New Media For Magazines

The evolution of the internet into an all-powerful media platform is forcing traditional owners to change their business models, expand their offerings and radically re-think tried and tested content formulas. Phil Cutts, Director of Marketing at PPA Marketing, explains the implications of online content for the consumer magazine sector…

With control increasing over how and when consumers engage with media channels, traditional media such as print, TV and radio are to having to re-evaluate their approach to fit in with this changing behaviour. This could be said to be especially true of consumer magazines which, on the surface, appear to be one of the more “fixed” media. However, a closer look reveals an innovative approach designed to meet the expanding new media landscape head on.

Consumer magazines enjoy a uniquely strong relationship with their readers and their ability to engage is recognised as being a core strength. Consumers trust, support, participate with and enjoy status by association with their chosen magazines.

Magazines denote personal enjoyment and are consumed at the reader’s leisure. They represent more than the simple delivery of content and information, being associated with enjoyment, escapism and relaxation. A magazine becomes part of a reader’s “inner circle of trust” and can act as a friend, mentor or coach.

A magazine can reinforce a reader’s identity as each title has a specific character. It is these subtle differences of character between titles which make the relationship between reader and magazine such a strong and personal bond.

So, consumer magazines are recognised as having distinctive personalities in their own right. However, it is their ability to transfer the power of such strong and recognisable brands beyond the printed page that is enabling magazines to compete in a new media landscape.

Harnessing the power of the internet, many magazines have established themselves as digital brands in their own right, for example Condé Nast’s vogue.com and GQ.com. The websites are not exact replicas of their parent publications since publishers appreciate that people look for different delivery and style of content on-line to on paper. So whilst these sites reflect the essence of their printed counterparts, the content has been tailored to suit Vogue and GQ’s internet consumers.

A majority of the major titles have handled the transfer from print to the internet in this manner demonstrating that publishers are aware of and reacting to the changing media environment and effectively make it work for their brands.

Beyond this, we are beginning to see a whole range of associations and ideas appearing around a central brand that effectively widens its appeal and success. Many titles have capitalised on this opportunity to expand their audience and have developed magazine brands by utilising other media such as the TV, radio and the internet.

In 2004, Kerrang launched their branded masthead TV, Kerrang TV, and last month’s FHM mobile TV offering allows consumers an hour’s worth of three to five minute mini-programmes each week on the 3, Orange and Vodafone networks.

In some cases the brand extension lives beyond the original brand as is the case for Smash Hits music TV channel and digital radio launched in 2002. Despite the magazine closing last year, the brand is still going strong.

With the advancement of digital media providing consumers with more immediate access to a wider pool of information, expectations of media have significantly increased. At present, the internet has overtaken the print world in allowing the user even more control than the magazine or newspaper reader. Whereas a reader can react to what is printed in a publication, an internet surfer can not only choose any topic to explore but can look at that topic from a myriad of different angles.

This depth of variety is why it is so fundamentally important for magazines to adapt to and adopt this new multi-platform role. Integration is the key word for the future of all media, and magazines are well placed to capitalise on and evolve alongside their consumers.

Due to their inherent flexibility, consumer magazines are in a strong position to continue developing new niches in the market, as well as capitalising on their ability to integrate effectively with other mediums such as TV and digital media. As a result they are not only evolving into powerful brands, but have also succeeded in establishing that they have a valuable role in the new media environment.