Consumer magazines spent most of the past two decades managing decline. The more confident publishers have stopped doing that. Newsstand sales and print advertising are still shrinking, but well-made titles with loyal readers are raising cover prices and growing.
Scale matters less than it did. Bauer has made Grazia a more premium product and charged more for it, while independents such as Anthem have put print back at the centre of the business and grown their export sales. Stylist has changed format several times without losing its readers. Others have gone the other way, and Gay Times dropped print entirely to build a global audience online.
For most consumer publishers, print is our USP. It’s the anchor that makes advertisers trust us and the very thing that readers want from us.
Jon Bickley Our print strategy: Anthem
Behind the confidence sits some hard arithmetic. Newstrade is now a small share of revenue and events and ecommerce are growing from a low base. Trust has become a selling point as AI fills the web with content of uncertain origin, but the paid-for consumer model that works at scale is still being worked out.
Below you'll find some of our best feature articles on consumer magazines, from premium print and cover pricing to brand extensions, membership and the future of specialist titles, alongside our latest news and industry commentary.
For a while now, magazine publishers have been on the defensive, unsure about the viability of their traditional business model in a fast-changing world. Katie Vanneck-Smith wants to change all that.
We asked Tamar Riley, portfolio managing director at Immediate, what does best practice publishing look like in consumer media? This is what she said…
For premium titles like Grazia, Mojo and Empire, growth is increasingly coming not from extending reach but from deepening engagement with existing passionate audiences, as Lauren Holleyoake tells Ciar Byrne.
The printed magazine will be a cherished part of people’s lives for years to come, says Jon Bickley, co-founder and CEO. That is why it’s the key component in Anthem’s publishing strategy.
With the arrival of AI and the widespread availability of unattributable content, specialist publishers need to ensure that their titles are the trusted go-to brands in their sectors, Our Media’s Andy Marshall tells Ciar Byrne.
Stylist’s mission has been clear from day one: to engage with its female audience in an intelligent, positive and non-exploitative way. 16 years on, and current PPA Media Brand of the Year, they are staying true to those values, says Lisa Smosarski.
Gay Times was stuck in a rut, tied to its traditional publishing model and reaching only a small part of the LGBTQ+ community. Under the editorship of Lewis Corner, that began to change, as he explains to Ciar Byrne.
Whatever the rest of 2024 holds, two things are certain. Firstly, the bumpy economic ride will continue. Secondly, the need for media companies to have a broad base of revenue streams has never been more important or more challenging to achieve.
How do you create a specialist consumer media business that is fit for the future? What steps do you need to take to be resilient and flexible as audiences and technology evolve? Carolyn Morgan researched 20 innovators from across Europe to find out.
For many publishers, circulation is all about chasing volume, but they would be much better off chasing profitability, says Natalie Smith, client relationship manager at Warners.
Asendia – the Joint Venture between La Poste and Swiss Post – has strengthened its position as an international facilitator of cross-border e-commerce by providing a range of online support materials to retailers who want to sell their products acros
Haymarket Media Group announced the appointment of two new directors for its largest brands in the marcoms sector – PRWeek and Campaign.
Chris Healy steps up from trading director to the role of group commercial director where he will oversee all of the company’s commercial revenue teams.
The British Society of Magazine Editors has announced its new Chair for 2015 as Sally Eyden, editor of Now, steps down to take up a new job in television.
WWF magazine, a new quarterly magazine from Titan Publishing, goes on sale 16 July, priced £3.99.
Campaign Asia-Pacific has launched Campaign Innovate, a competition aimed at finding Asia’s next big startup.
Autocar’s YouTube channel has past 200 million views, cementing its position as one of the leading makers of automotive videos.
Gold Key Media announces a partnership with Voir Fashion magazine, a quarterly boutique publication for contemporary style and fashion.
Wave2 Media Solutions, a UK‐based newspaper software specialist, announces that Erdee Media Groep (EMG) has become the newest member of a growing customer base throughout The Netherlands.
Live this week on the Vogue Video Channel, Condé Nast Britain introduces a new series fronted by Vogue Contributing Editor Alexa Chung.
Immediate Media Co has appointed Matthew Gerry as Managing Director for its Weddings Network.
Apple’s recent announcement of its soon-to-be-released News app has stirred things up a bit. Karlene Lukovitz gauges publisher reaction.
Repurposing archive content is one good way to populate blog pages, but how does a new magazine do that when, by definition, they have no archive? There are ways, writes Amanda MacArthur, by which new publishers can successfully blog from day one.
Is wearable tech the next big thing, or will it prove to be something of a damp squib? Apple’s recent entry into the smartwatch market has certainly shaken things up a bit. Martin Belam ponders the potential for publishers.
Media consumption continues to shift to mobile and this is increasing the demand for video content. Condé Nast is working hard to tap into both these trends, writes Meg Carter.
