Magazines: Men's Health Industry case study
Hearst publishing
Research Hearst publishing by looking at the Hearst UK website and the Wikipedia entry for the parent company and conglomerate Hearst Communications. Then, answer the following questions:
1) Hearst UK is part of Hearst Communications. What is Hearst Communications and where is it based?
Hearst Communications often referred to simply as Hearst, is an American mass media and business information conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, 300 West 57th Street or 959 Eighth Avenue, near Columbus Circle, in Midtown Manhattan neighbourhood of Manhattan in New York City.
2) What media industries and brands make up the Hearst Communications conglomerate?
Hearst owns newspapers, magazines, television channels, and television stations, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Houston Chronicle, Cosmopolitan and Esquire. It owns 50% of the A&E Networks cable network group and 20% of the sports cable network group ESPN, both in partnership with The Walt Disney Company.
3) What was the global revenue for Hearst Communications (in dollars) for the most recent year on record?
US$10.8 billion (2016)
4) Focusing on Hearst UK, what other magazine brands are part of Hearst UK publishing? How many UK people do they reach in print and online?
Now read this Campaign interview with Hearst UK CEO James Wildman and answer the following questions:
1) What is James Wildman's plan for Hearst UK?
His aim is to grow share in print to stem the decline, accelerate growth in digital, diversify revenues through events and partnerships, and look at acquisitions.
2) What percentage ad decline are consumer magazines facing?
That will be tough when consumer magazines are facing ad declines of more than 10% this year, money is flowing to Google and Facebook, and online influencers are chipping away at print brands.
3) What Wildman think about premium content and paywalls?
"I think we should charge for our premium content," he says, citing "the most extraordinary recipe archive" at Good Housekeeping as an example. But he says no paywalls are planned yet.
4) How has Hearst used diversification to grow the business?
Diversification looks the best way to grow. Hearst runs about 100 events a year and he plans to focus on fewer, bigger events such as Esquire Town House.
Finally, read this Hearst UK press release for their late 2018 ABC figures and answer two simple questions:
1) Is Men's Health increasing or decreasing in circulation?
Men’s Health is up 0.51% pop with a combined ABC of 146,785.
2) What does the press release say about recent successes associated with Men's Health?
#MendTheGap campaign continues to help redress the disparity between attitudes toward mental and physical health, whilst its range of home gym equipment is the best-selling premium gym range in Argos
The impact of digital media on the print magazines industry
Read this BBC website feature on the print magazine industry and then this Guardian feature on the demise of NME magazine and print magazines in general. Now answer the following questions:
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1) Why are traditional print magazines struggling?
2) What genre of magazines is currently bucking the trend and increasing sales? Why is this?
3) In contrast, what magazine genres are struggling? Give examples of magazines that have declined or stopped printing altogether.
4) Look at the Guardian article in detail. What statistics are provided to demonstrate the decline in the print magazines industry between 2010 and 2017? What about the percentage decline from 2000?
Those that readers buy or subscribe to – fell by 42% from 23.8m to 13.9m between 2010 and 2017. Since the start of the internet era in 2000, the decline is 55% from 30.8m.
5) What percentage of ad revenue is taken by Google and Facebook?
Google and Facebook account for 65% of the $6.5bn (£4.7bn) UK digital display ad market
6) What strategies can magazine publishers use to remain in business in the digital age?
Specialist magazines, catering for more niche audiences with interests ranging from shooting to model railways and ponies, are likely to always have a print fanbase.
7) Why does the Hearst UK CEO James Wildman suggest that the magazine industry is not dead?
“We sell nearly 5m a month, that’s hardly dead, and we have 20 million unique UK users online a month, and more than double that on social media.
8) What examples from the Guardian article are provided to demonstrate how magazines are finding new revenue streams? What is the Men's Health branding used for?
“Endorsement, accreditation and licensing are increasingly lucrative. DFS sell House Beautiful and Country Living [named after titles] range sofas. And the bestselling premium home gym at Argos is branded after our Men’s Health magazine.”
9) What signs for optimism might there be for traditional magazine brands?
“They are two things that went out of fashion in recent years as media agencies pivoted to buying audiences but weren’t worried about where ads were running. Now we are seeing readers and advertisers leaning back towards trusted brands.”
10) How does Men's Health fit into this picture? Why do you think Men's Health has remained successful in the digital age? Do you think Men's Health will continue to publish for many years to come? Why?
Men health has made their magazines available online which therefore has increased the revenue.
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The Men's Health website and social media
Visit the Men's Health website, Twitter feed and Instagram. Answer the following questions:
1) What similarities do you notice between the website and the print edition of the magazine?
They use a similar font. Both in the magazine and website, you can see the use of big bold images. Also, the pictures of "masculine" men are shown throughout the website and there are titles which show engima action just like the magazine
2) What is the Men's Health daily newsletter and what does it include? How does this help Hearst UK to make money?
It's a newsletter you can sign up to and they would send steps to become fitter, healthier and mentally strong with all the best workouts, nutrition and health advice delivered. For the premium stuff, the user might have to subscribe to Men's Health. Also through the information, they could be also advertising.
3) Look at the Men's Health website menu bar. What are the menu options? What does this suggest about the representation of men and masculinity associated with Men's Health?
Men's health is trying to show what they believe is masculine and what men should be searching if they want to be masculine. Stereotypes of men's interest and hobbies and shows how the magazine is not niche at all.
4) Choose one of the menu sections (e.g. Mental Strength) and write a list of the features in that area of the website. What target audience are these features aimed at?
GYM WEAR
Many articles on different gym wear
Advertisers different gym product
"Expert advice and unbiased reviews of what to wear to the gym and during your workouts that will make you look and feel great"
5) Do you think the Men's Health website is trying to sell the print version or simply build a digital audience? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a 'digital first' strategy?
They might be trying to build a digital audience because the website contains many articles and reviews and is less advertised towards the magazine. The advantages many that people would get a taster of their magazine and then might subscribe however going digital-first would mean people may see this as free and therefore not want to use their money for a subscription.
6) How does the Men's Health Twitter feed use 'clickbait' to try and get users to click through to the magazine's website? Give examples of tweets that are designed to get the audience to click through.
The titles are short engima codes and tend to not make sense which therefore makes the reader curious to read more to understand more.
7) How do Twitter feed use images and video content alongside text and links?
Images and videos are easier to engage with their audience and text and images together make a great combination because it addresses a large point fairly quickly and easily
8) What does the Men's Health Instagram suggest about the Men's Health brand? Is this appealing to a similar audience to the print version of the magazine?
Yes because on their Instagram they post pictures of influential men just like their magazine.
9) Is the Men's Health social media designed to sell the print magazine or build a digital audience? Why?
More to build a digital audience because their social media platform have a similar format to their magazine so its closer like to a digital magazine. They may be doing this because the use of digital media as increased and therefore it's easier for them to build a digital audience ad hope they subscribe to their magazine
10) Evaluate the success of the Men's Health brand online. Does it successfully communicate with its target audience? Will the digital platforms eventually replace the print magazine completely?
Maybe in the future, the digital platform may replace print magazine because there is a large decline in buying print magazine however if they go full digital then people may not think they are entitled to pay for these articles and magazines.
Research Hearst publishing by looking at the Hearst UK website and the Wikipedia entry for the parent company and conglomerate Hearst Communications. Then, answer the following questions:
1) Hearst UK is part of Hearst Communications. What is Hearst Communications and where is it based?
Hearst Communications often referred to simply as Hearst, is an American mass media and business information conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, 300 West 57th Street or 959 Eighth Avenue, near Columbus Circle, in Midtown Manhattan neighbourhood of Manhattan in New York City.
2) What media industries and brands make up the Hearst Communications conglomerate?
Hearst owns newspapers, magazines, television channels, and television stations, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Houston Chronicle, Cosmopolitan and Esquire. It owns 50% of the A&E Networks cable network group and 20% of the sports cable network group ESPN, both in partnership with The Walt Disney Company.
3) What was the global revenue for Hearst Communications (in dollars) for the most recent year on record?
US$10.8 billion (2016)
4) Focusing on Hearst UK, what other magazine brands are part of Hearst UK publishing? How many UK people do they reach in print and online?
Now read this Campaign interview with Hearst UK CEO James Wildman and answer the following questions:
1) What is James Wildman's plan for Hearst UK?
His aim is to grow share in print to stem the decline, accelerate growth in digital, diversify revenues through events and partnerships, and look at acquisitions.
2) What percentage ad decline are consumer magazines facing?
That will be tough when consumer magazines are facing ad declines of more than 10% this year, money is flowing to Google and Facebook, and online influencers are chipping away at print brands.
3) What Wildman think about premium content and paywalls?
"I think we should charge for our premium content," he says, citing "the most extraordinary recipe archive" at Good Housekeeping as an example. But he says no paywalls are planned yet.
4) How has Hearst used diversification to grow the business?
Diversification looks the best way to grow. Hearst runs about 100 events a year and he plans to focus on fewer, bigger events such as Esquire Town House.
Finally, read this Hearst UK press release for their late 2018 ABC figures and answer two simple questions:
1) Is Men's Health increasing or decreasing in circulation?
Men’s Health is up 0.51% pop with a combined ABC of 146,785.
2) What does the press release say about recent successes associated with Men's Health?
#MendTheGap campaign continues to help redress the disparity between attitudes toward mental and physical health, whilst its range of home gym equipment is the best-selling premium gym range in Argos
The impact of digital media on the print magazines industry
Read this BBC website feature on the print magazine industry and then this Guardian feature on the demise of NME magazine and print magazines in general. Now answer the following questions:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Why are traditional print magazines struggling?
"A big change is taking place in the market. There's now too much writing online, and in an era of fake news, where you get your analysis from has never been more important.""As newspapers and magazines are finding out, if you can publish writing that is consistently and significantly better than what can be found online, people will pay." But many editors are struggling to strike the right balance between physical and digital content.
- Prospect - up 37.2% to 44,545
- The Spectator - up 11.3% to 85,429
- Private Eye - up 8.6% year on year to 249,927 per issue
- The Economist - up 5% to 248,19
Its harder to find content like those on social media available for free.
3) In contrast, what magazine genres are struggling? Give examples of magazines that have declined or stopped printing altogether.
- Look - weekly sales down 35% year on year to 59,390
- Now - down 20.8% to 86,838
- Closer - down 19.8% to 196,126
- Heat - down 16.6% to 120,175
- Grazia - down 13.4% to 110,031
Also losing sales: Star (down 14.3%) Vanity Fair (10%), Marie Claire (6%), OK! (3.5%) and Vogue (3%).
4) Look at the Guardian article in detail. What statistics are provided to demonstrate the decline in the print magazines industry between 2010 and 2017? What about the percentage decline from 2000?
Those that readers buy or subscribe to – fell by 42% from 23.8m to 13.9m between 2010 and 2017. Since the start of the internet era in 2000, the decline is 55% from 30.8m.
5) What percentage of ad revenue is taken by Google and Facebook?
Google and Facebook account for 65% of the $6.5bn (£4.7bn) UK digital display ad market
6) What strategies can magazine publishers use to remain in business in the digital age?
Specialist magazines, catering for more niche audiences with interests ranging from shooting to model railways and ponies, are likely to always have a print fanbase.
7) Why does the Hearst UK CEO James Wildman suggest that the magazine industry is not dead?
“We sell nearly 5m a month, that’s hardly dead, and we have 20 million unique UK users online a month, and more than double that on social media.
8) What examples from the Guardian article are provided to demonstrate how magazines are finding new revenue streams? What is the Men's Health branding used for?
“Endorsement, accreditation and licensing are increasingly lucrative. DFS sell House Beautiful and Country Living [named after titles] range sofas. And the bestselling premium home gym at Argos is branded after our Men’s Health magazine.”
9) What signs for optimism might there be for traditional magazine brands?
“They are two things that went out of fashion in recent years as media agencies pivoted to buying audiences but weren’t worried about where ads were running. Now we are seeing readers and advertisers leaning back towards trusted brands.”
10) How does Men's Health fit into this picture? Why do you think Men's Health has remained successful in the digital age? Do you think Men's Health will continue to publish for many years to come? Why?
Men health has made their magazines available online which therefore has increased the revenue.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Men's Health website and social media
Visit the Men's Health website, Twitter feed and Instagram. Answer the following questions:
1) What similarities do you notice between the website and the print edition of the magazine?
They use a similar font. Both in the magazine and website, you can see the use of big bold images. Also, the pictures of "masculine" men are shown throughout the website and there are titles which show engima action just like the magazine
2) What is the Men's Health daily newsletter and what does it include? How does this help Hearst UK to make money?
It's a newsletter you can sign up to and they would send steps to become fitter, healthier and mentally strong with all the best workouts, nutrition and health advice delivered. For the premium stuff, the user might have to subscribe to Men's Health. Also through the information, they could be also advertising.
3) Look at the Men's Health website menu bar. What are the menu options? What does this suggest about the representation of men and masculinity associated with Men's Health?
Men's health is trying to show what they believe is masculine and what men should be searching if they want to be masculine. Stereotypes of men's interest and hobbies and shows how the magazine is not niche at all.
4) Choose one of the menu sections (e.g. Mental Strength) and write a list of the features in that area of the website. What target audience are these features aimed at?
GYM WEAR
Many articles on different gym wear
Advertisers different gym product
"Expert advice and unbiased reviews of what to wear to the gym and during your workouts that will make you look and feel great"
5) Do you think the Men's Health website is trying to sell the print version or simply build a digital audience? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a 'digital first' strategy?
They might be trying to build a digital audience because the website contains many articles and reviews and is less advertised towards the magazine. The advantages many that people would get a taster of their magazine and then might subscribe however going digital-first would mean people may see this as free and therefore not want to use their money for a subscription.
6) How does the Men's Health Twitter feed use 'clickbait' to try and get users to click through to the magazine's website? Give examples of tweets that are designed to get the audience to click through.
The titles are short engima codes and tend to not make sense which therefore makes the reader curious to read more to understand more.
7) How do Twitter feed use images and video content alongside text and links?
Images and videos are easier to engage with their audience and text and images together make a great combination because it addresses a large point fairly quickly and easily
8) What does the Men's Health Instagram suggest about the Men's Health brand? Is this appealing to a similar audience to the print version of the magazine?
Yes because on their Instagram they post pictures of influential men just like their magazine.
9) Is the Men's Health social media designed to sell the print magazine or build a digital audience? Why?
More to build a digital audience because their social media platform have a similar format to their magazine so its closer like to a digital magazine. They may be doing this because the use of digital media as increased and therefore it's easier for them to build a digital audience ad hope they subscribe to their magazine
10) Evaluate the success of the Men's Health brand online. Does it successfully communicate with its target audience? Will the digital platforms eventually replace the print magazine completely?
Maybe in the future, the digital platform may replace print magazine because there is a large decline in buying print magazine however if they go full digital then people may not think they are entitled to pay for these articles and magazines.
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