Arena Relaunches In Bid To Arrest Declining Sales
Declining men’s magazine, Arena, has been overhauled and relaunched as a lifestyle magazine for the “urban playboy in his late 20s to mid-30s”.
The new-look title, which has seen its circulation slide in recent years amid a generally depressed market, is to be the “authoritative monthly bible that arms its readers with both the sharpest looks and opinions,” according to Giles Hattersley, the former Sunday Times chief interviewer who was appointed editor of Arena earlier this year.
David Beckham is on the cover, top of Arena‘s inaugural “40 under 40” power list; alongside regular new sections including Handbook, a “definite guide to what to buy”; Life, “dedicated to surviving or escaping the concrete jungle”; and a monthly review section.
“It will resonate with and reflect the lifestyles of young men today – the ‘me generation’ – who earn more, dress better, party harder and are better educated than at any other time in history,” added Hattersley.
The new design has been led by the Arena creative director, Balwant Ahira. Writers in the December issue include Fraser Nelson, David Aaronovitch, Mark Lawson, AC Grayling, Tristram Hunt, Chrissy Iley, Nirpal Dhaliwal and Guy Adams.
Arena, which is owned by Emap, saw its ABC fall to 30,886 for the first six months of this year, down by more than 23% year on year.
Rob Munro-Hall, the managing director of Emap Consumer Media’s men’s and music portfolio, described it as a “premium men’s lifestyle magazine for modern, urban and stylish young men”.
He said: “With an increasing online offering and international portfolio, Arena remains a crucial component of Emap’s unrivalled roster of men’s lifestyle brands.”
The most recent ABC concurrent release for consumer magazines showed an overall downward trend for the men’s market, with Emap’s FHM the hardest hit in the sector, down by almost 110,000 copies year on year, a percentage decline of around 26%. However, it remained the best selling magazine in the sector.
Loaded, published by IPC Media, suffered a year on year fall of 35%, or nearly 64,500 copies in real terms, to leave it with a total circulation of just under 120,500 (see ABC Results Jan-Jun 2007:Big Declines In Men’s Sector).
Emap: 01733 568 900 www.emap.co.uk