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.
2) What media industries and brands make up the Hearst Communications conglomerate?
They're made up from brands like First Databank, Homecard Homebase, Cosmopolitan, Esquire and ESPN.
3) What was the global revenue for Hearst Communications (in dollars) for the most recent year on record?
$10.8 billion
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?
17m digital users in the UK
Read this Campaign interview with Hearst UK CEO James Wildman.
5) What is James Wildman's plan for Hearst UK?
He wants 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?
10% this year, because the money is flowing to Google and Facebook
7) What Wildman think about premium content and paywalls?
He thinks that premium content should be paid for and that conglomerates such as Hearst Communications should charge for their premium content.
8) How has Hearst used diversification to grow the business?
"diversification looks the best way to grow." He runs about 100 events a year to let the audience experience the brand.
Read this Hearst UK press release for their late 2018 ABC figures.
9) Is Men's Health increasing or decreasing in circulation?
The increase in circulation was only 1%
10) What does the press release say about recent successes associated with Men's Health?
We are very proud to extend our market leadership position, and this best-in-class performance is testament to the creativity of our editorial teams and continued investment in our print products.
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?
The idea of the social media controlling most of media is very real and very true. The concept of "Hey, why don't I invent the internet?" is very much a XXI century thing.
2) What genre of magazines is currently bucking the trend and increasing sales? Why is this?
News and political magazines are becoming increasingly popular, but things like stories of celebrities, gossip and fashion magazines are still struggling.
3) In contrast, what magazine genres are struggling? Give examples of magazines that have declined or stopped printing altogether.
things like stories of celebrities, gossip and fashion magazines are still struggling.
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, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
5) What percentage of ad revenue is taken by Google and Facebook?
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?
Beyond their core print publication, it should create a brand, something that is original for the public.
7) Why does the Hearst UK CEO James Wildman suggest that the magazine industry is not dead?
Print publications that are targeted towards a niche audience are always likely to still have a fanbase and loyal readership, because the interests reflected in these magazines wouldn't necessarily be shown anywhere else.
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?
New revenue streams are being discovered through the idea of creating a wider range of products under the publication's brand name.
9) What signs for optimism might there be for traditional magazine brands?
Whether it's celebrity gossip, politics, or other subjects, there's a broad variety to choose from to fulfill the reader's interest, so it's basically the same as digital media.
10) How does Men's Health fit into this picture? Why do you think Men's Health has remained successful in the digital age? Do you think Men's Health will continue to publish for many years to come? Why?
MH has a really commited audience that is similar to the niche audience which means it is comminted to the magazine.
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?
Both media texts have the masculine feel to them, as if it is represented as toxic masculiity.
2) What is the Men's Health daily newsletter and what does it include? How does this help Hearst UK to make money?
There are a lot of things included, like the daily health news, weight loss tips and workouts, for free.
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?
workouts, muscle, fitness, nutrition and weight loss. It's very fit-based, with the options specifically selected to fit the right type of a reader.
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?
keep a cool head: This focuses more about the looks, could be targeted about 20-year-olds
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?
They will definitely gain bigger audience, but with that comes the dying press and all of the older people that prefer the physical form.
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.
They put famous influencers to asure the audience about the quality of their text
7) How does the Twitter feed uses images and video content alongside text and links?
They use a lot more images and video then text, because digital audience look for appearance and the image more then the actual information provided by the text.
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?
The Instagram is definitely aimed at younger audience, because the digital viewers are definitely under 30/40 years old.
9) Is the Men's Health social media designed to sell the print magazine or build a digital audience? Why?
It's definitely to build a digital audience considering that it's the future of media, internet and digital is going to become the main, if not the only media.
10) Evaluate the success of the Men's Health brand online. Does it successfully communicate with its target audience? Will the digital platforms eventually replace the print magazine completely?
I think that the MH is definitely succeding in the online world, but more as a mgazine that is targeted at a specific type of audience, and is definitely not as popular as it used to be.
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.
2) What media industries and brands make up the Hearst Communications conglomerate?
They're made up from brands like First Databank, Homecard Homebase, Cosmopolitan, Esquire and ESPN.
3) What was the global revenue for Hearst Communications (in dollars) for the most recent year on record?
$10.8 billion
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?
17m digital users in the UK
Read this Campaign interview with Hearst UK CEO James Wildman.
5) What is James Wildman's plan for Hearst UK?
He wants 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?
10% this year, because the money is flowing to Google and Facebook
7) What Wildman think about premium content and paywalls?
He thinks that premium content should be paid for and that conglomerates such as Hearst Communications should charge for their premium content.
8) How has Hearst used diversification to grow the business?
"diversification looks the best way to grow." He runs about 100 events a year to let the audience experience the brand.
Read this Hearst UK press release for their late 2018 ABC figures.
9) Is Men's Health increasing or decreasing in circulation?
The increase in circulation was only 1%
10) What does the press release say about recent successes associated with Men's Health?
We are very proud to extend our market leadership position, and this best-in-class performance is testament to the creativity of our editorial teams and continued investment in our print products.
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?
The idea of the social media controlling most of media is very real and very true. The concept of "Hey, why don't I invent the internet?" is very much a XXI century thing.
2) What genre of magazines is currently bucking the trend and increasing sales? Why is this?
News and political magazines are becoming increasingly popular, but things like stories of celebrities, gossip and fashion magazines are still struggling.
3) In contrast, what magazine genres are struggling? Give examples of magazines that have declined or stopped printing altogether.
things like stories of celebrities, gossip and fashion magazines are still struggling.
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, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
5) What percentage of ad revenue is taken by Google and Facebook?
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?
Beyond their core print publication, it should create a brand, something that is original for the public.
7) Why does the Hearst UK CEO James Wildman suggest that the magazine industry is not dead?
Print publications that are targeted towards a niche audience are always likely to still have a fanbase and loyal readership, because the interests reflected in these magazines wouldn't necessarily be shown anywhere else.
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?
New revenue streams are being discovered through the idea of creating a wider range of products under the publication's brand name.
9) What signs for optimism might there be for traditional magazine brands?
Whether it's celebrity gossip, politics, or other subjects, there's a broad variety to choose from to fulfill the reader's interest, so it's basically the same as digital media.
10) How does Men's Health fit into this picture? Why do you think Men's Health has remained successful in the digital age? Do you think Men's Health will continue to publish for many years to come? Why?
MH has a really commited audience that is similar to the niche audience which means it is comminted to the magazine.
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?
Both media texts have the masculine feel to them, as if it is represented as toxic masculiity.
2) What is the Men's Health daily newsletter and what does it include? How does this help Hearst UK to make money?
There are a lot of things included, like the daily health news, weight loss tips and workouts, for free.
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?
workouts, muscle, fitness, nutrition and weight loss. It's very fit-based, with the options specifically selected to fit the right type of a reader.
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?
keep a cool head: This focuses more about the looks, could be targeted about 20-year-olds
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?
They will definitely gain bigger audience, but with that comes the dying press and all of the older people that prefer the physical form.
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.
They put famous influencers to asure the audience about the quality of their text
7) How does the Twitter feed uses images and video content alongside text and links?
They use a lot more images and video then text, because digital audience look for appearance and the image more then the actual information provided by the text.
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?
The Instagram is definitely aimed at younger audience, because the digital viewers are definitely under 30/40 years old.
9) Is the Men's Health social media designed to sell the print magazine or build a digital audience? Why?
It's definitely to build a digital audience considering that it's the future of media, internet and digital is going to become the main, if not the only media.
10) Evaluate the success of the Men's Health brand online. Does it successfully communicate with its target audience? Will the digital platforms eventually replace the print magazine completely?
I think that the MH is definitely succeding in the online world, but more as a mgazine that is targeted at a specific type of audience, and is definitely not as popular as it used to be.
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