Esquire opens its covers to embedded ads

Esquire opened up its February cover to advertising for the Discovery Channel series One Way Out, featuring escape artist Jonathan Goodwin. The magazine is the first to include a flap that allows advertising material to be placed inside a mini-cover attached to the front cover. When readers open the cover-within-a-cover, they encounter both the ad and various quotes from the articles inside.

The idea, created by Esquire's editor-in-chief David Granger, could lead to further covers of the sort in the coming months, and showcase one way that traditional print media are working harder to generate profits.

The ad cost Discovery Channel $250,000, including production and placement.

Esquire has a circulation of 700,000.