The ‘New’ Weeklies
Jason Trout, magazine sales director at Emap Advertising, discusses how the company’s new research has revealed the ‘new’ women’s weekly format as a potentially untapped resource for advertisers…
The focus of the recent consumer magazine ABCs was dominated by the decline in the men’s market and the demise of the youth market. Far fewer column inches were devoted to a sector that admittedly has had its fair share of coverage in recent years – the women’s weekly market. It’s a market that’s seen frantic launch activity with twice the number of launches so far this decade than in the whole of last decade. Weekly sales are at an all-time high of over 9.3 million, which over a year is enough copies to circle the globe 3.5 times!
This growth is being driven by the ‘new weeklies’ ie. those launched in the past 10 years targeting a younger and more upmarket woman than their ‘traditional weekly’ counterparts. Young upscale women used to be the bread and butter for the glossies but they’re reading an average of eight weeklies a month now and only two monthlies.
The weekly reader and indeed the weekly reading occasion have changed beyond recognition… but how? The figures suggest that these weeklies have established an impressively firm grip on readers, yet many dismiss the relationship they have with readers as shallower than that of the glossies; ‘trashy’, ‘disposable’ and ‘interchangeable’ are some of the adjectives our sales teams have heard.
Social Oxygen
With market-leading titles like Closer and Heat and market-defining titles like Grazia and First, Emap is as well placed as any to shed some light on this market. Our Insight team did this with the help of TW Research to conduct a major quantitative and qualitative study called SO Weekly! – entitled ‘SO’ because one of the major findings from the study was the role titles like Heat, OK, Now and Grazia have in providing ‘social oxygen’ to their readers.
The content fuels discussion not just reflection, providing familiar references for readers to share. We also found new weeklies are read at different times to glossies with mornings, work breaks and commuting coming out strongly. Readers therefore talked of how they often shared stories and comments as they were reading with friends or colleagues sharing the experience. If word of mouth is as powerful a marketing tool as you can get, new weeklies appear pretty well placed to help generate it.
This social oxygen means that they have a real buy-and-read immediacy. They’re consumed cover-to-cover within the week, often on the day of purchase to satiate the thirst for news and entertainment. “I read weeklies when I’m on the go, travelling to work… in the office“, a woman from Manchester said. Weeklies are snacks that are savoured in a busy woman’s day.
Friends Not Instructors
A possible reason why their success is so profound is that they’re seen by readers as friends and not instructors. Unlike glossies, they’re described as more outgoing, light-hearted and friendly, whereas monthlies are seen as more serious and ambitious. They’re less directional or voyeuristic and more accessible which reflects our ‘get the look’ culture that expects us to own and not simply stand back and admire. This offers brands a unique access into women’s inner circle of friends. Indeed perhaps because of this, readers said weeklies made them happier than monthlies!
Because of all this, readers told us that they related more with their favourite weekly than with their favourite monthly – weeklies have a stronger emotional affinity.
Strong Brand Identities
Women’s weekly magazine brands are very different in the minds of readers; the new weeklies have personalities that are well understood by readers. First for instance is described as more of a mentor that is more engaging and intelligent than other titles. Heat is seen as a gossipy, outgoing party-girl that puts a smile on readers’ faces. We know readers have repertoires influenced by promotions and which title has captured the hot story that week, but 72% of them know which title they want to buy before entering the newsagent and even which day the titles come out.
What does this mean for clients? Firstly, underestimate the powerful reader relationship with weeklies at your peril – there’s huge opportunity to capitalise on. Secondly, by providing social oxygen, by being read in sociable environments and by stimulating discussion not just reflection, they provide brands with a real opportunity to create word of mouth promotion.
Because they’re read earlier in the day and accompany women out and about, the advertising within them has a closer proximity to the retail experience and encourages more immediate action. “I’ll quite often look and think ‘Oh I need a new lip gloss, I’ll try that one”, said a woman from Manchester.
Brands can also influence purchase decisions from within women’s inner circle as these magazines are viewed more as friends than instructors.
Titles also have unique personalities. Far from being homogenous, readers view them as distinct and doing different jobs. Grazia is seen as more style guru while Closer is more like a friend. If the personality of the magazine rubs off on the brands advertised within it there’s opportunities for customers to take advantage by aligning the message with the title for a bigger effect.
How effectively does your clients’ existing activity benefit from word of mouth and proximity to customers’ retail routines?
Do your clients underestimate the strength of young women’s relationship with their weekly?
If your client hasn’t considered new weeklies before, perhaps it’s time they did.