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.
IPC Southbank has appointed two advertising directors to its senior team, with Rebecca Richardson joining Look and Angela Rawstorne joining Marie Claire to lead advertising on these fashion brands.
After eight years, the 100th issue of iCreate hits the UK newsstand last week.
Dennis Publishing’s supercar-specialist evo magazine has linked up with XBOX to launch Forza Motorsport 4.
ELLE has partnered with Nokia to promote the phone manufacturer’s latest smartphone handset.
Emap International has announced that Susanna Kempe is to step down from her roles as chief executive officer of WGSN and chief marketing and strategy officer of Emap on October 21st.
BDM’s Complete Guide To Digital Photography, a new quarterly title from Black Dog Media, goes on sale 27 October, priced £9.99.
Future, the special-interest media group, has announced N-Photo – the only magazine dedicated to Nikon photography.
Hearst Magazines UK, the Hearst Corporation’s principal UK business, has signed as media partner for Race Online 2012, a cross sector campaign that aims to get everyone in the UK online by the end of the Olympic year.
In a bumper year that sees Private Eye hit 50 years, the current affairs magazine has appointed advertising sales specialists Redactive Media Group to develop its commercial activities.
Future Publishing, one of the UK’s leading special interest publishers, has announced the sale of three audio visual titles to specialist hobby publisher MyHobbyStore.
The APA has revealed the shortlist to this year's International Content Marketing Awards 2011.
A bumper issue of Private Eye, celebrating its fifty years, goes on sale on 26 October, priced £1.50.
Denmaur’s Amadeus 100% Recycled Offset has been given an “excellent” rating on the WWF’s global database of eco-rated paper products.
Dance Gazette, the thrice yearly title from the Royal Academy of Dance and Cultureshock Media, makes its newsstand debut on 20 October, priced £4.95.
Future, the special-interest media group, has confirmed the all-new Ford Focus as the headline partner of this year’s T3 Gadget Awards.
