Behind the Monocle

One of the intriguing things about Tyler Brule’s latest endeavor, Monocle, was the distinct lack of a major PR/marketing push around the world — especially stateside. In a recent interview with the New York Observer’s Michael Calderone, Mr. Brule sheds some light on his hope for organic growth, his relationship with Norm Pearlstine, and highlights the pitfalls of overhype and overexposure.

Despite a tumultuous relationship with Brule during his tenture at Time Inc, Pearlstine has some laudatory words for the magazine:

“Not unlike The New Yorker, Monocle has a capacity to surprise, with serious journalism,” Mr. Pearlstine said. “I think the difference is that he understands what makes a magazine work is its visuals. … If you were going to start The New Yorker from scratch today, would it be so devoted to words, or would it do more with pictures?”

On the lack of artificial hype surrounding the launch:

…Mr. Brûlé said that Monocle’s launch has been intentionally low-key—indeed, this is his first sit-down with a U.S. newspaper because he wanted journalists “to understand the brand first.”

…He expects the magazine, published 10 times a year, to grow “organically,” rather than taking “the Hollywood, blockbuster approach to publishing [with] all the expectations that come with it.” To wit, he said, “Look what happened to Portfolio.”

New York Observer