Lifestyle Magazines: Industry Report

Lifestyle Magazines

Product Type: Market Research Report
Published by: Key Note Publications Ltd
Published: April 2008
Product Code: R310-1568

Description

The past 2 years have been volatile ones for the lifestyle magazine market, with a number of high-profile launches and closures, and much corporate activity. Among the most significant developments within the sector was the sale of the consumer magazine and radio interests of media giant Emap to German company H Bauer in January 2008.

Other events of note include the disposal by men's magazine publisher Dennis Publishing of the majority of its US magazines, and the sale of a number of parenting magazines to Web specialist Magicalia.

There were two major launches within the women's weekly sector in 2006, but the picture since then has been mainly one of closures, especially of weekly titles.

Growth within the total men's and women's lifestyle magazine market has slowed considerably since 2004, a year that saw a number of important new magazine launches, notably the weeklies Zoo and Nuts within the men's lifestyle sector.

2006 and 2007 were also characterised by a growing focus on online methods of communicating with readers of lifestyle magazines. This process is most advanced in the specialist and men's lifestyle sectors, but women's lifestyle magazines have also increased their online presence, with a number of publishers revamping their magazine websites.

This trend towards online communication — coupled with a continuation of magazine brand extensions into radio and television — is something that will undoubtedly be a feature of the lifestyle magazine market during the next 5 years (to 2012).

Key Note's consumer research, exclusively commissioned for this report, showed that nearly four in ten adults claimed to be loyal readers of magazines, saying that they usually bought the same magazine(s) every week or every month. Just over three in ten tended to browse in the newsagents before deciding which magazine to buy in a particular month.

Nearly one in four were non-purchasers of magazines who nevertheless enjoyed looking at them. Just over one in four claimed to have no interest at all in magazines, and more than one in five said they were too busy to read them.

The magazine market is unlikely to show significant growth during the next 5 years (to 2012). This is due to a combination of poor economic conditions (which do not favour what is, in effect, a discretionary marketplace), together with a changing media climate, and overcrowding in the magazine sector.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

1. Introduction

REPORT FOCUS

DEFINITION

2. Strategic Overview

MARKET DYNAMICS AND SEGMENTATION

Table 1: The UK Consumer Magazines Market — Total Expenditure by Purchasers' Expenditure and Advertising Revenue (£m), Years Ending December 2002-2006

Table 2: The UK Consumer Magazines Market — Net Revenue by Copy Sales Revenue and Advertising Revenue (£m), Years Ending December 2002-2006

Table 3: The UK Market for Men's and Women's Lifestyle Magazines by Purchasers' Expenditure (£m), Years Ending December 2003-2007

DISTRIBUTION

Table 4: Average Weekly Expenditure on Magazines and Periodicals by Place of Purchase (£ and %), 1999/2000 and 2006

COMPETITIVE STRUCTURE

LAUNCHES AND CLOSURES

Table 5: Major Magazine Launches and Closures by Date, 2006-2008

ADVERTISING AND MARKETING

Table 6: Advertising and Purchasers' Expenditure in Consumer Magazines as a Percentage of Total Revenue, Years Ending December 2002-2006

Table 7: Advertising Expenditure in Consumer Magazines by Type (£m), Years Ending December 2002-2006

THE CONSUMER

MARKET FORECASTS

Table 8: The Forecast UK Market for Men's and Women's Lifestyle Magazines by Purchasers' Expenditure (£m), Years Ending December 2008-2012

3. Women's Lifestyle Magazines

BACKGROUND

MARKET SIZE

Table 9: The UK Sector for Women's Lifestyle Magazines by Purchasers' Expenditure (£m), Years Ending December 2003-2007

MARKET SEGMENTATION

Table 10: The UK Sector for Women's Lifestyle Magazines by Subsector (%), Years Ending December 2003-2007

Weekly Magazines

Table 11: The UK Subsector for Women's Weekly Lifestyle Magazines by Purchasers' Expenditure (£m), Years Ending December 2003-2007

Monthly Magazines

Table 12: The UK Subsector for Women's Monthly Lifestyle Magazines by Purchasers' Expenditure (£m), Years Ending December 2003-2007

CIRCULATION TRENDS

Weekly Magazines

Table 13: Selected Women's Weekly Magazines by Average Net Circulation, July-December 2003-2007

Monthly Magazines

Table 14: Selected Women's Monthly Magazines by Average Net Circulation, July-December 2003-2007

CONSUMER TRENDS

Table 15: Adults' and Women's Attitudes Towards Magazines (% of respondents), February 2008

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Launches and Closures

Relaunches

Other Recent Developments

MARKETING AND ADVERTISING

Table 16: Main Media Advertising Expenditure for Selected Women's Magazines (£000), Years Ending December 2006 and 2007

4. Men's Lifestyle Magazines

BACKGROUND

MARKET SIZE

Table 17: The UK Sector for Men's Lifestyle Magazines by Purchasers' Expenditure (£m), Years Ending December 2003-2007

MARKET SEGMENTATION

Table 18: The UK Sector for Men's Lifestyle Magazines by Subsector by Volume (%), 2004 and 2007

CIRCULATION TRENDS

Table 19: Selected Men's Lifestyle Magazines by Average Net Circulation, July-December 2003-2007

CONSUMER TRENDS

Table 20: Adults' and Men's Attitudes Towards Magazines (% of respondents), February 2008

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Launches and Closures

Relaunches

Other Recent Developments

MARKETING AND ADVERTISING

Table 21: Main Media Advertising Expenditure for Selected Men's Magazines (£000), Years Ending December 2006 and 2007

5. Specialist and Leisure Magazines

BACKGROUND

MARKET SIZE

CIRCULATION TRENDS

Home-Interest Titles

Table 22: Selected Home Interest Magazines by Average Net Circulation, July-December 2003-2007

Music and Film Titles

Music Titles

Table 23: Selected Music Magazines by Average Net Circulation, July-December 2003-2007

Film Titles

Table 24: Selected Film Magazines by Average Net Circulation, July-December 2003-2007

Computer and Gaming Titles

Table 25: Selected Computer and Gaming Magazines by Average Net Circulation, July-December 2003-2007

CONSUMER TRENDS

Table 26: Attitudes Towards Specialist Magazines (% of respondents), February 2008

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Home-Interest Titles

Music and Film Titles

Motoring Titles

Computer and Gaming Titles

Parenting Titles

Other Titles

MARKETING AND ADVERTISING

Table 27: Main Media Advertising Expenditure for Selected Specialist Magazines (£000), Years Ending December 2006 and 2007

6. An International Perspective

OVERVIEW

7. PEST Analysis

POLITICAL FACTORS

ECONOMIC FACTORS

SOCIAL FACTORS

TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS

8. Consumer Dynamics

OVERVIEW

Table 28: Summary of Research Findings Regarding Consumers' Habits and Attitudes Concerning Magazines (% of respondents), February 2008

Magazine Purchasing and Reading

Specialist Magazines

Product Endorsements and Brand Extensions

The Competition

Magazines Online

MAGAZINE-PURCHASING HABITS

I Usually Buy The Same Magazine Or Magazines Every Week Or Month (S1)/When I Buy Magazines I Always Browse First, And Buy What Looks Interesting To Me That Month (S2)

Table 29: Magazine-Purchasing Habits (% of respondents), February 2008

I Don't Buy Magazines But I Enjoy Looking At Them (S3)

Table 30: Non-Purchasers of Magazines Who Enjoy Looking at Them (% of respondents), February 2008

MAGAZINE-READING HABITS

I Am Not Interested In Magazines (S4)/I Am Too Busy To Read Magazines (S5)

Table 31: Non-Readers of Magazines (% of respondents), February 2008

I Read Magazines More Now Than I Did 5 Years Ago (S6)/I Read Magazines Less Now Than I Did 5 Years Ago (S7)

Table 32: Changes in Magazine-Reading Habits (% of respondents), February 2008

SPECIALIST MAGAZINES

I Regularly Read Magazines To Keep Me Up To Date On A Hobby Or Leisure Activity (S8)/I Find The Advertisements In Magazines Connected With My Hobby Or Interest Very Useful (S9)

Table 33: Attitudes Towards Specialist Magazines (% of respondents), February 2008

PRODUCT ENDORSEMENTS AND BRAND EXTENSIONS

If A Magazine I Normally Read Were To Produce A Range Of Products I Normally Buy (e.g. Clothes, Sporting Goods, Household Items), I Would Be Very Interested In Buying Them (S10)/I'm More Likely To Buy A Product If A Magazine Recommends It Than If I Have Just Seen An Advert For It (S11)

Table 34: Attitudes Towards Brand Extensions and Advertising in Magazines (% of respondents), February 2008

THE COMPETITION

Newspapers Carry So Many `Lifestyle' And Other Magazine Sections That There Is Less Need To Read Or Buy Magazines (S12)

Television Programmes Deal With The Same Subjects As Magazines So There Is Less Need To Read Or Buy Magazines (S13)

Table 35: The Competition — Newspapers and Television (% of respondents), February 2008

The Internet Is Such A Readily Available Source Of Information That There Is Less Need To Read Or Buy Magazines (S14)

Table 36: The Competition — The Internet (% of respondents), February 2008

MAGAZINE WEBSITES

I Often Visit The Websites Of Magazines I Normally Read (S15)/ I Often Visit The Websites Of Magazines I Don't Normally Read (S16)

Table 37: Use of Magazine Websites (% of respondents), February 2008

9. Company Profiles

CONDÉ NAST PUBLICATIONS LTD

Corporate Strategy

Advertising

Profitability

Table 38: Financial Results for Condé Nast Publications Ltd (£000), Years Ending 31st December 2004-2006