Unbeknownst to me at the time I finished compiling Vol. 2 was that Vol. 3 of worthy Fast Company reads would begin with Issue #73. That’s an important matter because Issue #73 marked a pivotal point in FC’s history. It signaled the end of editorial parentage from Fast Company co-founders Alan Webber and Bill Taylor and the beginning of the John Byrne editorial era.
Looking back now, Byrne’s first “Letter From the Editor” reads like a love letter to the ideals from which FC was founded upon. You can clearly feel Byrne’s unbridled passion for the magazine when he writes …
”In every company, large or small, fast or slow, there are people who buy into our vision of this new world. They are the visionaries, advocates, champions, builders, and trailblazers. They are, in short, the people who do the real work of organizations, the people who lead and inspire all of us with their ideas and their actions. They are also the readers who made Fast Company the fastest-growing business magazine ever…”
Now … no knock against Byrne, but this third volume of worthy FC read is far skimpier than the previous two volumes. Maybe I changed more than the magazine changed. Hmm … Either way, there are still some worthy reads. Enjoy y’all … enjoy.
(Psst … if you need a refresher course, read Volumes One and Two.)
The Promise of Reinvention
ISSUE # 73 | AUGUST 2003 | pg. 16
Go ahead and click above to read more on Byrne’s love letter to the Fast Company ideals.
As I was choosing way-worthy articles from past Fast Company issues for Volume 2 of my FAST COMPANY’s COLLECTVE GENIUS series (Vol. 1 here), I started wondering why Fast Company didn’t ask its subscribers to submit a list of articles that had significant influence on their business life. Or, why not simply include a line listing of the most read/downloaded articles from fastcompany.com in the book.
Hmm … there are countless ways Fast Company could have tapped into the collective wisdom of its subscriber base to choose articles for inclusion its book.
Instead, the editorial staff at Fast Company selected articles for inclusion in Fast Company's Greatest Hits: Ten Years of the Most Innovative Ideas in Business. Not including its community of readers signals a missed opportunity that may speak volumes about the magazine losing some of its relevance with its readership.
But wait … this just in … David Lidsky of Fast Company has posted a blog entry on FC NOW asking readers to submit their favorite reads along with a story. It’s a contest so have at it boys and girls.
Anyways, I hope Volume Two of my favorite Fast Company reads from issues #41 to #72 become some your favorite reads. (Volume 3 will be posted early next month and Volume 1 can be accessed here.)
How To Make Your Mark
ISSUE #41 | December 2000 |pg. 205
”Ultimately, making your mark means making a contribution -- to your company, to your professional field, to your coworkers, even to the world -- by making the best use of your talents.” Right on!
In July of 2006, the folks at Fast Company magazine gathered 32 of the “best and most enduring articles” and compiled them into a GREATEST HITS book. Fast Company's Greatest Hits : Ten Years of the Most Innovative Ideas in Business does indeed contain some great articles from the first decade of the magazine’s existence.
However, as a long-time subscriber and big-time evangelist of Fast Company, I felt this collection was missing some way-worthy reads. So, in true brand hijack fashion, I decided to compile a collection of articles that have greatly impacted my perspective on all things business-related.
But in compiling my list of way-worthy Fast Company reads I encountered a problem—too many articles! So I decided to put together a three-volume set of what I’m calling FAST COMPANY’s COLLECTIVE GENIUS.
I hope my favorite Fast Company reads become your favorite reads.
(Remember kiddos, this is only volume one … volumes two and three will be posted later in July.)
Handbook of the Business Revolution
ISSUE #1 | October 1995 | pg. 8
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/01/edpage.html
I wasn’t maven-enough back in the fall of 1995 to know about the inaugural issue of Fast Company. But I am smart enough today to know how on-target the founding fathers of Fast Company were when they the distilled the reasons for the magazine’s being.
For a magazine that prides itself on propagating ideas, isn’t it surprising to find Fast Company out of ideas? How else to explain this LOWEST PRICE EVER pricing strategy to goose subscriptions?
A few weeks ago on Brand Autopsy, we asked you if Fast Company (FC) was still fast. (If you need a refresher course on our FC trilogy of posts … click accordingly: Post #1, Post #2, and Post #3).
This week, Rich (from Hello World) and I have been trading more thoughts on Fast Company and today, I just read Seth Godin’s post where he informs us he will no longer contribute to the magazine. (Hmm, that's discouraging.)
Given all this chatter, I still believe Fast Company is a good magazine – maybe not a great magazine, but certainly a good magazine.
To John Byrne’s point … there is not another business magazine on the market attempting to do what FC is attempting to do. (John Byrne is the editor-in-chief at FC and he posted a lengthy and passionate response to the trilogy of Brand Autopsy posts on his magazine. Click here and then scroll to read his comments.)
In trying to make sense out of all this “FC ain’t what it used to be" conversation … I got to thinking about REM, the band.
REM began as a cool, alternative band that appealed to a fervent following of young, forward-thinking, anti-pop audience. “Reckoning” never crossed the chasm. But “Document” put them on the precipice of crossing the chasm. REM tipped with “Green” and to REM’s fervent, young, forward-thinking anti-pop early adopters … REM sold out … they lost their edge … Michael Stipe’s vocals were no longer indecipherable mumbles … they now sold out stadiums (and not small clubs in Athens, Georgia). REM has gone on to sell millions and millions of records. They still make good music. Now their music might lack the edge it once had and they are not near as popular as they once were … but REM is far from being labeled bad music.
Fast Company began as a cool, alternative business magazine that appealed to a passionate following of forward-thinking, anti-Al Dunlap business professionals. Issue after issue, Fast Company put out cutting-edge business stories and rode the new economy tsunami till the magazine tipped (or so it thought). Fast Company became viewed by many as the new Fortune. Gruner+Jahr was so enamored with FC’s potential that they bought the magazine at an exorbitant price hoping to turn FC into the equivalent of a business magazine global pop music superstar. It is obvious Fast Company will never be the super-mainstream business magazine its owners hoped it would become. That doesn’t mean Fast Company still doesn’t produce good issues. It might lack the edge it once had … but it is far from being labeled a bad business magazine. (Just like REM is far from being labeled a bad rock group.)
So … what magazine is set to usurp Fast Company as the cool, alternative business magazine appealing to a passionate following of forward-thinking anti-Enron/Imclone/Global Crossing professionals?
Radiohead usurped REM and the White Stripes seem to have usurped Radiohead. Who’s gonna usurp Fast Company?
I dunno … do you?
I’m an unabashed Fast Company evangelist.
My devotion began with the October|November 1996 issue. Never before, and never since, has a business magazine spoken to me as Fast Company did and still does. Instead of focusing on the dry, impersonal, and corporate side of business, Fast Company presents business in a vibrant, personal, and optimistic light.
But is Fast Company still fast?
I’ll admit there was a time (post dot-com meltdown and pre-John Byrne becoming editor-in-chief) where Fast Company seemed to lose its way. The articles lacked the zip and relevance they once had. And, the design of the magazine became too slick and too sterile.
However, I believe Fast Company is getting back on track and regaining more velocity with each issue under John Byrne. To me, Fast Company is still fast and I still look forward to inhaling the latest issue as fast as Kobayashi inhales Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs.
But, according to a recent Media Life survey, media buyers and media planners believe Fast Company has lost its focus/relevance and Gruner+Jahr, its publisher, should strongly consider pruning Fast Company from its roster of titles. Media Life reports since January 2004, Fast Company has experienced a 27% decline in ad pages and a 3% drop in newsstand circulation.
Also included in the survey was an opened-ended question where media buyers and planners responded by saying:
What do you think? Is Fast Company still fast? If not … then, what should Fast Company do next?
As for me, I’m looking forward to my next issue, the one after that, and after that ...
[Thanks to adrants for this tasty tidbit.]
As a marketingologist with the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice, I give companies “Second Opinions” about the business and marketing activities they are currently doing or considering doing.
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