Magazines: Men's Health Industry case study
To explore the Industries context for Men's Health we need to study Hearst publishing and look at the impact of digital media on the print magazine industry.
This means interrogating why the internet has had such a devastating effect on certain print brands and why some other magazines are continuing to thrive in the digital age. We also need to spend some time on the Men's Health website and consider the similarities and differences to what we've found in the print version of the magazine.
Notes from the lesson
Men's Health UK is published by Hearst Publishing UK, a subsidiary of Hearst Communications.
Hearst Communications is an American media conglomerate based in New York that is over 130 years old and is still owned by the Hearst family.
It owns a range of media and business information brands including American newspapers, magazines (e.g. Cosmopolitan), half of the A&E Network TV channel and 20% of US sports broadcaster ESPN.
It employs 20,000 people and its 2016 revenue was $10.8 billion.
Hearst Publishing UK
Hearst UK publishes over 20 magazine titles including Men’s Health, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Inside Soap and more.
Hearst UK brands reach 30% of UK women and 25% of UK men. They sell over 4m magazines a month and have 17m UK digital unique users.
Hearst UK has also diversified into events and other licensed brand extensions (e.g. Esquire Townhouse pop up members club, Country Living sofas and Men’s Health home gym equipment).
The impact of digital media on the magazine industry
Some key questions:
- Why has digital media (the internet) had such a devasting effect on the magazines industry?
- When did YOU last buy a magazine?
- Who IS buying magazines?
Suggestions for SWOT analysis of the impact of digital media on magazines:
- Strengths: Magazine brands are well established to diversify online, audiences already know and like them.
- Weaknesses: Print publishers do not have the expertise or knowledge of digital – it is a very different medium.
- Opportunities: Magazines can find new audiences online.
- Threats: Audiences will stop buying paper products and expect everything online for free.
Ultimately, it is this threat that has had the most devastating impact on the industry:
- Print sales fell by 42% from 23.8m to 13.9m between 2010 and 2017.
- Back in 2000, sales were over 30m – signalling a 55% decline in just 17 years.
- Advertising in consumer magazines has fallen from £512m in 2010 to £250m in 2017.
- Google and Facebook now dominate online advertising (they account for 65% of the UK digital ad market).
As a result of these changes, many magazines have closed.
Digital media: Hearst and Men’s Health
Hearst UK has posted losses in recent years due to the decline in the magazines market.
Men’s Health has also declined in recent years from a circulation high of 228,000 in 2008 to around 120,000 now. However, it has moved up and down in recent years (dropping to 160,000 in 2016 before going up to 180,000 in 2018) which shows decline is not necessarily inevitable.
Men's Health - Industries case study blog tasks
This is a comprehensive case study covering a range of Industry contexts. It is divided into three sections: Hearst publishing, the impact of digital media and Men's Health online platforms. You will need to allow for at least two hours to work through the following tasks.
Hearst publishing
Research Hearst publishing by looking at the Hearst UK website and the Wikipedia entry for 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?
2) What media industries and brands make up the Hearst Communications conglomerate?
Hearst Television
Hearst Magazines
Hearst Ventures
Hearst Business Media
Hearst Entertainment & Syndication
Hearst Newspapers
Verizon Hearst Media Partners (50%)
3) What was the global revenue for Hearst Communications (in dollars) for the most recent year on record?
US$11.4 billion (2019)
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?
hey reach a total of 1,880,400 readers a year.
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 decline, accelerate growth in digital, diversify revenues through events and partnerships, and look at acquisitions'
2) What percentage ad decline are consumer magazines facing?
10%
3) What Wildman think about premium content and paywalls?
That Hearst should charge for premium content but no paywalls are planned.
4) How has Hearst used diversification to grow the business?
They run events, sell merchandise and endorse other products: "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?
Increasing
2) What does the press release say about recent successes associated with Men's Health?
'Men’s Health’s #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?
The rise of the internet and digital media: content published in magazines can be found online for free.
News and current affairs magazines due to the nature of them: we rely on the media to give us information of the current political climate and news.
3) In contrast, what magazine genres are struggling? Give examples of magazines that have declined or stopped printing altogether.
Celebrity, gossip and fashion titles: LOOK, NOW, HEAT, GRAZIA
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
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. They are also strangling attempts by magazine and newspaper publishers to build their digital ad revenues by taking about 90% of all new spend.
6) What strategies can magazine publishers use to remain in business in the digital age?
Including special and inclusive content, such as content only accessible on your website, can help build a digital consumer base. Advertising is an obvious one, although even massively advertised magazines like Vogue have seen a decline in readership. Marketing to audiences with niche interests can also help maintain readership.
7) Why does the Hearst UK CEO James Wildman suggest that the magazine industry is not dead?
Wildman suggests the magazine industry isn't dead because they are "much more diverse"
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." The Men's Health brand is being used for home-gym equipment on sale at Argos.
9) What signs for optimism might there be for traditional magazine brands?
There is always going to be a demand for certain magazines like news and current events that niche audiences may feel important to consume and preserve physically.
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's Health will be in production for at least a decade because they can survive a lot off their health products. As society becomes more conscious about body image, they can exploit that market and get a lot of profit.
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 have very similar cover lines about losing fat, with a focus on the body. While both having hypermasculine images and texts and promote fitness and health, they also shed light on men's mental health and the struggles they endure.
2) What newsletters are offered by Men's Health what do they include? How does this help Hearst UK to make money? There is more information on newsletters here if you need it.
An email subscription which delivers work out, nutrition and health advice. It helps Hearst as customers are also emailed with promotions and offers from the company.
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?
The options are fitness,mental strength,health,nutrition and workouts. These are all conventional aspects of masculinity that links it to strength. However, the addition of mental strength shows the evolution of traditional masculinity
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?
Mental health:How to Deal with Stress
How to Support Your Friend's Mental Health during Quarantine,
The Prison PT: Lockdown, Just Like Prison, Presents You With an Opportunity
Considering Therapy, but No Idea Where to Start? This Will Help
21 Reasons Why Men Don't Talk About Their Mental Health -And why every single one of them is bollocks...
Fighting Spirit: The Military's Battle for Better Mental Health
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?
The website seems to mainly be focused on building a digital audience instead of selling the print version.
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.
This simple switch can make a big difference in how you feel...
“I was a little shocked to see you only had to lift weights 3 days a week,” he said...
Somehow, the CrossFit champ never feels hungry...
7) How does the Twitter feed uses images and video content alongside text and links?
They use videos and images as a visual medium to to entice audience and help frame text and links in an easily digestible way. They use links to promote their digital content.
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?
It seems to appeal to a similar audience, posting similar content - workout tips, celebrity endorsements. However the Instagram doesn't link to the print subscription, suggesting a target of a younger and more digitally inclined audience.
9) Is the Men's Health social media designed to sell the print magazine or build a digital audience? Why?
It mainly seems to be building a digital audience, due to digital diversity being key to surviving in the industry.
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?
It is consistently publishing articles relevant to current events with a 21 million readers across it's social and digital platforms, showing to be very successful and communicating with it's target audience. I believe that it's likely it will eventually replace the print magazine, although the magazine market still hasn't died out completely so it will probably be a long time in the future until we see that happen.
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