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.
Informa Exhibitions is set to launch IPEX Digital Middle East, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from 14 to 16 November 2011, to provide a platform for digital technology in commercial and large format printing sectors in the Middle
Haymarket Business Media (HBM) has announced the appointment of a new managing director.
Celloglas finishes Creative Review Illustration Annual 2011 with Cellofoil.
Dennis Publishing has announced the acquisition of Women’s Fitness magazine.
Future, the special-interest media group, has revealed the 3D World CG Awards 2011, its first annual celebration of the CG (Computer Graphics) industry from the leading 3D magazine 3D World.
Haversham Publications have announced the recent acquisition of the titles Hair, Hair Now and Perfect Hair from Vitality Publishing.
In a new initiative, Mortons Media Group is undertaking to support independent retail participation in its portfolio and reward the hard work that stores have carried out on its behalf.
Media Sales Network has announced that it has acquired Sustain magazine, the magazine for sustainability, business and the built environment. The acquisition also includes the Sustain Magazine Awards event.
Intermedia Brand Marketing, a provider of integrated circulation marketing solutions, has announced the appointment of Alan Green to its board as a Non-Executive Director.
The new photo magazine from Imagine Publishing, targeted at beginner photographers and keen social network users, arrived on UK shelves this week.
The launch issue of Outdoor Fitness, the new fitness and lifestyle magazine, goes on sale on July 6th.
BBC Top Gear Magazine is now available in Portugal, following a licensing deal between BBC Magazines and Goody Consultoria SA.
FuturePlus, Future’s customer publishing agency, has announced a new partnership with holiday experts Page & Moy Travel Group.
Sponsors and marketers must engage women in order to capitalise on the 2012 Olympics, shows new research by IPC Media.
Centaur Media is to close the print editions of Design Week and New Media Age and dispose of a raft of smaller titles.
