Condé Nast set to launch two new magazines despite downturn
Condé Nast is set to launch two new glossy titles in a bid to defy declining consumer magazine circulations, claiming that the market for new mags in the recession is “stronger than ever”.
The new bi-annual magazine from Condé Nast, LOVE, is set to launch next month in line with London, Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks and will feature “edgy and experimental” editorial, according to the publisher.
LOVE, which is aimed at “ardent lovers of fashion, style and popular culture the world over”, has been set up and edited by the former editor-in-chief of POP Katie Grand.
The magazine will be sold 100% at newsstands and not via subscriptions, primarily due to its weight – with 70% of copies being sold via traditional retail groups and newsagents and 30% through targeted, specialist stores such as Harvey Nichols.
LOVE has “exceeded its advertising forecast for the first issue”, according to Condé Nast. “The market for LOVE in a recession is stronger than ever with readers always allowing themselves small luxuries. At £5, LOVE is great value for money.”
Condé Nast is set to run a UK and international-wide advertising campaign prior to LOVE‘s launch, incorporating outdoor, a major point of sale promotion and a unique tie-up with a leading fashion retail store.
The publisher has gone all out to market the title alongside Europe’s biggest fashion shows and plans to project the magazine’s first front cover, which features a naked shot of Beth Ditto, onto buildings near the key shows in Paris and Milan, as well as on to the Holland Park roundabout outdoor digital site.
Nicholas Coleridge, Condé Nast’s managing director, said: “It is a new departure for Condé Nast UK to publish an edgy, high-end style title in this sector, and in Katie Grand we have the perfect editor who brings the perfect team.
“This promises to be a very exciting launch,” he added.
The publisher performed relatively well in yesterday’s ABC release – with Glamour claiming the crown in the women’s monthlies sector once again, despite seeing a slight dip of 0.4% year on year, taking its total circulation to just below 550,000 copies (see ABC Results July-Dec 2008:Glamour stays on top of the women’s monthly sector).
Vogue remained fairly static, while Vanity Fair posted an increase of 1.8% year on year, taking its circulation to a record-breaking 101,000 copies, though Easy Living and Tatler both suffered 5% year on year declines.
Coleridge said: “In a challenging period for magazines and the economy, we are pleased with the resilience of our quality glossy monthlies.”
Condé Nast also plans to launch a UK version of the long-running US-based men’s magazine, WIRED, which covers business, technology, science, entertainment and politics.
WIRED UK, which is set to arrive on newsstands on April 2, will be edited by David Rowan – who has previously worked as editor of the Guardian‘s websites, a features writer for the Sunday Times magazine and the Telegraph magazine as well as Channel 4 news broadcaster.
Condé Nast will also launch two new Wired websites alongside the new print edition launches in the UK and Italy – which will be headed up by WIRED‘s international channel manager Michael Parsons.
Parsons said: “Technology has such a universal language, and with our digital launch of Wired we are exploring a new strategy, which can then be rolled out across the CondéNet International network using a common platform.”
WIRED magazine and Wired.com reach more than 12 million readers per month in America, according to the publisher.
Condé Nast: 020 7499 9080 www.condenast.co.uk