Magazines, Not Just Ads

Have you noticed the many on-line magazines that companies are putting on line for us? I am referring to the free in line magazines companies like Proctor and Gamble or Nestle offer. They are not advertisement sites, like their regular web sites, but more like a magazine of news, entertainment, games, contests, and information. It's a clever way of indirectly advertising to the consumer.
Proctor and Gamble, for instance offers magazines for every segment of it's market. There is the "Health Expressions" magazine that appeals to those seeking advice and resources (of course, P&G has many of its ads within it's magazine) or how about "Being Girl", a magazine with forums and guidance on topics for teens. This change in strategy in marketing is based on the belief that their company that establishes a more informal and helpful relationship with the customer is more successful in selling to him or her than one who bombards the customer with ads and offers. The subtle-sell approach seems to be an increasingly popular one.
I looked at Nestle and found their site at http://www.verybestbaking.com/extras/programs/magazine_05/default.aspx What is there is a mix of ads, freebies and entertainment. I think the consumer is much more likely to browse and return to that "magazine" site than at a simple advertisement web site. And when I looked at the coca cola site I even found music there.
Anyway....the more subtle marketing those companies do the greater their success in selling and the better it will be for us in that we will have to endure fewer overt ad assaults.
Wow! The British are really shaking up immigration policy these days! And in this case it seems the prettier the lady the better chance she has of obtaining a visa or asylum to remain in Britain. It seems that a former administration for the Lunar House center in London, which is the largest visa processing center in Britain and which deals with about 300,000 visa and asylum applications each year, claims that many employees at Lunar issue visas for pretty ladies who "lay" their claim ..ok, it's a bad play on words...down for the administrator who grants the visas. So attractive women who are willing to have sex with those guys and gals who processes their paperwork have been getting visas at a rapid clip. I guess, the ugly need not apply??
"Clearly I will not condone this type of behavior," said Home Office Minister Tony McNutty. But the word is out from Anthony Pamnani, the whistle blower to the whole sexy affair, that such practices are more common than Minster Tony realizes. "One girl came in and told us an admin officer had visited her flat and that they slept together. She got indefinite leave to stay," said Tony. "Officers used to say about ugly girls: "She's bloody disgusting- let's send her back anyway."
He also claims that Brazilian beauties are practically invading England now. And a quick look at visa stats showed that Brazilian women have been granted their applications at twice the rate of Brazilian men. Well.....I guess I better cancel my visa application for Britain..unless I can find a blind administrator to handle it....