Australia is in the middle of a print magazine renaissance. As Jane Huxley, CEO of Are Media pointed out last year, “magazines are an affordable ‘luxury’ and provide a break from the worries and pressures of day-to-day life. At the same time, they represent a way to escape the digital and social media noise.”
Are Media, publishers of The Australian Women’s Weekly, Woman’s Day, and the newly relaunched ELLE, are leading this renaissance, with their print stable now reaching over six million magazine readers a month, after six quarters of continuous growth.
Lisa Hudson is general manager of Are Media’s Homes division, which houses some of the country’s most-read magazines, including Better Homes and Gardens, Home Beautiful, Australian House & Garden, Inside Out, Belle, Country Style, and Homes to Love.
She joined Are Media last October, and has led a refresh of Inside Out, upcoming changes to Australia’s most-read paid magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, and is in the midst of Belle’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
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Hudson spoke to Mumbrella about all this and more.
You’ve worked in print magazines for a while, and seen both declining numbers, and rising numbers. What’s the attraction to print magazines?
Magazines will have a place in people’s lives for many years to come. They offer an immersive, relaxing escape from our busy schedules, allowing us to slow down, switch off and indulge in some much-need “me time”.
The power of magazines speaks for itself: at Are Media we reach nine in 10 Australian women every year, with 32 different brands, half a million email subscribers and 21 million social connections (the highest per capita of any publisher in the world).
I’m a good case in point. Long before I started at Are Media, I saw in one of our homes magazines a living space I loved. I went out the next week and bought the exact table, chairs and light fitting – that’s the power of magazines and the talented creative people behind them.
We know from the letters we get from our devoted readers – and we can see in our increasing readership numbers – how important magazines can be at every stage of our lives. They inform and inspire, entertain and provoke, and prove the power of great storytelling. They are beautiful, high-quality, an affordable luxury.
The evolution of magazines from physical to digital and e-commerce is also exciting – magazines will always be the centrepiece to grow across channels. They are the original communities of likeminded people sharing a passion for a particular subject. As we move to a truly omnichannel environment, we have the ability to connect people and inspire action like never before.
How do you feel about the magazine sector at the moment? I know readership is up across Are titles, What are your thoughts on why this is – and is this a blip or a trend?
We are very optimistic about the magazine sector and it remains a hugely powerful channel. Within our homes vertical alone we reach a remarkable 3.2 million people per month! And we are growing in reach as we transform from a print publisher to an omnichannel content company.
At Are Media we’ve seen a prolonged trend of readership growth. In homes the vast majority of our titles increased readership year-on-year in the March results: Home Beautiful was up 22%, Country Style up 21%, and Australian House & Garden up 7%, for example.
I believe this demonstrates that in times of economic uncertainty people’s interest in their homes is higher than ever, as places of safety and sanctuary. And when people are feeling the pinch, they are careful with their money: they are looking for smart, inspiring, accessible ideas to update their homes without breaking the bank. That’s when trusted experts come into their own, and we have the most trusted homes brands in Australia.
But the Australian publishing landscape is evolving, and the future is not just about magazines, although they remain our core assets. It’s about building on the influence of the magazine brands to diversify our revenue, particularly in e-commerce. Magazine editors are the original influencers, with enormous knowledge and authority. That’s why we’re building our capability in content commerce, so that we can complete the customer journey from the inspiration at the top of the funnel right through to purchase.
We have always played a role in informing and inspiring people, so it makes sense to go one step further, inspiring an action and igniting that intention to buy. It’s a natural evolution of the role magazines have always played.
You have some of the most-read titles in Australia under your control. With a title like Better Homes, for example, how do you strike the balance between innovation, and not messing with a beloved product?
We do have some of the most-read and most-loved titles in Australia. It’s a great question and striking that balance is something that demands careful consideration. Better Homes and Gardens, for example, is an absolute powerhouse! It’s still the most-read paid title in Australia with a cross-platform reach of 2.2 million, and people just love it, they feel a strong loyalty and connection to it. We’re about to announce a new editor, so watch this space!
Striking a balance between innovation and protecting our beloved products is about having a deep understanding of our audience and ensuring that our content evolves as times change, but remains true to our purpose of inspiring people to create beautiful homes. New ideas are always welcome! For example, with the cost-of-living crisis impacting so many households, while we’ll always be aspirational, we are conscious that not everyone can afford a big renovation so we might focus on weekend decorating projects that are more achievable. We conduct regular content surveys across our brands so we know what type of content is most appealing, and what is least, ensuring we are relevant to our readers’ lives.
We’re also focused on delivering content where and when our audience wants it, and enabling this through digital innovation is also our priority.
Is there a different readership for the online sites as opposed to the print magazines – is this something you focus on? Are they treated as different audiences?
There is surprisingly little crossover in our print and digital readers, but while they are not the same person they are the same kind of person: someone who loves quality homes content.
Across our homes websites – Homes To Love, Home Beautiful and Better Homes and Gardens – our audience is driven by search and social. We use data to inform all of the content we create for our websites, whether that be SEO data, Google analytics or social insights. (These insights also feed into our print content plans!) Our social audience is different again and the content we create for our social channels requires a different approach, often video, for example.
Of course, a good piece of content can work for print, digital and social, but it requires us to keep the different treatments in mind from the point of ideation.
Subscription models are in favour with everything from music to TV to food – have you noticed a shift in the percentage of subs vs. news-stand sales?
Yes, we have seen a shift towards subscriptions over the past four years across most of our titles, however retail sales still represent most sales for all homes brands. Across our portfolio the percentage of subscriptions ranges from around 30% to more than 50% and we are always thinking of ways to grow our subs base as these are our most loyal customers.
Right now, we are looking at creating a premium membership club including exclusive content, specials deals on homewares and furnishings, behind-the-scenes experiences and events.
Is there much crossover between the Homes group publications in regards to staffing?
No, each brand has its own dedicated team who know their audience implicitly and ensure that every issue and every story connects, informs and inspires readers. Whether it’s a piece on what it’s really like to move to the country, a home tour or a round-up of our favourite rugs, each team has a deep understanding of what their particular audience wants and the nuances of each brand.
Tanya Buchanan, however, is Editor-in-Chief of Belle and House & Garden, with dedicated teams on each title.
Is there competition between the Homes titles – and how do you avoid one stepping the toes of another, content-wise?
The homes group is very much a “house of brands” and we’ve done a lot of work ensuring that we don’t step on each other’s toes. Our audience has a common desire to make their homes as beautiful as possible. Within that group are clearly differentiated segments, ranging from people who are driven by attainable luxury and global design, to those who are “doers” and active renovators, to those who prefer classic design and quality and are probably living in their “forever home”, to those looking for practical and affordable tips.
Our market share within the home and garden pillar is a remarkable 93% so we cater for every aspect of the market, from first home buyers to established home owners, decorators, renovators, gardeners and cooks. But each brand has its own unique style, focus and personality.
There is healthy competition, though!
What else is going on at Are Media?
As part of Are Media’s broader content commerce strategy, we’re excited to have launched a digital marketplace for Home Beautiful on May 6 featuring more than 5,700 homewares products, chosen and curated by our editorial team. We’ve seen steady growth since launch, with a 19% customer return rate!
Belle magazine celebrates its 50th birthday later this year with a special issue, interviews with previous editors, a nostalgic return to each decade since launch and 50 fabulous prizes.
And we’re planning another milestone for next year, Home Beautiful’s 100th birthday!