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.
1) Hearst UK is part of Hearst Communications. What is Hearst Communications and where is it based?
Hearst is an American mass media and business information conglomerate based in New York City, New York.
2) What media industries and brands make up the Hearst Communications conglomerate?
Hearst owns a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, television channels, and television stations, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Houston Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, 50% of broadcasting firm A&E Networks, and 20% of the sports broadcaster ESPN—the last two both co-owned with The Walt Disney Company.
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?
Cosmopolitan.com/UK engages more than 8 million global unique users per month, not counting over 4.8 million obsessed social media (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter) followers.
Read this Campaign interview with Hearst UK CEO James Wildman.
5) 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.
6) What percentage ad decline are consumer magazines facing?
Consumer magazines are facing ad declines of more than 10% this year, money is flowing to Google and Facebook, and online influencers are chipping away at print brands.
Read this Hearst UK press release for their late 2017 ABC figures.
9) Is Men's Health increasing or decreasing in circulation?
Increasing
10) What explantion is provided by Hearst for the success of their magazines in a tough print market?
The optional reporting table details the different dynamic distribution routes to market, which puts these magazines directly in the hands of their audiences through a tightly targeted mix of channels
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.
1) Why are traditional print magazines struggling?
Print sales have been declining for several years as readers find their content online
2) What genre of magazines is currently bucking the trend and increasing sales? Why is this?
News and current affairs magazines are becoming more popular - but celebrity, gossip and fashion publications are still struggling. It's a trend that Sarah Penny, editor of Fashion Monitor, puts down to the news agenda. "I think that we can all agree that the past 18 months have been pretty tumultuous within current affairs," she says."With the likes of Brexit and Trump's election, the unsettled nature of society drives readers to seek out factual news and understand the effects on the economy for themselves from reputable titles that have an authoritative voice."
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?
Sales of the top 100 actively purchased print titles in the UK – 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 30.8m
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.
6) What strategies can magazine publishers use to remain in business in the digital age?
Luxury titles such as Vogue and Tatler, where the advertising is often a big reason readers buy them, are proving resilient. Specialist magazines, catering for more niche audiences with interests ranging from shooting to model railways and ponies, are likely to always have a print fanbase.
7) Why does the Hearst UK CEO James Wildman suggest that the magazine industry is not dead?
It is overly simplistic to say it is just digital versus print,” he says. “Magazine businesses are much more diverse. We ran 100 events related to our magazines last year – [a] Harper’s Bazaar [event] sold out in hours at £600 a head.
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?
DFS sell House Beautiful and Country Living [named after titles] range sofas. And the bestselling premium home gym at Argos is branded after our Men’s Health magazine.”
9) What signs for optimism might there be for traditional magazine brands?
“With issues such as fake news, we are seeing the pendulum swing back because of two things: trust and context,” says Wildman.
“They are two things that went out of fashion in recent years as media agencies pivoted to buying audiences but weren’t worried about where ads were running. Now we are seeing readers and advertisers leaning back towards trusted brands.”
The Men's Health website and social media
Visit the Men's Health website, Twitter feed and Instagram. You may need to complete this part of the case study at home if it is blocked in school.
1) What similarities do you notice between the website and the print edition of the magazine?
-similar coverlines/links
-similar coverstars
-similar ads ie watches and gymwear/equipment
2) What is the Men's Health daily newsletter and what does it include? How does this help Hearst UK to make money?
Your dose of health news, weight loss tips and workouts straight to your inbox
-helps make money through daily ads
3) Look at the menu bar along the top of the website. What are the menu options? What does this suggest about the representation of men and masculinity associated with Men's Health?
-all references to appearance, fashion, watches, etc- suggests masculinity is about looking the part- all about the outside, inside doesn't matter.
4) Choose one of the menu sections and write a list of the features in that area of the website. What target audience are these features aimed at?
Muscle:
BULK UP TIPS
SIX-PACK TIPS
SUPPLEMENT
CELEBRITY MUSCLE
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?
digital version- attracts wider audience range- "digital first"- allows taster of what is included in magazine- in a way, advertises 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.
-Make sure your supps are working for you with these 8 most common protein shake mistakes
-Should you train sore muscles
-How to get a six-pack in four weeks
7) How does the Twitter feed uses images and video content alongside text and links?
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?
Instagram advertises videos and pictures which would appeal to the audience that would most likely buy the print; short teaser workout videos and pictures draws in an audience.
Hearst publishing
Research Hearst publishing by looking at the Hearst UK website and the Wikipedia entry for parent company and conglomerate Hearst Communications.
1) Hearst UK is part of Hearst Communications. What is Hearst Communications and where is it based?
Hearst is an American mass media and business information conglomerate based in New York City, New York.
2) What media industries and brands make up the Hearst Communications conglomerate?
Hearst owns a wide variety of newspapers, magazines, television channels, and television stations, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Houston Chronicle, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, 50% of broadcasting firm A&E Networks, and 20% of the sports broadcaster ESPN—the last two both co-owned with The Walt Disney Company.
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?
Cosmopolitan.com/UK engages more than 8 million global unique users per month, not counting over 4.8 million obsessed social media (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter) followers.
Read this Campaign interview with Hearst UK CEO James Wildman.
5) 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.
6) What percentage ad decline are consumer magazines facing?
Consumer magazines are facing ad declines of more than 10% this year, money is flowing to Google and Facebook, and online influencers are chipping away at print brands.
Read this Hearst UK press release for their late 2017 ABC figures.
9) Is Men's Health increasing or decreasing in circulation?
Increasing
10) What explantion is provided by Hearst for the success of their magazines in a tough print market?
The optional reporting table details the different dynamic distribution routes to market, which puts these magazines directly in the hands of their audiences through a tightly targeted mix of channels
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.
1) Why are traditional print magazines struggling?
Print sales have been declining for several years as readers find their content online
2) What genre of magazines is currently bucking the trend and increasing sales? Why is this?
News and current affairs magazines are becoming more popular - but celebrity, gossip and fashion publications are still struggling. It's a trend that Sarah Penny, editor of Fashion Monitor, puts down to the news agenda. "I think that we can all agree that the past 18 months have been pretty tumultuous within current affairs," she says."With the likes of Brexit and Trump's election, the unsettled nature of society drives readers to seek out factual news and understand the effects on the economy for themselves from reputable titles that have an authoritative voice."
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?
Sales of the top 100 actively purchased print titles in the UK – 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 30.8m
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.
6) What strategies can magazine publishers use to remain in business in the digital age?
Luxury titles such as Vogue and Tatler, where the advertising is often a big reason readers buy them, are proving resilient. Specialist magazines, catering for more niche audiences with interests ranging from shooting to model railways and ponies, are likely to always have a print fanbase.
7) Why does the Hearst UK CEO James Wildman suggest that the magazine industry is not dead?
It is overly simplistic to say it is just digital versus print,” he says. “Magazine businesses are much more diverse. We ran 100 events related to our magazines last year – [a] Harper’s Bazaar [event] sold out in hours at £600 a head.
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?
DFS sell House Beautiful and Country Living [named after titles] range sofas. And the bestselling premium home gym at Argos is branded after our Men’s Health magazine.”
9) What signs for optimism might there be for traditional magazine brands?
“With issues such as fake news, we are seeing the pendulum swing back because of two things: trust and context,” says Wildman.
“They are two things that went out of fashion in recent years as media agencies pivoted to buying audiences but weren’t worried about where ads were running. Now we are seeing readers and advertisers leaning back towards trusted brands.”
The Men's Health website and social media
Visit the Men's Health website, Twitter feed and Instagram. You may need to complete this part of the case study at home if it is blocked in school.
1) What similarities do you notice between the website and the print edition of the magazine?
-similar coverlines/links
-similar coverstars
-similar ads ie watches and gymwear/equipment
2) What is the Men's Health daily newsletter and what does it include? How does this help Hearst UK to make money?
Your dose of health news, weight loss tips and workouts straight to your inbox
-helps make money through daily ads
3) Look at the menu bar along the top of the website. What are the menu options? What does this suggest about the representation of men and masculinity associated with Men's Health?
-all references to appearance, fashion, watches, etc- suggests masculinity is about looking the part- all about the outside, inside doesn't matter.
4) Choose one of the menu sections and write a list of the features in that area of the website. What target audience are these features aimed at?
Muscle:
BULK UP TIPS
SIX-PACK TIPS
SUPPLEMENT
CELEBRITY MUSCLE
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?
digital version- attracts wider audience range- "digital first"- allows taster of what is included in magazine- in a way, advertises 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.
-Make sure your supps are working for you with these 8 most common protein shake mistakes
-Should you train sore muscles
-How to get a six-pack in four weeks
7) How does the Twitter feed uses images and video content alongside text and links?
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?
Instagram advertises videos and pictures which would appeal to the audience that would most likely buy the print; short teaser workout videos and pictures draws in an audience.
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