Three Magazines that are Making it Happen

OrganiclifeThree different titles with vastly different approaches all find success in print publishing.

At last month’s FIPP World Congress in Toronto, the general concession seems to be that print continues to have enduring power with its audiences, and the magazine industry is rewarding those with vision, mass appeal or just plain old good targeting.

“While mainstream magazine titles may be in decline in terms of sales, there is an abundance of innovation and growth in print in the independent sector,” notes Ashley Morris in Fipp in her article summarizing the event.

She cites three specific – and wildly different – titles that are making waves in print.

Joyce Nieuwenhuijs of the Dutch-based Flow Magazine credits “the vision of its entrepreneurs who have a clear vision for the way the company will evolve – ‘thinking big yet starting small,” explains Morris. “Flow has built up a loyal and passionate audience in many territories, and now publishes English, German and French editions as well as the original Dutch one.”

Facing declining ad dollars, the company found new revenue streams through its line of branded products that resonate with the fan base of this independent and growing magazine.

Meanwhile back in the States, People magazine continues to grow over the past three years.

“One in five Americans read People,” claims Deputy Editor Dan Wakeford, who notes that their revenue still comes primarily from print, with 3.5 million copies sold each week.

“Our market share is up three per cent in three years and we have a growing licensing business including People Germany,” Wakeford notes.

Taking advantage of popular opinion, the publishers of Organic Life say the time was right this year to launch a mainstream title on the organic lifestyle.

“In spite of its digital offering – Organic Life is a multi platform brand with a website that boasts 1.5 million uniques per month,” writes Morris,  “Oseland says that the title is ‘first and foremost a print magazine. Only by using print could we create something as intricate and diverse as the features we produce.’”

Be visionary, be bold, be on point. See the gap and fill it. This is how magazines achieve success.