MAGAZINES Institution - how digital disruption is transforming the print industry

You can find details of the many closures with a simple google.

Every media industry has faced massive, often brutal, change as a result of digitisation. New forms of distribution are transforming ways of operating, with new names like Spotify and Netflix rising to threaten the old, established giants.

The term used to describe this phenomenon and process is disruption, or digital disruption - the smooth ways of doing business have been challenged, changed ... disrupted.

USEFUL TERMS: DIGITISATION; DISRUPTION

INDUSTRY AWARENESS: Because of the challenge of digitisation (young people preferring screens to print, and advertisers moving online, taking their money away from magazines), many titles have closed recently, unable to survive the double whammy of falling circulation (sales) and loss of advertising revenue*. If you really can't find current, ongoing titles, then you can use titles that were published during this current decade.       *magazines generally rely more on advertiser fees than the cover price to make money!


The story seems simple: digitisation means that print magazines are doomed - but there is, possibly, one exception - luxury magazines ... [article link]

MAGAZINE research: publishers and audience profiles

To research your market, you need to look at rival PUBLISHERS, not just specific magazine titles.

Magazine websites are consumer-focused, but publisher sites are advertiser-centred. Therefore, they will usually provide clear information on the audience of their brands, vital information for any company considering advertising with the title.

Here are some links to get you started, but look out especially for Bauer, TimeIncUK (formerly IPC Media), Future, NatMags and Emap as major names.

MagForum.com

Wiki.

TASK OUTLINE (type up in Word):

1: List at least 5 of the major magazine publishers operating in the UK, then identify at least 3 currently published UK magazines in your sector (eg gaming, music, fashion). This quote from an analysis of the magazine industry (see post) should help...

Overall print circulation at seven of the major publishers - Future, Dennis, Condé Nast, Bauer, Immediate, Hearst UK, and Time Inc UK - fell 2.47 percent. 

2: Find and save as a picture AND copy into your document at least 1 recent example of their covers.

3: Crop these pictures in Word/Pages to show only the masthead.

4: Identify the publisher and make their name a hyperlink in your document to the publisher website page on the magazine, separately noting the magazine website if there is one.

5: See what you can find about the target audience from their site, and write this up.
Some publishers put very clear briefings on their sites to help inform potential advertisers, who need to be very clear on who reads the title so they can make an informed choice on whether that fits with their own target market. You can always email them to ask for an audience breakdown (usually called an advertiser pack) to help you with school research - check if anyone else is looking at this title, so only one email is sent to each company.

6: Analyse the mastheads - do you see any pattern or design techniques common to your magazine sector?
Also identify any individual design aspects from these examples you think might help you design a convincing masthead for a new magazine within your sector.

HOMEWORK: Complete the above as necessary for Friday. On Friday you should have 3+ masthead designs, 3+ possible slogans [previous homework], and 3+ possible cover images for your proposed new magazine.
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