The resurgence of the written word

Our latest study of over 45,000 consumers reveals a glimmer of hope for the print industry, as this year’s results show a surprising increase in Brand Love for a number of magazine brands.

This year consumers have welcomed four new magazine brands into our Top 100 Most Loved Media Brands League Table.

82^nd Marie Claire ^{(+20 spots)}

84^th Vanity Fair ^{(+19 spots)}

87^th Radio Times ^{(+14 spots)}

93^rd Auto Express ^{(+16 spots)}  

These rises in love aren’t restricted to the newcomers though; Men’s Health has climbed to 57^th place (+36 from last year). Meanwhile, The Week is sitting at 55^th, up 22 places.

Change of heart

In last year’s BrandVue Media report we voiced concerns for the ‘written word’.

With a new age of bloggers and influencers changing the landscape of media consumption, magazines, along with other print and publishing brands saw dwindling sales.

However, this year marks a spark of hope; despite a clear decrease in popularity, it seems love for magazines has not all been lost.

In terms of consumption habits, data from BrandVue Media reveals 11% of consumers have read more than usual in the past month, and 13% intend to read more in the coming months.

A digital affair

Digital magazines are predicted to soon surpass print. Statista UK has forecasted the number of readers of print media to amount to 13.63m by 2027. Whereas the digital market is expected to reach more than 34m users by 2027.

Vanity Fair for example, has seen a 25-percentage point increase in ‘quality of experience’ over the last 12 months. Unlike print, digital magazines are versatile, easy-to-access, and interactive – offering an evolved reading experience to meet the needs of fast-paced modern life.

Unsurprisingly, another key factor is cost. The cost-of-living crisis has almost everybody re-evaluating their spending habits, examining carefully where they can cut back. One brand that needn’t worry about this is BBC Good Food – the top performer when looking at ‘value for money’ – with more than 6 in 10 consumers (62%) associating the brand with this trait.

To put things into perspective, the brand sells its digital versions for nearly half the price of print copies (digital: £44.99pa vs print: £83.88pa).

Some readers do just prefer the tangible experience of reading print; turning a page, the unmistakable inky scent hot off the press. For some, reading print is a valuable, sensory experience – one of the very few offline experiences left in this tech-driven world.

However, we cannot overlook the resurgence of magazine-love initiated by digitisation. Perhaps further innovation such as immersive worlds revolving around fashion and style could win over our print lovers.

Print’s next chapter

Despite having a place in the hearts of many, the future of print is uncertain. The true challenge will lie in convincing a generation raised on pixels and smartphones that print is not only something to cherish, but something worth preserving.

The resurgence we’re seeing is admirable; breaking through the noise of technology is no easy feat. But the print industry safeguards a unique and tactile reading experience, one that is personal, immersive, and deeply human – something that online magazines will struggle to compete with.

After all, there is no digital substitute for cracking the spine of a book, or the nostalgic feel of a magazine’s glossy pages. Perhaps print is somewhat insulated thanks to this USP and is therefore not in any danger of becoming a relic of reminiscence just yet.

That said, you never really know what the next chapter holds.

To find out more about Brand Love and what it means for the media industry, download the report below, which includes the full list of the Top 100 Most Loved Media Brands in the UK.