Mizz Revamped As Market Gets Crowded

IPC’s teen title Mizz has relaunched this week with a new look, including added features and design elements including a bold colour palette and modern typefaces, clearer signposting and covers reflecting the magazine’s emphasis on teen lifestyle.

New editor Sharon Cristal commented: “We’ve increased the level of reader interaction, making our reader the star from cover to cover.” One way that interaction has been increased is the introduction of a texting service, which gives a new way for readers to contact the editorial team.

Publishing director Sarah Fisher says that further investment in editorial, marketing and retail activity is planned for the coming year to strengthen Mizz’s position in the market.

The teen market as a whole is currently led by Attic Futura’s Sugar, which recorded a circulation of over 350,000 in last summer’s ABC figures. However, Mizz, with its target readership of 10-14 year olds, a younger demographic than Sugar, holds its own in the tweenager/early teen crossover market, ahead of BBC Worldwide’s Girl Talk and DC Thompson’s Shout.

This could all be set to change in future, however, as last autumn saw the launch of Emap and Natmags’ “baby glossies”; Elle Girl and CosmoGirl! (see New Teen Titles Launch). Both are aiming square at the middle of the market, with a target reader age of 12-17 years.

The new launches were long in the planning, but there is little evidence to suggest that the market can support more teen titles. In the Jan-June ABC figures, the teen sector as a whole fell more than 11% year on year (see Newsline) and within the last eighteen months both Mollins’ Jump and BBC Worldwide’s Star have bitten the dust. With competition increasing, it may be that revamps such as Mizz’s become an essential survival tactic.

IPC Media: 0870 4445000 www.ipc.co.uk

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