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.
The debate over how to report digital edition circulation has been hotly contested over the past decade, and the arrival of enhanced editions, as opposed to replicas, has added a new dimension. Future’s group publishing director, Nial Ferguson, gives
International stock image company Alamy has published the results of an industry think tank looking at the way in which we pay for images and how photographers are compensated.
Leading events and meetings industry trade publisher Mash Media Group has announced its acquisition of the event production portfolio from Ocean Media Group.
Simpsons Comics, from Titan Publishing, is marking its 200th issue with a special cover.
Intermedia Brand Marketing, a provider of integrated brand marketing and distribution solutions, has announced the appointment of Glynn Roche to its Board as a Non-Executive Director, with effect from 2nd July 2012.
UPM has been awarded ‘Most Innovative Company’ at the 2012 Ethical Corporation Awards held in London.
In front of a packed Stationers’ Hall in London on Monday, 25 June, 25 winning schools received their Shine 2012 School Media Awards at a ceremony presented by Daily Mail columnist and Online Editor Simon Heffer and children’s author Keren David.
Company is turning its October issue into a graduate ‘takeover’.
The PPA and ABM, the association of business information and media companies, have entered into an agreement in which the two organisations will form a strategic alliance to share expertise and co-operate on advocacy efforts that benefit their respec
The Complete Google Handbook, a oneshot from Magnesium Media, goes on sale 5 July, priced £9.99.
“No Wonder You Love Paper” is the theme of a new campaign from Two Sides, the international organisation which promotes the responsible use of print and paper as an attractive, powerful and natural communications medium.
Men’s Fitness magazine, the fitness lifestyle title has had a comprehensive redesign for the August 2012 issue.
To mark Fashion’s Night Out 2012, Vogue has commissioned Jonathan Saunders to design a limited edition t-shirt, with proceeds going to Refuge, a national domestic violence charity.
After an extensive review process, the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) has chosen Haymarket Media Group (HMG) to become its media partner for its PM (People Management) brand.
Dark Knight Comic, a new 13 issues per year title from Titan Publishing Group, goes on sale 5 July, priced £2.99.
