Futureproofing SA's magazine industry

Image credit: Charisse Kenion on Unsplash.

While this is an oversimplification, it does serve as a reminder to publishers and magazine titles to take a closer look at what can be done better in order to respond to the changing landscape.

Magazines ABC Q2 2019: Magazine declines shift to double figures

Danette Breitenbach  13 Aug 2019

The magazine industry is not wholly under threat and there are lessons to be learned and best practice insights that may deliver clues as to what the industry needs to do to remain sustainable.

While print may be dying, traditional journalism is certainly adapting

Rachel Briant  12 Jul 2019

Multi-channel focus

It’s easy to blame a ‘market decline’. But magazine publishers have to look at what they can do to futureproof themselves, such as becoming brands with a multi-channel focus with content continuing to play a central role.

Successful magazines are able to deliver exceptional content and translate it to different audiences through multiple touchpoints that include both digital and print as they no longer can afford to have a single-channel focus.

When brands get social media engagement right

Sheila Afari  26 Apr 2019

The way audiences consume print and digital media is not about an and/or approach, which means that creating meaningful content that adds value to the life of the reader will always be relevant.

To ensure that the reader keeps coming back month after month, an intimate understanding of what the reader wants, who they are, where they are and what they need is required. Doing this at different touchpoints and at all levels of the business will keep the brand’s revenue constant.

Print advertising in the top 10 of consumer touchpoints

5 Mar 2019

Deloitte estimates that by the end of 2020, the proportion of subscription to advertising revenue for publishers will be 50:50 in digital. According to research by the International Federation of Periodical Publishers (FIPP) and CeleraOne, as recently as 2012, this split was 10:90.

Move from the shelf to the consumer

A publication that has managed to successfully operate within a brand ecosystem is the Pick ‘n Pay Fresh Living Magazine. It has done exceptionally well to move from the shelf into the hands of the consumer – every month more than 500,000 Smart Shoppers pick up a copy of the magazine if they swipe their loyalty card.

This is an excellent example of a successful, integrated marketing approach. While the magazine is free to subscribers, customers still must make a conscious choice to put it in their baskets, for the stock to move.

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#coconut and #tumaric #chickenlivers straight from this month @freshliving_pnp cover to the #stove ,to the #dish and then the #table .Thank you for the #quickandeasy #recipes This one was the #maindish at my #50thbirthday and it was a hit.Thanks again for all the awesome #gastronomic content within your #freshlivingmagazine . #flgrams #foodforsharing #feelgoodfood #fortheloveofcooking #foodloversmarket #foodporn #homecooked #mycapetownkitchen #capetownrestaurants #capetowneats #instachef #chefs #capetownchef #inst

A post shared by Wendell Witbooi (@wendellwitbooi) on Aug 3, 2019 at 1:29pm PDT

Research suggests that there is a direct link between the Pick ‘n Pay stock profiled on the cover of the Fresh Living Magazine and sales for that month, demonstrating the unique influence that the magazine brand has on the value to customers.

An SA first: Fresh Living magazine now in Braille

John Brown  2 Jul 2019

Understanding your audience, creating valuable content

Another successful example is the Foschini Group, which has – according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa – a solid hold on the youth category with their publications ClubX and Kids Superclub that showed a growth in circulation.

These publications target different ages within the youth category and they are a good example of how understanding your audience well and delivering content that adds value to their life can ensure success.

One of the challenges magazines has is global content: many publications rely on global content, which does not always fully resonate with local audiences.

When global titles came to South Africa they were able to add constructive debate to issues relevant at the time, such as women’s rights or freedom of expression, for example, which resonated with the South African audience because no one was talking about it here yet.

However, today magazines have to repurpose global content to make it relevant for the South African audience as digital media means that consumers are today much savvier and in the know. This is in addition to magazines needing to create meaningful local content from scratch.

I used to dream about writing for magazines, now they write about me. Thank you Black Twitter, for all the love. ��@CelesteKhu you killed this cover! ✨ pic.twitter.com/AGtEBV0fIV

— Jamil F. Khan (@JamilFarouk) August 19, 2019

Magazines have a unique advantage in that they evoke a positive feeling in the reader, with global research suggesting that consumers have a more favourable reaction to printed advertising compared to many other media platforms.

The reader makes a conscious choice to pick up a magazine to access its content. Readers will always pay for quality content – no matter the channel, and if the product is sub-standard, like any business, it won’t survive.

Recognising this will help the magazine industry remain agile and continue to play an important role in today’s media landscape.