Act 3, Scene 5: “A New Magazine for Suburban Living”

Essentially all magazines take their cue from the city. Suburbia needs its own magazine. Sure, there’s the 10,000 titles on the Home Depot magazine rack: How to Stain Wood, How to Super Stain Wood, Celebrity Wood Staining, etc., but these are essentially trade magazines. TRL’s talking a consumer publication with a suburban viewpoint. New York magazine, but taking its cue from the suburbs that surround the city rather then the other way around. And with any new publication, whatever the quality of the content, for sales you need a really kick-ass title. The candidates in the running:

Sexy Suburban [it has sex in it, but sounds too much like a fetish car magazine]

Suburban Sexy [that’s it! well, no, but better]

town and Country [OK, damn similar to something already out there, but the difference is all in the capitalization. And it’s so ee you-know-who meets Paper]

Suck This [gratuitous. But it is eye catching. Maybe right name, wrong publication? Hey, there are no bad ideas during brainstorming.]

23 Smith Street [homey and simple. Evocative. TRL likes it. This one’s a keeper!]

Reverse Commute [commuting has negative connotations. Nix this one]

Applebee’s [copyright problems?]

Neighbors [this one has legs, though may attract just nice people, and nice people buy less alcohol, mink coats, fancy outdoor barbeques and calves leather driving gloves. So this name is already upsetting potential advertisers.]

Desperate [too dark?]

Gasoline Alley [too negative?]

Fences [too dividing?]

Soft Lights, Little Town [too 80s?]

Town [hmmmm, very simple and approachable. TRL likes it]

Towne [maybe even better]

Lawnmower Love [way too fetish]

TRL takes a break.