Mags: State of the (mag) nation - September 2010 Circulation


The show's definitely not over for FAMOUS, the only weekly magazine to post a sales gain in the Audit Bureau of Circulations' latest survey period.

Mirroring the title's impressive readership gain, 5,391 more weekly sales were added to Pacific Magazines' coffers, in contrast to falls experienced across the mass weekly segment, a clear indication that its competitive pricing strategy, if not its extensive coverage of the captivating Kardashian sisters, has worked a treat.

The winner of the Women's Lifestyle award at the recent AMAs, Famous was acknowledged for "tapping into the zeitgeist" with weekly covers "reflecting the talk of the moment, with witty gossip and the latest celebrity news to boot". The magazine's change to a gloss cover "has also added to the magazine's success, making it stand out on the shelf from its matte-covered weekly sisters," said the AMA. I wouldn't hesitate to add a top-notch social media strategy to the winning mix.

Market leader Woman's Day dipped below 400,000 weekly sales, posting 392,503, a fall of -3.9%, but it was stablemate fashion weekly Grazia that lost the most ground, losing 11,778 weekly sales, representing 17.6% of its circulation. Reflecting newsagent Mark Fletcher's experience with the title, NW's circulation dipped a further 11.5%.

But it was the publishers' underacknowledged money makers, the cheapie "reality" weeklies, that lost the most sales overall: Pacific Magazines' That's Life, which underwent a redesign in May, lost weekly 25,555 sales, while competitor ACP title Take 5 shed 20,128.


Yours truly,
Girl With a Satchel

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