At the 46th FIPP World Media Congress held last week in Cascais, Portugal, print media was a key theme, not least because it is experiencing a true renaissance based on less frequency, higher production vales and a luxury, premium positioning. Our print roundup will form part of the 2024 Congress report to be announced in due course.
A renaissance in print? You bet.
Considered by some as outdated as a floppy disk, a number of speakers came to Congress determined to put right the perception that printed magazines are an outdated relic from a bygone era. Far from it.
First out of the blocks was Innovation Media’s Juan Señor who announced that print is now a premium product and should be priced accordingly, “In an age of less print, the price must be higher – we’re talking of a multiple of five times the old sale price.”
“Print has become a keepsake, a coffee table item with a luxury, premium feel. No longer are they the disposable magazines of the past.”
Juan Señor, Innovation Media
Señor also remarked how in an age of less print, supersize magazines were starting to gain traction as, “Print is becoming almost a brand statement, both in terms of visibility and credibility”, before concluding, “Print will remain the flagship and premium proposition in your portfolio.”
He concluded, “Print is eternal, it is not being replaced, but it is being displaced.”
What’s the frequency, Kenneth?
Alongside the higher price and higher quality paper, a number of publishers were reducing issue frequency to underscore the premium nature of their print magazines.
Liz Plosser, Editor in Chief, Women’s Health outlined how they had reduced the number of print issues to just six per year, part of a broader trend adopted by numerous publishers at Congress, adding, “As the biggest women’s’ health brand in the world, I’m so proud that we still have a print product.”
This feeling of pride was echoed by Mark Russell, Executive Director of Business Operations, Condé Nast, UK, who told delegates that whilst the publisher was undergoing a profound business transformation, print remained a vital part of its media mix, “Reports of print’s death are exaggerated; it’s a very important part of Condé Nast and we’re still launching print editions in different territories.”
Russell continued, “Being a cross platform publisher is crucial to Condé Nast and that very much includes print. Indeed, our print editions are performing at the very highest ends of the projections we had both in terms of what we sell and how often we want to print them.”
To the surprise of some in the audience, he concluded, “A few Condé Nast brands are selling more print magazines than in previous years – in fact the April 2024 issue of British Vogue has been the best performing April issue in our history in terms of print revenue.”
Echoing Vogue’s success, Ntokozo Maseko, Editor in Chief of YourLuxury Africa, said that luxury brands in particular were still flocking to print, “Luxury brands prefer to be seen in premium print, and this is at the heart of our success as a publisher.”
This was underscored by Claire Léost, President of Prisma Media, who told delegates how the publisher had successfully launched Harper’s Bazaar magazine in France with great success. Alongside tailoring the content to a French audience (the award-winning launch cover featured Catherine Deneuve), Prisma Media harnessed social media to funnel audiences to its high-value print proposition.
“Print is cool right now, especially for luxury brands, but it all starts with social media.”
Print Yoga
In one of the most surprising sessions of Congress, Irene Smit, the visionary behind Flow Magazine outlined the surprising connection between paper and mental health, saying, “Paper brings you to the here and now, it stimulates your senses and helps you to focus and better activate the brain.”
Flow Magazine is known for its unique approach to publishing, focusing on mindfulness, creativity, and slow living alongside exemplary production values, design and high quality paper.
She concluded, “Paper is the new yoga, and in a fast paced digital age, the tactile and mindful nature of paper is an unexpected ally for Gen Z and Millennial’s mental health. It can help to reclaim focus and creativity, and it also makes for a special gift.”
Space calling (Peter) Houston
A passionate advocate of print magazines, the final word should go to the publisher of the Grub Street Journal and co-founder of Media Voices podcast, Peter Houston.
In a talk labelled ‘Why print won’t just lie down and die’, Houston said that the death-of-print narrative had finally been put to bed, but he admitted that publishers needed to properly re-engage with the format for the medium to truly make a comeback.
“Print must be repositioned as premium and then be integrated with all other digital channels as part of a cohesive brand portfolio.”
He concluded, “People are now talking much more positively about print, and I need to highlight that 50% of FIPP members get at least 50% of their revenue from print – this conversation is very much alive, and print is still fundamental to many publishers’ bottom lines.”
Hear, hear.
