The publisher of Volksworld was there and a few other Volksworld staff. The whole thing was videoed and photographed and we all got a goody bag with some Volksworld knick knacks and £20 for our trouble. Certainly noticed a change in the format of Volksworld in the following few months so I assume they are looking to run e same thing again for Camper & Bus??

Exactly - this is what we ran at Vanfest and a few other shows last year.

Cheers
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james peene · May 4, 2012

42 replys and nothing from the editor?

I have a life that sometimes gets in the way of work and hobbies.

I should have redressed the balance now though...
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james peene · May 4, 2012

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated! A team of one, well that does explain things differently, fair enough, I understand the pressure you are under. We've all been there

I'll look forward to the next issue ;D

A lot have said, reading your comments your focus groups need to be countrywide, where possible!

Thanks for the reply - apologies once again for the communications black out.
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b0dyr0ck2006 · May 4, 2012

I and I'm sure others are very grateful for your responses

hailfrank · May 4, 2012

Id like to see loads more pics in events, you've done it before. I love the way hayburnerhad a couple of pages of loads of different buses etc but maybe you could include lots of the people. That's what I likes about the old scootering mags, about the people as well as the rides.
Another thing idlike is a feature of an event within a month or 2 not 6 months later. I like c&b but I see it as a relaxing read when on throne rather than a sit down and read for hours type of mag, that isn't a bad thing though

It also seems a little mixed at moment between fun and serious like you trying to find its identity again.

Keep plodding through you'll never please everyone.

baygeekster · May 4, 2012

Can you bring the centrefold posters back please? My office walls are covered with old posters from C&B (as well as old VW magazine adverts and posters from Camper & Commercial). Anyway, I need some new ones. Please?

(What can I say? I'm lucky - I think my bosses have just written me off as weird and let me get on with it!)

trebormint · May 4, 2012

Phew! I'm glad not to be in your shoes right now James. What a battering! And I thought everyone loved the mag!

I do hope this hasn’t been too much of a distraction but still leaves you enough time to get next months issue ship-shape.......or should that be bus-shape?

Oh btw, for what it's worth........I'm not keen on the new font.

nedfaux · May 4, 2012

I just read this and am truly faltered by some of the comments. Thank you and Im so glad you like the mag It really means allot to every one involved.

I know one of the Camper & Bus writers, He told me before long before Hayburner was being put together that they were looking to revamp the mag and try some different ideas, So Im sure this focus group would have been held if we had come on the scene or not.

We have allot of respect for what Volksworld and Camper & Bus do, even more so now I know how hard running a magazine is. I couldn't begin to imagine the work it takes to produce C&B every month.

We never set up to be any sort of competition towards the other VW publications thats why we made it a free mag, we just wanted to give you guys something to flick through when your chilling out at a show.

Could I please ask if we could keep Hayburner out of this discussion as Im worried it will create bad blood and we so much up against us as it is.

Again thank you all your support we will try our best to keep our standards up

Ned.

I have to say I take my hat off to Ned for producing Hayburner.

Anyone who tries to do something different / launches a new magazine in this economic climate deserves respect.

I certainly wouldn't worry about any bad blood Ned - the next time I see you at a show I'll come over and say hello and have a chat about the new mag.

And, think about it.

What do you think I read for fun these days? Not C&B because that's my work and I've already read it weeks ago on screen before it's gone to print. As a VW enthusiast I read the other VW mags that I haven't fretted over so I can enjoy on the same level as anyone else.

The launch of another VW magazine has to be a good thing for the scene because a little healthy competition makes everyone raise their game a little...

Thank you James.

Look forward to meeting you.

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matty · May 5, 2012

Sorry did we not do this a while ago.

Most people said they wanted
Real peoples vans and the story's that went with them worts and all.
Readers DIY restorations.
Pictures that showed the buses and not a scrap yard with a van in the corner.
Peoples camping story's.

Not i decided out of the blue i wanted a van so went out and spent loads of money on a show van and by the way its for sale.

I think your reply was something along the line of over your dead body

We have plenty of real peoples vans - in fact, there's more reader generated content than anything else in the mag - back to mine, show us yours, view point, back to mine, weekend away, road trips, show reports.

People always say they want to see 'real' vans but everyone would moan if there was nothing inspirational too. We try to strike the right balance and most of the Buses that are featured are used by their owners for their intended purpose. That's how come most of them are found at VW shows or in the camping areas.

Reader's DIY restorations? We focused grouped this and everyone said the same thing - they don't want to see something half finished. They want to see how it turns out and if that's the case it should be a feature.

We've thought long and hard about following a resto but it has to be something that's finished because if the owner runs out of enthusiasm or money and the project stops you end up with people asking where the next instalment is - like with our Camper for £3k

Pictures that showed the buses and not a scrap yard with a van in the corner - C&B has the best feature photography of any VW magazine in the UK - if you don't like the style of a shoot - which we always try to tie in with the owner's wishes and interest then I'm sorry. We try to have a bit of wow factor to separate the feature cars for the ones shot in a field or car park and that's not about to change. You could call it art for arts sake and what's wrong with that?

Peoples camping story's - that's what weekends away and road trips are.

Not i decided out of the blue i wanted a van so went out and spent loads of money on a show van and by the way its for sale

2 points - what's wrong with someone deciding to take the plunge and buy a Bus? If it wasn't for all the new people coming in to the scene companies wouldn't be investing in new products that you can buy too. And we don't allow people to use a feature as a free ad any more - haven't for a long time. If there Bus is for sale we offer them an ad in the classifieds section.

Yes you have the titles but its the balance that's out

Back to mine & weekend away
a 3/4 page piece with 1 or 2 tiny pictures and most of the weekend away is hire vans.
Yet a 2 page picture of a scrap yard with a van in a 1/4 of it

New people is great, i am still learning and have not been a vw for that long but i dont see what is inspirational about someone who just opens their cheque and buys a top van.
Dont get me wrong i like to see these vans but its got to be a balance.

As for restos other mags that do these don't print until its finished that way you can get the important bits covered and you know it gets finished.

For true inspirational storys have a read

http://thelatebay.com/index.php?topic=311.0
http://thelatebay.com/index.php?topic=369.0
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Poptop2 · May 5, 2012

Sorry did we not do this a while ago.

Most people said they wanted
Real peoples vans and the story's that went with them worts and all.
Readers DIY restorations.
Pictures that showed the buses and not a scrap yard with a van in the corner.
Peoples camping story's.

Not i decided out of the blue i wanted a van so went out and spent loads of money on a show van and by the way its for sale.

I think your reply was something along the line of over your dead body

We have plenty of real peoples vans - in fact, there's more reader generated content than anything else in the mag - back to mine, show us yours, view point, back to mine, weekend away, road trips, show reports.

People always say they want to see 'real' vans but everyone would moan if there was nothing inspirational too. We try to strike the right balance and most of the Buses that are featured are used by their owners for their intended purpose. That's how come most of them are found at VW shows or in the camping areas.

Reader's DIY restorations? We focused grouped this and everyone said the same thing - they don't want to see something half finished. They want to see how it turns out and if that's the case it should be a feature.

We've thought long and hard about following a resto but it has to be something that's finished because if the owner runs out of enthusiasm or money and the project stops you end up with people asking where the next instalment is - like with our Camper for £3k

Pictures that showed the buses and not a scrap yard with a van in the corner - C&B has the best feature photography of any VW magazine in the UK - if you don't like the style of a shoot - which we always try to tie in with the owner's wishes and interest then I'm sorry. We try to have a bit of wow factor to separate the feature cars for the ones shot in a field or car park and that's not about to change. You could call it art for arts sake and what's wrong with that?

Peoples camping story's - that's what weekends away and road trips are.

Not i decided out of the blue i wanted a van so went out and spent loads of money on a show van and by the way its for sale

2 points - what's wrong with someone deciding to take the plunge and buy a Bus? If it wasn't for all the new people coming in to the scene companies wouldn't be investing in new products that you can buy too. And we don't allow people to use a feature as a free ad any more - haven't for a long time. If there Bus is for sale we offer them an ad in the classifieds section.

Yes you have the titles but its the balance that's out

Back to mine & weekend away
a 3/4 page piece with 1 or 2 tiny pictures and most of the weekend away is hire vans.
Yet a 2 page picture of a scrap yard with a van in a 1/4 of it

New people is great, i am still learning and have not been a vw for that long but i dont see what is inspirational about someone who just opens their cheque and buys a top van.
Dont get me wrong i like to see these vans but its got to be a balance.

As for restos other mags that do these don't print until its finished that way you can get the important bits covered and you know it gets finished.

For true inspirational stores have a read

http://thelatebay.com/index.php?topic=311.0
http://thelatebay.com/index.php?topic=369.0

Cheers Matty , that second links a bit of a old knacker though mate

Just joking Dale ,the green goddess is looking great mate

Now pull your finger out or we will never get to have that drink
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YOUR HELP REQUIRED - VW magazine focus group

james peene

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YOUR HELP REQUIRED - VW magazine focus group

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