Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Products covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Print circulation is down but not out
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- Figure 1: Forecast volume of print magazines distributed in the UK, 2011-21
- The digital shift has forced magazines to re-invent themselves
- Publishers lower print prices to maintain readership numbers
- Native advertising fixes weaknesses of digital magazine content
- Facebook opens its Instant Articles platform to all publishers
- Companies and brands
- Publications bring new technology to print editions
- Amazon adds magazines to Prime membership
- Tech innovations personalise digital content and increase engagement
- Publishers focused on building digital presence make relatively low adspend on traditional channels
- Lessons for magazines from The New York Times’ adoption of new digital channels
- The consumer
- Preference for print remains across most genres
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- Figure 2: Printed/digital magazines read in the last 6 months, September 2016
- Only half of those who have read magazines in the last six months have purchased a magazine
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- Figure 3: Magazines read that were paid for, September 2016
- Subscribers are more invested than the average consumer in digital media channels
- Familiarity has the largest influence on magazine purchase decisions
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- Figure 4: Factors influencing magazine purchase decisions, September 2016
- Men display a preference for specific-interest or themed magazines while women prefer to read a variety of content
- Digital magazines more likely to be read on the go
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- Figure 5: Situations in which magazines were read, September 2016
- Magazine content is a talking point for consumers
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- Figure 6: Attitudes towards magazines, September 2016
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Shift to digital channels pushes magazines to re-invent themselves as multimedia brands
- The facts
- The implications
- Price drops and free issues are not the only way to increase the value proposition of print magazines
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Print circulation is down but not out
- The digital shift has forced magazines to re-invent themselves
- Publishers lower print prices to maintain readership numbers
- Native advertising fixes weaknesses of digital magazine content
- Facebook opens its Instant Articles platform to all publishers
Market Size and Forecast
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- Print circulation is down but not out
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- Figure 7: Forecast volume of print magazines distributed in the UK, 2011-21
- Forecast methodology
Segment Performance
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- Women’s magazines represent the majority of the print market, while current affairs magazines succeed on digital channels
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- Figure 8: Magazines’ average print circulation, by genre, 01/01/2016-30/06/2016
- Figure 9: Magazines’ average digital circulation, by genre, 01/01/2016-30/06/2016
- Women’s weeklies decline as print content fails to distinguish itself from free digital content
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- Figure 10: Top five women’s weekly magazines’ average circulation (print and digital), 2015 and 2016
- Cosmopolitan conquers static women’s fashion/lifestyle segment
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- Figure 11: Top five women’s monthly fashion/lifestyle magazines’ average circulation (print and digital), 2015 and 2016
- Current affairs magazines resilient in face of print declines
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- Figure 12: Top five news and current affairs magazines’ average circulation (print and digital), 2015 and 2016
- Free magazines lead buoyant men’s lifestyle segment
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- Figure 13: Top five men’s lifestyle magazines’ average circulation (print and digital), 2015 and 2016
Market Drivers
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- The digital shift has forced magazines to re-invent themselves
- From digital to print…
- …and from print to digital
- Strengths and weaknesses of the print magazine format
- Publishers lower print prices to maintain readership numbers
- Native advertising fixes weaknesses of digital magazine content
- Facebook opens its Instant Articles platform to all publishers
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Publications bring new technology to print editions
- Amazon adds magazines to Prime membership
- Men’s Health tie-in food available in the UK
- Tech innovations personalise digital content and increase engagement
- Publishers focused on building digital presence make relatively low adspend on traditional channels
- Lessons for magazines from The New York Times’ adoption of new digital channels
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Publications bring new technology to print editions
- Amazon adds magazines to Prime membership
- Men’s Health-branded food available in the UK
- Tech innovations personalise digital content and increase engagement
- The rise of the Slow News Movement
- Lessons for magazines from The New York Times’ adoption of new digital channels
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Publishers transitioning from print media to multimedia spend relatively little on traditional advertising
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- Figure 14: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on magazines, 01/01/2015-31/12/2015
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- Figure 15: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on magazines, by media type, 01/01/2015-31/12/2015
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
Brand Research
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- Brand map
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- Figure 16: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, November 2016
- Key brand metrics
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- Figure 17: Key metrics for selected brands, November 2016
- Specific-interest magazines seen as worth paying more for, while women’s weeklies are associated with value
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- Figure 18: Attitudes, by brand, November 2016
- Vogue stands out as an exclusive brand, while the appeal of celebrity magazines diminishes
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- Figure 19: Brand personality – Macro image, November 2016
- Celebrity magazines are viewed as intrusive and tacky, while the content of interest-specific magazines is seen as authoritative
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- Figure 20: Brand personality – Micro image, November 2016
- Brand analysis
- Glamour keeps in step with its major competitor despite costing more
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- Figure 21: User profile of Glamour, November 2016
- Vogue enjoys a unique brand image of excellence and exclusivity
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- Figure 22: User profile of Vogue, November 2016
- Despite high levels of brand awareness, consumers are less likely to recommend Cosmopolitan to their peers
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- Figure 23: User profile of Cosmopolitan, November 2016
- Take a Break is read for light entertainment and its low-brow image does not hurt it
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- Figure 24: User profile of Take a Break, November 2016
- Closer sheds some of the negative associations of other celebrity magazines
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- Figure 25: User profile of Closer, November 2016
- Hello! is among the most visible magazine brands, despite having a negative image among some consumers
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- Figure 26: User profile of Hello!, November 2016
- Empire’s brand has a smaller reach than other publications’ brands, but its readers are extremely positive about its content
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- Figure 27: User profile of Empire, November 2016
- NME has a positive image among 16-34s, but women do not feel like it represents them
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- Figure 28: User profile of NME, November 2016
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Preference for print remains across most genres
- Male readers and Millennials have the highest degree of engagement with digital editions of magazines
- Only half of those who have read magazines in the last six months have purchased a magazine
- Women are more likely to read magazines, but men more likely to buy magazines they read
- Subscribers are far more likely to engage with digital editions
- Subscribers are more invested than the average consumer in digital media channels
- Familiarity has the largest influence on magazine purchase decisions
- Digital magazines more likely to be read on the go
- Magazine content is a talking point for consumers
Magazine Readership by Genre and Format
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- Preference for print remains across most genres
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- Figure 29: Printed/digital magazines read in the last 6 months, September 2016
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- Figure 30: Repertoire of magazines read in the past 6 months, September 2016
- Male readers and Millennials have the highest degree of engagement with digital editions of magazines
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- Figure 31: Format of magazines read, by gender and age, September 2016
Magazine Purchases and Subscriptions
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- Only half of those who have read magazines in the last six months have purchased a magazine
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- Figure 32: Magazines read that were paid for, September 2016
- Women more likely to read magazines, but men more likely to buy those they read
- Subscribers are far more likely to engage with digital editions
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- Figure 33: Subscriptions to print or digital magazines, September 2016
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- Figure 34: Format of magazines read, by readers who have subscribed to a magazine, September 2016
- Subscribers are more invested than the average consumer in digital media channels
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- Figure 35: Attitudes towards magazines, by readers who subscribed to a magazine, September 2016
Factors in Magazine Choice
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- Familiarity has the biggest influence on magazine purchase decisions
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- Figure 36: Factors influencing magazine purchase decisions, September 2016
- Men display a preference for specific-interest or themed magazines while women prefer to read a variety of content
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- Figure 37: Factors influencing magazine purchases, by gender, September 2016
Where Magazines are Read
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- Digital magazines more likely to be read on the go
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- Figure 38: Situations in which magazines were read in the last 6 months, September 2016
- Urban areas produce different reading habits
Attitudes towards Magazines
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- Consumers display a strong preference for print media
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- Figure 39: Attitudes towards magazines, September 2016
- Attitudes show how digital and print channels complement one another
- The distinctive profile of digital magazine readers
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- Figure 40: Selected attitudes towards magazines, by format of magazines read, September 2016
- Magazine content is a talking point for consumers
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- Figure 41: Selected attitudes towards magazines, by genre of magazine read, September 2016
- Consumers engaged with digital media
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- Figure 42: Attitudes towards magazines, by attitudes towards magazines, September 2016
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Market Size and Forecast
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- Market Forecast
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- Figure 43: Forecast volume of print magazines distributed in the UK, 2016-21
- Forecast Methodology
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