Despite Circ Woes, Some Titles See Strong Growth

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, March 15, 2001 by Cindy Gillis

Big gainers point to strong brands, increased marketing budgets and niche development as keys to their success.

Stagnant or declining circulation plagued consumer magazine categories from Entertainment and Automotive to Sports and General Interest in the second half of 2000. But the sales performances reported by the Audit Bureau of Circulations did include some winners. Of the 582 magazines reporting in time for ABC's second-half 2000 FAS-FAX report, more than half--53 percent--reported circulation gains compared with the second half of 1999.

Total paid circulation was down or flat for 12 of the top-20 largest titles, an improvement against the same period one year earlier when 17 of the top-20 magazines reported circulation declines.

Of the 317 titles making a ratebase claim, only three lowered ratebase, versus 15 that slashed ratebase in the same period last year. A total of 25 titles failed to make their ratebase promises, down from the 28 titles that missed ratebase in the second-half of 1999.

Strong categories

The Health & Fitness category, the Business segment and some individual titles within otherwise lackluster categories managed to show growth in the second half of last year, according to ABC figures. In the health category, Self, Health and Fitness each showed double-digit percentage circulation growth. Shape grew by 6.5 percent overall, but racked up an impressive 44.9 percent gain in single-copy sales (464,615 for the six-month period ending December 2000, compared to 320,651 for the same period in 1999). Only Prevention declined, by 1 percent overall, weighed down by an 18.4 percent drop in single-copy sales.

Eileen Kiernan, marketing director for Health, says Time Inc.'s commitment to secure visible newsstand placement helped bolster sales. Health's circulation grew by 11.5 percent in the last half of 2000, as compared to the same period in 1999, to a total paid circulation of 1,339,754. Single-copy sales climbed by 43.7 percent, to 151,652.

Kiernan says she is not surprised by the general good fortune of the category. "It's part of being in the right place at the right time," she says, adding that a focus on health and wellness has been building momentum for decades.

Although circulation numbers among the bulk of sports titles were flat or declining, at least one, ESPN The Magazine, was definitely on an upswing. Paid circulation for the six months ending in December 2000 was 1,175,526, a 32.1 percent increase from the second half of 1999. The total paid circulation of the magazine, which targets men 18 to 34 years old, grew despite a 17.8 percent drop-off in single-copy sales.

ESPN publisher Andy Sippel says his title, which focuses on the celebrity of athletes and their lives off the field, is reaching what had been an underserved demographic. The result has been steady growth since the magazine launched in March 1998 with a circulation of 350,000.

Sippel credits editorial quality for the increase, but also acknowledges that the established brand and broadcast promotion through the ESPN cable channel is a boon. "Clearly, it's the brand," he says. "People have an affinity for ESPN."

Sippel says he would like to improve single-copy sales, but adds that ESPN, as well as many men's and sports titles, is driven mainly by subscriptions. ESPN's average single-copy sales for the second half of 2000 was 55,410, according to the audit bureau, compared to 67,424 for second half 1999.

As for the overall performance of the Sports category, Sippel speculates that growth may not be a priority for all titles right now, particularly if they are trying to maintain their current ratebases and ad rates, or already have a large circulation share of the market.

Standalone standouts

There were some individual circulation standouts in the audit bureau report for the second half of 2000. More, Mode, Jane and In Style showed double-digit percentage growth. Jane, which targets an audience of young women, benefited from increased marketing and honing its voice, says Fairchild Publications president and CEO Mary Berner.

In the Men's category, Dennis Publishing's powerhouse title, Maxim, led the pack with a 47.8 percent overall gain, to a total circulation of 2,458,150. The title that focuses on the young men's market grew its subscriptions by 72.1 percent, to 1,463,517, and single-copy sales by 22.3 percent, to 994,633.

Also showing circulation growth in that category was GQ, whose December 2000 circulation of 898,508 was an 18.6 percent increase from the year before.

                                Categories
                                At A Glance
                          Top circulation gainers
                           in select categories.
                     TOTAL PAID TOTAL PAID
                     CIRC       CIRC
                     2000       1999       % CHANGE
Health
and Fitness
1. Self               1,294,091  1,142,683     13.3
2. Fitness            1,121,229  1,002,194     11.9
3. Health             1,339,754  1,202,084     11.5
4. Shape              1,618,130  1,519,787      6.5
5. Cooking Light      1,453,558  1,443,369      0.7
Sports
1. ESPN The Magazine  1,175,526    889,625     32.1
2. Running Times         57,019     52,558      8.5
3. Ski                  452,258    426,403      6.1
4. Golf for Women       367,406    349,241      5.2
5. Bicycling            282,774    277,260      2.0
Men's Lifestyle
1. Maxim              2,458,150  1,663,686     47.8
2. GQ                   898,508    757,558     18.6
3. Men's Fitness        607,738     530,64     14.5
4. Men's Journal        612,186    575,704      6.3
5. Playboy            3,211,393  3,151,512      1.9
Women and Fashion
1. Jane                 683,184    541,611     26.1
2. More                 588,218    504,873     16.5
3. Mode                 615,436    540,857     13.8
4. In Style           1,584,691  1,434,272     10.5
5. Marie Claire         948,321    903,127      5.0
SOURCE: AUDIT BUREAU OF CIRCULATIONS
(CIRCULATION AVERAGES FOR SIX MONTHS
ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2000.)