Ulysses G. Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 (edited) I just had another customer asking for Citylife Magazine. The truth is that no matter how many copies they bring us every month, we always run out in a day or so and end up having to send people to some of the restaurants close by that do not run out so quickly. It seems like almost everybody in Chiang Mai - who can read - wants a copy and makes sure to look through it every month. There is an interesting article for pretty much everybody and it is free! I always advise business owners who want to reach English speaking locals, expats and tourists that Citylife is the place to advertise if you want to make sure that your advertisement will actually be seen. A lot of the local magazines just sit on a table somewhere and are pretty much ignored. Citylife is real asset to Chiang Mai. Everybody loves the Thai owner who understands both Thai and Western culture so well and they also advertise on Thai Visa so she obviously knows what she is doing when it comes to business. It would be difficult to recommend Citylife Magazine too highly. Edited March 15, 2010 by Ulysses G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgriffith Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Nice plug, UG I've been reading since my arrival here. A lot of people might be put off by the glossy paper, and the large amount of advertising. (BTW, as a former publisher in a past life....a large amount of advertising is a sign of a very successful publication). Dig in a bit. You will see editorial content that covers everything from Burmese sex slaves, handgun violence in Thailand, local Lanna history, restaurant reviews and many more topics that are way beyond what one would expect. I love the publication, and no, I have zero affiliation with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanForbes Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Start your own little business charging 10 baht a copy, George. It is worth it. Put the price tag right over the place where it says FREE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Spot On, UG ! Citylife is indeed one of the many things which makes Chiang Mai special, others including the excellent 2nd-hand book-stores, and the really pleasant laid-back farangs one finds here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eek Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Citylife is REALLY hard to get hold of. I once emailed to subscribe, but got no reply back, so was a bit disappointed. Guess ill try again some time. It is a great mag, and yes, dig through it and you get some interesting articles. I dont mind the advertising either usually, as i glace at them to see if anything appeals. I like several of the freebie newsletters out there, but citylife does rank top imo. But, ive also been getting back into the Chiang Mai Mail. Not free though, but not expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkles Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Pim ,could you please give us a list of alternative distribution points,where we can collect our City Life ? I usually pick up from Rimping but for the last 2 issues , I have called in early in the month and they have been gone. I realise printing additional copes would be a financial burden but you have a lot of readers out there which im sure you are aware of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgriffith Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 One can always go by the Citylife offices right off of Irrigation Canal Road to pick up a free copy.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrose070 Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 I'll just add, I also read it - usually cover to cover - but it is hard to find out there. I've got a neighbor who hooks me up... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
femi fan Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 It's always the case, difficult to get a copy. Why not treble the print run? Maybe there's a good reason, but certainly i'd agree that many people who want a copy each month don't always get one. And as for the ads, it's the only publication i can recall where i actively look at them. Chiang Mai being such an interesting place to live, it's nice to know what's available, and citylife does that with its ads and its articles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millwall_fan Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 My customers like to read City Life too. I am reduced to liberating copies surreptitiously from places like Gecko books!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elektrified Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Indeed copies of City Life are difficult to come by! I too enjoy reading them. I used to get my free copies in the most unlikely place; the baby shop behind Carrefour. The last 2 months they have not had them there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilt Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Indeed copies of City Life are difficult to come by! I too enjoy reading them. I used to get my free copies in the most unlikely place; the baby shop behind Carrefour. The last 2 months they have not had them there. I've given up looking for hard copies and now just read it online. I only spend a few months out of the year in Chiang Mai and look forward to reading the new issues online while I'm in the States. It is as good as having a hard copy. I'm sure everyone posting here has access to the internet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heybruce Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Indeed copies of City Life are difficult to come by! I too enjoy reading them. I used to get my free copies in the most unlikely place; the baby shop behind Carrefour. The last 2 months they have not had them there. I've given up looking for hard copies and now just read it online. I only spend a few months out of the year in Chiang Mai and look forward to reading the new issues online while I'm in the States. It is as good as having a hard copy. I'm sure everyone posting here has access to the internet! I prefer reading from paper in hand. I haven't read City Life for many months because I haven't seen a City Life in many months, and I have been looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymouse Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 A friendly bookshop owner always keeps me a copy totally agree an excellent magazine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMX Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 (edited) For humorous consideration of how authentically Thai "City Life" can be, chase down its map (as if searching exactly where to pick up a copy as suggested by GlobMod McG). Study the map and find the symbol for north. To me, it appears that a northerly line goes from the moat area toward Doi Suthep. And here was I watching the sun retire behind the mountain, back when I could see it. Which is not to deny the publication itself carries informative and frequently insightful articles. Edited March 15, 2010 by CMX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiangmaibruce Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Sshhhhhh!!! Too much feedback like this and the CityLife people will start charging for copies - I think I'd be tempted if I was them. It's the only Thai mag (and one of very few mags at all) that I keep old copies of on the bookshelf. The ads (esp. when combined with the lack of a Yellow Pages phone directory in CNX) are a useful resource in tracking things/people/places down. Also like the classifieds and articles too. I also use the web site regularly but I enjoy the (graphic) quality of some of the ads, and just being able to flick through it during rare idle moments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiPauly Posted March 15, 2010 Share Posted March 15, 2010 Best read in CM by far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo the Face Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 We have/had guests and customers reading it daily....that is when we used to get them.... But, Pim, due no doubt to popular demand , had to cut us back to 2 copies per printing .... Which, by the way Pim, I have never received ! ! This has reduced me to scrounging around place to place , most of the time to negative results, trying to find just 1 copy. I hope they do find a way to fix the problem..... As it is the best.... Gonzo the Gimp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venturalaw Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Have to agree. Definitely the best publication in Chiang Mai, and truly one of the best publications that I have read anywhere. If I happen to miss an issue, I do my best to locate one somewhere. It's always well worth the effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
venturalaw Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 (edited) And as for the ads, it's the only publication i can recall where i actively look at them. Chiang Mai being such an interesting place to live, it's nice to know what's available, and citylife does that with its ads and its articles. Well said. The ads tend to grab one's attention. I've found so much information from not only the articles, but also advertisements providing informative sources that are helpful, i.e. what's going on around town, restaurants that I have yet to try, all sorts of services, etc. Edited March 16, 2010 by venturalaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sao Jiang Mai Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Absolutely going to my head... Calmed down now. Thanks everyone and I agree, it is not always easy to find copies of Citylife, but I am afraid that with the economic contraints we are simply unable to print to demand. While my readers are plentiful, many of my advertisers have had a tough go of it the past year and as you can see if you compare recent copies to those from, say two years ago, our publication is thinner...and so we do our best to maintain quality and content, but circulation expansion is going to have to wait until things get better. I have a list of all the places we deliver to, please just email [email protected] and I will send it to you so you can find the places closest to your convenience. Some places we deliver hundreds of copies to, others only a handful. Gonzo, I shall put you back on the route for April, sorry about that. Please feel free to email me anytime and I know I was going to visit your lovely sounding restaurant, but I have been busy with house renovations, so haven't had a moment. But I shall! This is overwhelming feedback and I am very grateful for all of your support. If you have any criticisms please bring them on too, I am happy to listen, and do my best to improve. Cheers and have a lovely day. Pim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo the Face Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Absolutely going to my head...Calmed down now. Thanks everyone and I agree, it is not always easy to find copies of Citylife, but I am afraid that with the economic contraints we are simply unable to print to demand. While my readers are plentiful, many of my advertisers have had a tough go of it the past year and as you can see if you compare recent copies to those from, say two years ago, our publication is thinner...and so we do our best to maintain quality and content, but circulation expansion is going to have to wait until things get better. I have a list of all the places we deliver to, please just email [email protected] and I will send it to you so you can find the places closest to your convenience. Some places we deliver hundreds of copies to, others only a handful. Gonzo, I shall put you back on the route for April, sorry about that. Please feel free to email me anytime and I know I was going to visit your lovely sounding restaurant, but I have been busy with house renovations, so haven't had a moment. But I shall! This is overwhelming feedback and I am very grateful for all of your support. If you have any criticisms please bring them on too, I am happy to listen, and do my best to improve. Cheers and have a lovely day. Pim Forever THE LADY....... easy to understand why we all think the world of her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
femi fan Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Sshhhhhh!!! Too much feedback like this and the CityLife people will start charging for copies - I think I'd be tempted if I was them. It's the only Thai mag (and one of very few mags at all) that I keep old copies of on the bookshelf. I don't think you need to be too quiet. Charging for it may kill it. If the ads do their business now, then with increased circulation, and more ads business. It's like the pool competition in chiang mai, all pubs have free pool, start charging for it, and your pub will empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heybruce Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Absolutely going to my head...Calmed down now. Thanks everyone and I agree, it is not always easy to find copies of Citylife, but I am afraid that with the economic contraints we are simply unable to print to demand. While my readers are plentiful, many of my advertisers have had a tough go of it the past year and as you can see if you compare recent copies to those from, say two years ago, our publication is thinner...and so we do our best to maintain quality and content, but circulation expansion is going to have to wait until things get better. I have a list of all the places we deliver to, please just email [email protected] and I will send it to you so you can find the places closest to your convenience. Some places we deliver hundreds of copies to, others only a handful. Gonzo, I shall put you back on the route for April, sorry about that. Please feel free to email me anytime and I know I was going to visit your lovely sounding restaurant, but I have been busy with house renovations, so haven't had a moment. But I shall! This is overwhelming feedback and I am very grateful for all of your support. If you have any criticisms please bring them on too, I am happy to listen, and do my best to improve. Cheers and have a lovely day. Pim So the advertisers who remain aren't paying enough for more copies to be printed? What if the advertisers who want more copies to distribute from their businesses agreed to pay more for their advertisements with the understanding they'd get more copies? Just a crazy idea.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millwall_fan Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Gonzo: the face must fit!! Please Pim, can we have just one or two copies at The Olde Bell- just to save me having to nick UG's copies!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymouse Posted March 16, 2010 Share Posted March 16, 2010 Absolutely going to my head...Calmed down now. Thanks everyone and I agree, it is not always easy to find copies of Citylife, but I am afraid that with the economic contraints we are simply unable to print to demand. While my readers are plentiful, many of my advertisers have had a tough go of it the past year and as you can see if you compare recent copies to those from, say two years ago, our publication is thinner...and so we do our best to maintain quality and content, but circulation expansion is going to have to wait until things get better. I have a list of all the places we deliver to, please just email [email protected] and I will send it to you so you can find the places closest to your convenience. Some places we deliver hundreds of copies to, others only a handful. Gonzo, I shall put you back on the route for April, sorry about that. Please feel free to email me anytime and I know I was going to visit your lovely sounding restaurant, but I have been busy with house renovations, so haven't had a moment. But I shall! This is overwhelming feedback and I am very grateful for all of your support. If you have any criticisms please bring them on too, I am happy to listen, and do my best to improve. Cheers and have a lovely day. Pim Well hopefully with all the positive reports you are getting on this thread a few more business owners might see the wisdom in advertising in City Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sao Jiang Mai Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 One can only hope! But as to paying more, frankly I doubt many will. If they want to and receive more copies they are more than welcome to, but we are not cheap as it is, so I can't put more burden on my advertisers, but thank you so much for the idea. Old Belle, let me see...we are spread pretty thin as it is...you know you can always subscribe!!! Anyone who wants a copy is more than welcome to pop by our office during working hours to pick upto 3 free copies. We are on the Irrigation Canal Road between Suthep and Huay Kaew on the city side of the canal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eek Posted March 17, 2010 Share Posted March 17, 2010 A snippet from a lovely pm from Pim: Eek! Sorry about the lack of response to your subscription request. If you sent me your mailing address - in Thailand - I will put you on our freebie sub for a year. !!! Thank you SO much Pim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses G. Posted March 18, 2010 Author Share Posted March 18, 2010 (edited) Well hopefully with all the positive reports you are getting on this thread a few more business owners might see the wisdom in advertising in City Life It is a smart move. Chiang Mai is swamped with tons of every kind of business and they all start to blend together. If you know that your business should stand out from the rest, why not use advertising to help the public understand the reasons why? When you decide to advertise, why not choose a publication that people are actively looking for and are desperate to read? Putting an ad in some rag that no one is interested in is just a waste of money when you can get real positive exposure in a respected publication for just a little bit more. Edited March 18, 2010 by Ulysses G. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butterisbetter Posted March 18, 2010 Share Posted March 18, 2010 Absolutely going to my head...Calmed down now. Thanks everyone and I agree, it is not always easy to find copies of Citylife, but I am afraid that with the economic contraints we are simply unable to print to demand. While my readers are plentiful, many of my advertisers have had a tough go of it the past year and as you can see if you compare recent copies to those from, say two years ago, our publication is thinner...and so we do our best to maintain quality and content, but circulation expansion is going to have to wait until things get better. I have a list of all the places we deliver to, please just email [email protected] and I will send it to you so you can find the places closest to your convenience. Some places we deliver hundreds of copies to, others only a handful. Gonzo, I shall put you back on the route for April, sorry about that. Please feel free to email me anytime and I know I was going to visit your lovely sounding restaurant, but I have been busy with house renovations, so haven't had a moment. But I shall! This is overwhelming feedback and I am very grateful for all of your support. If you have any criticisms please bring them on too, I am happy to listen, and do my best to improve. Cheers and have a lovely day. Pim I would be glad to pay for a subscription. I'm guessing it's no simple matter to set up a subscription service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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