Executive Summary
The UK market for men's magazines is a relatively young one, which has
developed in the last 10 years. Traditionally, men have been served by
magazines on their specific interests, such as sport, music and cars, as well
as pornography. With the launch of titles such as FHM and Arena,
the mid-1980s saw the advent of a new breed of magazine for men, based on the
style of the women's glossy titles, but written from the male perspective.
Since then, all the leading magazine publishers have introduced similar titles
and intense competition is serving to ensure continued growth and
development.
The market includes consumer magazines written primarily for men. Lifestyle
titles, such as GQ and Esquire, form the backbone of the market,
but special interest magazines promoted on a lifestyle platform, like
Select, Max Power and Men's Health are also included.
Traditional hobby and interest magazines are mentioned in context, but not
included in the data. The majority of men's titles are published monthly.
The total market was worth an estimated £82m in 1995, with 69.8% of this
accounted for by sales revenue. However, a high proportion of sales came from
the erotic market. In the mainstream market, advertising revenue was higher
than sales revenue. The leading publisher of men's magazines is EMAP, which
owns five of the top-selling titles. With the exception of the pornographic
publishers, most other publishing houses own just one men's title. These
include IPC, The National Magazine Company and Condé Nast, the other
leading publishers of consumer magazines.
The vast majority of men's magazines are sold via newsagents but, in line with
the trend in other magazines markets, an increasing number are being sold by
supermarkets, which now account for an estimated 9% of all magazine sales, or
via subscription.
Main media advertising expenditure for the purpose of promoting the magazines
themselves, increased by 6.6% between 1994 and 1995, to stand at £2.1m.
This was equivalent to 2.6% of market value and significantly lower than the
£24.8m revenue gained from advertising within the magazines.
The market looks set for continued healthy growth into the 21st century. Having
emerged triumphant from the recession, through which the market continued to
develop, it is now in a position to benefit from its high profile and the
changing attitudes of men towards magazines. Changes in the pattern of
distribution are creating more buying opportunities and helping to guarantee
future sales. Increased competition will serve to maintain and improve
standards.
First Edition 1996
Edited by Phillippa Smith
ISBN 1-85765-521-4
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