We’ve seen newspapers struggle, with print circulation falling and online reach rising but what about the glossy magazine?
Magazines to me are what books are to avid readers-an experience.
Generating revenue via off the rack purchases, subscriptions and advertising the magazine is a lucrative business but just how is it affected in a digitising world?
There are many aspects of a magazine that give it longevity in print:
·Regular Freebies included with each issue
·Large vivid images that make it a keepsake/table talker
·Decorative front covers and collectable issues
·Engage all senses, touch, look, smell due to the high quality
·Sociable element-sharing with friends
·Relationship between writers, photographers and readers
·No links, videos or anything to distract you from content
The idea that magazines will always have their place on shelves even in the most digital world doesn’t mean that publishers should avoid a digital presence.
But for magazines already fully established in the print world, utilising social media platforms and different formats and devices at which their content can be accessed is a must. Take Elle for example the worlds biggest fashion magazine and largest online fashion network (Elle 2014), a large part of their income is generated via magazine purchases and advertising; they have created additional revenue streams online with adverts on their website and a digital edition magazine subscription available on iphone and android.
In order to connect both their online and offline platforms together they use social media including: Facebook with an incredible 4.4m likes , Twitter with 787,969 followers and Instagram with 413k followers to actively engage current customers and also to attract new ones worldwide. The coexistence of a print magazine and a companion website brings in more revenue through advertising than either type of media alone. (Jenna Kagel, 2014). Elle’s magazine currently has an average print issue circulation of 150,427 and a digital circulation of 4,862 (ABC, 2014) however the majority of digital circulation (over 3,000) is made up of countries where Elle print is not sold. This indicates that there is a demand for digital magazines worldwide.
Elle provide a print magazine that his aesthetically pleasing which makes it less disposable “People are always going to have their personal space, their flat or whatever, and they're going to want to surround themselves with personal things” (Paul Willoughby 2012) magazines being one of them.
I believe the future for print magazines are having an equal medium between online and offline content, after all, if all UK fashion magazines were replaced by tablet and digital alternatives wouldn’t they look frightfully the same? Imagine a doctor’s waiting room with no magazines available to read and the battery on your chosen device has gone…nightmare!
Magazine publishers need to create a presence both online and offline but it is still unclear what the ratio of digital to print should be. With digital first magazines emerging at a fast rate I would suggest magazines provide a website that features content in short form with more exclusive in-depth matter to be found in the print version. Social media of a magazine should become snapshots of what can be found at either and not become a platform that’s both free and enough to satisfy the audience into not needing to purchase other content.
It’s an exciting time for magazine publishers; they have an obscene amount of doors opening up to them that could increase reach and revenue in ways they could only once have imagined. Embrace the digital age, but shape it too.