Bauer Media to launch new Homes+ title for budget-conscious
The budget-conscious, family-orientated woman will be the target of a new homes magazine to be launched by Bauer Media in August, Mumbrella can reveal
Homes+, a monthly publication, will sit alongside Real Living in the Bauer stable, a title which has been tailored to a more affluent demographic over the past two years.
Bauer said consumer research identified a gap in the market for a publication which appealed to lower income, “house-proud Australians looking for practical, affordable and doable solutions”. 
It will place the “home decorator and renovator at the heart of every issue”.
Bauer Media specialist division publisher Brendon Hill said: “It’s a magazine with the right proposition at the right time.”
House+ editor in chief Deborah Bibby said it would aim for a circulation around the 60,000 mark, with a multi-million dollar marketing campaign across free-to-air TV, digital and in-store promotions, supporting the launch.
The magazine will have a “relaxed” tone, she added, and will cover topics including home renovations, decorating, cooking and gardening.
Digital will form a central plank of the launch, with a dedicated website offering unique content, while a Homes+ Youtube channel will be launched featured practical “how-to” videos. User generated content will also be a major focus, Bibby told Mumbrella, with an app likely to follow.
“We want to bring the magazine to life,” she said.
Bibby declined to disclose the cover price, only saying it will be “motivational” in order to appeal to its target audience.
The creation of Homes+ follows Bauer’s publicly announced strategy of continuing to launch new titles, although chief executive Matt Stanton has made it clear it will quickly shut down publications which fail to make a mark.
Bibby, who said circulation will be audited, admitted that Stanton’s comments put added pressure on the need for Homes+ to show almost immediate success.
“Yes it does [create added pressure],” she said. “But it is exciting and we are very confident it will resonate. When we spoke to focus groups they loved what they saw and wanted to take it home straight away.”
Bibby added: “Australians’ passion for home decorating and renovation shows no sign of slowing down, with our research indicating that three out of five plan to decorate or renovate their home in the next 12 months.
“Homes+ provides a great starting point to help Australians style their homes for less.”
A number of large retail advertisers have already committed to the publication, Bibby added.
Steve Jones
