Women’s Health and Men’s Health back on stands today, boosted by $4m in publicity
Six months after being cut by Bauer, and two months after being resuscitated by Paragon Media, Women’s Health and Men’s Health are back on stands today.
The titles were two of the eight shuttered by Bauer last July, after the Pacific Magazines acquisition and consequent sale to Mercury Capital, but before the rebrand to Are Media.
At the end of last year, Paragon announced it would relaunch the brands, complete with their former editors Jacqui Mooney and Scott Henderson.
The websites – www.womenshealth.com.au and www.menshealth.com.au – are live, and the first print issues of Women’s Health and Men’s Health hit supermarkets and newsagents today, with a cover price of $7.80 and $9.50, respectively.
Women’s Health editor, Mooney, said the titles benefitted from around $4 million of publicity last weekend.
“A big part of the comeback strategy for both brands was deliberately securing extremely high-profile Australian talent for the covers for maximum impact at retail,” she said of the first issue’s cover star, surfer Sally Fitzgibbons.
“We were also fortunate to secure almost $4 million worth of publicity over the weekend ahead of launch, whereby our comeback covers were promoted in print and online news outlets around the country. In terms of a marketing push prior to launch, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Commercial director across both brands, Annie Mulders, added that launch partners have included Hugo Boss, Tag Heuer, Land Rover, Under Armour, Almond Breeze, Toyota, Ecco Shoes and Table of Plenty.
“In addition to our incredible covers on sale nationally today, our websites and social destinations are already delivering strong traffic and audience engagement,” she said.
“Our marketing strategy is anchored in the delivery of premium content, a national distribution strategy, SEO, social, email marketing, subscription drives and PR – all in addition to our high-profile cover strategy.
“The cultural relevance of Women’s Health and Men’s Health is greater than ever – and with Jacqui and Scott at the helm we’re forecasting strong growth across digital, social and premium print.”
In an editor’s note, Mooney claimed that “despite the devastation and shock” of the titles being axed, along with Elle, Good Health, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, NW and OK, she had hope even that that the mastheads would return.
“Something deep in my gut told me not to lose hope. That against all odds, this incredible shoot [of Fitzgibbons] (that captures the spirit of female empowerment that has long been the driving force behind the Women’s Health brand) would somehow see the light of day.”
On LinkedIn, she added: “I’ve been lucky enough to lead some amazing media brands over the past two decades, but Women’s Health is something truly special.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this truly important cross-platform brand back to the market in a new media home, at a time when trusted, credible health and wellness content has never been more important.
At the time of the acquisition, Paragon’s CEO, Ian Brooks, noted “the Health brands are set up to excel in creating targeted, imaginative, unforgettable content and events with unparalleled market knowledge”.
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Brittney Rigby was Mumbrella's deputy managing editor - news and analysis. She left Mumbrella in April 2021.
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Annie Mulders
Are Media
Bauer
Ian Brooks
Jacqui Mooney
magazines
Mens Health
Mercury Capital
Paragon Media
Scott Henderson
Women's Health
