Magazines

Like newspapers, magazines have endured a tough time of it in recent years. ‘Print’ as a whole has suffered as companies have advertised less due to the economic downturn, digital content delivery via mobile, tablet or online has increased thus reducing magazines’ circulations, plus this is weighed against rising paper costs with demand fuelled from China coupled with large increases in postal costs. Sample snapshot of circulations decreasing in the consumer sector (at 31/11/11)

• IPC Media’s venerable Woman and Woman’s Own, both down by 10% year-on-year
• Once hot men’s weeklies Zoo and Nuts down 32% and 23% respectively
• EMAP’s faded stars Heat and Closer down 22% and 13%
• Marie Claire down 10%

However it’s not all bad news. There’s only been one major fatality in recent times in ‘She’ magazine. Magazine circulations are declining but they will find their level. Take a look at the magazine rack in any WH Smith to see consumer interest is still vibrant; plus B2B seems to be more traditional where magazines are still an important source of information (though success varies by sector). In truth, magazines, like most mediums, are now viewed as one part of a company’s marketing spend. Campaigns to promote companies’ products and services are typically multi-platform. So magazines still have an important part to play.