Hearst Going Huge in September

Elle, darling, you are still on a roll.

Last year around this time we were happy to report on Elle Magazine breaking print and digital publishing records. They are set to do it again this year with their biggest September ever, reports Emma Bazilian in AdWeek.

And this year, they are joined by other Hearst titles Marie Claire and Harper’s Bazaar that are also posting record months and giant issues.

“Harper’s Bazaar and Marie Claire, which is turning 20 this year, will publish their biggest-ever issues (Bazaar was up 12 percent year-over-year with 444 pages while Marie Claire saw its pages increase 6 percent to 261), while Elle’s September issue, whose ad pages increased 5 percent for a total of 465 pages, will be its largest issue ever (and the largest issue Hearst has ever published for any title),” notes Bazilian.

Let’s repeat that a minute and let it sink in: The September issue of Elle will be the largest issue Hearst has ever published for any title. Ever.

The issues will feature multi-page spreads from iconic fashion names like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Tiffany, Coach, plus a 20-page booklet from Olay in Elle, according to Bazilian.

According to Hearst’s Michael Clinton, “much of the September growth was due to a rebound in the luxury fashion category, making up for softness early in the year,” Bazilian writes, adding that the advertisers are expecting a much stronger retail season this fall and through the rest of 2014.

That optimism is leading to some pretty awesome publishing for Hearst, and offers proof positive that print magazines are an enduring feature in the marketing toolkit. It also confirms what a lot of people have been saying, that magazine revenue will continue to show growth into the next year and beyond.

It’s fantastic to see these magazines going bigger than ever, and we expect we’ll see a lot of noses buried in those glossies in a few weeks.