Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Mintel forecasts further 31% drop by 2020
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- Figure 1: Forecast volume of UK print magazines distributed, 2010-20
- Print still dominates
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- Figure 2: Magazines read, April 2015
- Almost a quarter wish for digital articles to be kept short
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- Figure 3: Attitudes towards digital magazines, April 2015
- Less than a quarter are buying single editions
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- Figure 4: Digital magazine access, April 2015
- There is a moral element to magazine purchase
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- Figure 5: Attitudes towards magazines, April 2015
Issues and Insights
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- Leveraging the magazine brand
- The facts
- The implications
- Evolving digital magazines
- The facts
- The implications
- Keeping content quality at the forefront
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- UK print circulation will continue to decline
- The Economist leads increase in digital circulation
- New marketing body introduced
- Women’s monthlies doing well
- Women’s weeklies see big drops
- Lads’ mags continue to decline
Market Drivers
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- Growth in mobile device ownership further pushes digital shift
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- Figure 6: Personal ownership of consumer technology products, June and November 2014
- Affinity for print remains
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- Figure 7: Consumer book purchases, April 2014
- Economist leads the way amongst digital editions
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- Figure 8: Top 10 digital magazines average UK circulation, six months to December, 2014
- New marketing body introduced
Market Size and Forecast
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- Print circulation has fallen by 37% since 2010
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- Figure 9: Forecast volume of UK print magazines distributed, 2010-20
- Mintel forecasts further 31% drop by 2020
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- Figure 10: Forecast volume of UK print magazines distributed, 2010-20
Segment Performance
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- Women’s magazines dominate market
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- Figure 11: Magazines’ average print circulation, by sector, 2014
- Figure 12: Magazines’ average digital circulation, by sector, 2014
- Lads’ mags continue to struggle but lifestyle holding on
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- Figure 13: Top 5 men’s magazines’ average circulation (print and digital), six months to December 2013-14
- Women’s weeklies drop but lifestyles up
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- Figure 14: Top 5 women’s lifestyle and fashion magazines average circulation (print and digital), six months to December 2013-14
- Figure 15: Top 5 women’s weekly magazines average circulation (print and digital), six months to December 2013-14
- Buoyant current affairs market
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- Figure 16: Top 5 current affairs magazines’ average circulation (print and digital), six months to December 2013-14
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Fall in UK adspend
- Grazia Magazine launches e-commerce site
- Marie Claire partners with Ocado
- The Economist launches film studio
- New attempts to create ‘Netflix for magazines’
- Men’s Health has advantage due to fitness angle
- GQ has sophisticated image but may be too exclusive for some
- Good Housekeeping enjoys strong position built on trust
- Vogue’s exclusive brand image helps it stand out
Launch Activity and Innovations
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- Grazia magazine launches e-commerce site
- Marie Claire partners with Ocado
- The Economist launches film studio
- New attempts to create ‘Netflix for magazines’
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Advertising spend down in 2014
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- Figure 17: Top 20 magazine publishers, by UK advertising spend, 2011-14
- TV still main advertising platform
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- Figure 18: Advertising spend by magazine publishers, by media type, 2011-14
Brand Research – Men’s Magazines
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- Brand map
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- Figure 19: Attitudes towards and usage of selected men’s magazines brands, April 2015
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 20: Key metrics for selected men’s magazines brands, April 2015
- Brand attitudes: GQ and FHM most likely to be seen as providing quality
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- Figure 21: Attitudes, by men’s magazine brand, April 2015
- Brand personality: ShortList’s lack of cover price influences accessible image
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- Figure 22: Men’s magazines brand personality – Macro image, April 2015
- Men’s Health is likely to inspire and create something to aspire to
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- Figure 23: Men’s magazines brand personality – Micro image, April 2015
- Brand analysis
- Men’s Health has advantage due to fitness angle
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- Figure 24: User profile of Men’s Health, April 2015
- GQ has sophisticated image but may be too exclusive for some
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- Figure 25: User profile of GQ, April 2015
- ShortList lacks penetration due to distribution model, but has credible brand image
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- Figure 26: User profile of ShortList, April 2015
- FHM is seen as upbeat but also has stronger associations with being tacky or low-brow
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- Figure 27: User profile of FHM, April 2015
Brand Research – Women’s Magazines
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- Brand map
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- Figure 28: Attitudes towards and usage of selected women’s magazine brands, April 2015
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 29: Key metrics for selected women’s magazine brands, April 2015
- Brand attitudes: Good Housekeeping’s level of trust stands out as strong advantage
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- Figure 30: Attitudes, by women’s magazine brand, April 2015
- Brand personality – Vogue has a stronger image of exclusivity
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- Figure 31: Women’s magazines’ brand personality – Macro image, April 2015
- Glamour is considered entertaining but is considered tacky by some
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- Figure 32: Women’s magazines’ brand personality – Micro image, April 2015
- Brand analysis
- Good Housekeeping enjoys strong position built on trust
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- Figure 33: User profile of Good Housekeeping, April 2015
- Stylist’s limited distribution restricts usage but it has potential for growth
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- Figure 34: User profile of Stylist, April 2015
- Glamour is considered fun and entertaining, but it also has some negative associations
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- Figure 35: User profile of Glamour, April 2015
- Vogue’s exclusive brand image may impact on likelihood of recommendation
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- Figure 36: User profile of Vogue, April 2015
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Print still dominates
- Over half mostly read print magazines at home
- Less than a fifth have a digital subscription
- PCs/laptops are the main devices used for reading digital editions
- Many want short and interactive digital content
- People prefer print
- Many don’t want revealing pictures of women on men’s mags’ covers
- Magazine content needs a shake-up
Magazines Read
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- Print still dominates
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- Figure 37: Magazines read, April 2015
Print Magazine Behaviour
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- Over half read print magazines at home
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- Figure 38: Print magazine behaviour, April 2015
- Annoyance with print advertising shows opportunities for digital
Print Purchasing
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- Most readers purchase print magazines
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- Figure 39: Print magazine purchase, April 2015
- Readers remain loyal to print titles
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- Figure 40: Purchasing print magazine behaviour, April 2015
- Men and women have different purchasing habits
- Publishers need to be careful with price
Devices Used
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- Laptops and PCs still primary devices for digital magazines
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- Figure 41: Devices used to access digital magazines, April 2015
Attitudes towards Digital Magazines
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- Almost a quarter wish for digital articles to be kept short
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- Figure 42: Attitudes towards digital magazines, April 2015
- Over a fifth want more interactive content
- Digital magazines can collect very valuable data
Access Methods
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- Less than a quarter are buying single editions
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- Figure 43: Digital magazine access, April 2015
- And few have bought into the ‘Netflix’ model
Attitudes towards Magazines
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- People prefer print magazines
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- Figure 44: Attitudes towards magazines, April 2015
- Moral element to magazine purchasing
- Women more encouraged by celebrities
- Brand more significant to younger people
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Data sources
- Abbreviations
- Market size
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- Figure 45: Best and worst case forecast for the volume of UK print magazine circulation, 2015-20
- Fan chart forecast
- Brand research
- Brand map
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