Magazine ABCs: raw numbers don’t tell you why this medium is so powerful
This period’s ABC release has proved most successful for the free market and publishers with specialist content. In a continued trend, the free market remains buoyant, posting a period-on-period increase of 0.5 per cent.
Little wonder then that other publishing groups are also keen to access this successful space. This period has seen the launch of TV Mag, Dennis plans to launch a men’s title in the latter part of the year, and the iconic NME will be moving to this model in September after 63 years as a paid-for title.
Outside of the free titles, the only sector to enjoy increases in its entirety was the news and business sector. In an election year and with such specialised editorial, this is an expected triumph for quality writing and content.
In other sectors the overall trend was downwards, with individual successes for certain specialised titles. For fashion, it was Elle and Instyle; for wellbeing it wasWomen’s Health and Forever Sports.
Other markets suffered more significantly with the celebrity weeklies and home interest sectors particularly feeling the pinch from their digital competition, as the Mail Online churns out vast volumes of celebrity content apace and Pinterest and Instagram offer a free inspirational alternative to magazines.
While the magazine ABC numbers represent one element of the brand, we shouldn’t lose sight of their absolute reach and why we use the channel in the first instance. It is right to say that ABC figures continue to reflect the health of magazines’ printed issues, and in some instances digital editions, yet the parent print brands now anchor a multitude of brand extensions.
Source: Advertising news & jobs
More like this
ABC analysis Q2 2015: The biggest-circulating consumer mags in SA
