Johannesburg - Glossy women's magazines appear to be dealing with the recession better than the rest of the print industry.
According to the latest figures released by the Audit Bureau of Circulations, there was a 4% drop in magazine circulation from July to September this year compared to the same period last year.
This is against an average drop of 10% for newspapers over the same period.
That magazines are showing resilience in these tough times is rather surprising, given that consumers seem to be pinching their pennies even more now.
Andreline van Tonder, associate publisher with Associated Magazines, said the stable has become conservative with its print orders to contain costs. This has seen titles in their stable hold steady.
Van Tonder said fashion magazine Cosmopolitan has seen a slight slide in sales, but its readership jumped from 823 000 to 984 000, according to the latest Amps data.
"The result of this is that our readers are sharing the magazine with each other during recession, but they are reading it now more than ever. We believe this is a temporary adjustment during the recession and that sales will recover after the recession," she said.
Marie Claire has been the most stable of all Associated Magazines titles.
The stable's House & Leisure had a price increase earlier this year. "We have had a new editor for House & Leisure since April and she has brought back the heart of the magazine," said Van Tonder.
Thought24, which houses Media24's magazines targeted at black readers, True Love and Move, said it experienced a dip in circulation and advertising revenue, but not at an alarming rate.
"True Love and Move are the largest brands in their segment of the market and there is a desire by advertisers to win more of our target market, said Jonathan Harris, chief executive and publisher of Thought24.
'Cautious and discerning'
Liezl de Swardt, publisher of Woman360, said a more cautious and discerning consumer is buying magazines this year.
"Many women a year ago may have loaded two or three magazines into their shopping basket without giving it a second thought.
"Now they are choosing more carefully and buying only their very favourite titles," she said.
Woman360 houses Fairlady, Femina, Psychologies, Sarie, Leef, Your Pregnancy, Your Baby and Baba & Kleuter. Its star titles are the iconic Fair Lady and Sarie.
"During tough times, consumers tend to gravitate towards the brands they know and trust.
"The resilience of brands like Sarie and Fairlady bears testimony to this. Value for money and editorial relevance are always important but become deal-breakers during tough times," said De Swardt.
Even those buyers who had been loyal readers of specific magazines for years would stop buying a brand that did not deliver content that was pertinent to their situation.
According to the circulation figures, fourth-quarter performance will be the key to the market regaining confidence in the consumer magazines segment.
Business and lifestyle magazine Destiny, which was launched at the beginning of the financial crisis, has managed to treble its readership to 186 000 in two years.
- City Press