Hal Morris, writing on the Grumpy Editor blog, wonders whether a recent subscription offer for Business 2.0, which was shuttered earlier this week, was actually designed to pump up circulation for sister publication Fortune.
Morris wrote, “Grumpy Editor notes a big two-for-one mailout a month ago sought to drum up renewals to Business 2.0, which described itself as ‘the playbook for a new generation of leaders.’Â A ‘one-time-only opportunity’ pitch dangled two years (22 issues) for a low $9.99.
“Perhaps the pitch was designed as a ‘backdoor’ circulation boost for Fortune magazine which is most likely to inherit the 600,000 Business 2.0 subscribers. Fortune is in the same Time family.
“Business 2.0 has been the subject of rumors for several months. Purchased six years ago for about $68 million, the magazine’s downfall was attributed to a decline in advertising revenue.”
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