ences mean that our readers engage with and seek out the expert print content we create,” Sullivan explains. “Our print magazines work alongside our events, digital, and social channels to reach people in the way they want to consume media. “We see that print continues to be a key element in an effective marketing mix. We know from the major advertising partnerships that run across Future, that when they include print, the campaign will more positively influence the entire brand funnel, from brand awareness to purchase intent.” So it seems to be a positive outlook for the future of printed publications as titles shift to a more artisan product packed full of the possibilities of print itself, and it doesn’t appear to be a case of digital overtaking print, but that the two mediums are working in partnership to drive revenue and to offer content to consumers in any way they choose to digest it. “To build community and membership models, you need as many consumer touch points as possible,” McCabe adds. “You want to create a hybrid model with lots of experiences that people can tap into and that add value to that community and ultimately to their personal experience in that community. That to me has print, digital, and live events written all over it. “Print plays a role in that overall holistic picture about ‘what is this brand asset about, what does it mean to our audience, and why does the audience value it?’ It gives print a clearer purpose in the overall equation.” Ironically, the trend appearing seems to be that the publications that will prevail are those who use the power of print, and the added value good quality paper and special effects such as foiling and embossing can provide to enhance the reader’s experience and offer something you can’t achieve online. “What we’re describing is a return to a world where that print product is a really loved thing both by the people who produce it and by the people who consume it,” McCabe says. “It's not just the content, it is also the wrapper of the content, the physical product, and it’s that physicalness and how it feels, smells, looks, is so much a part of the experience. You can’t actually do that online.” So rather than print having a resurgence in the literal form, it appears that print’s role is shifting and its benefits and unique selling points are being utilised by brands and publishers in a wider business strategy. This involves offering different forms of content to digital platforms and not just duplicating these articles in both formats. People can access news for free online and want to do so quickly and efficiently. Those who sit down with a printed magazine are taking time out of their busy schedules and need the experience to reflect that. McCabe says: “What’s happening in the digital world is AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the rise of the metaverse and all of that, and it’s all fascinating, but what print has to do is think about what it is doing in the opposite direction, which is creating amazing physical products and manifestations in the real world that people want to engage in and are beautiful, rather than digital. “What’s great is that print has something unique that digital can’t do. One of the joys of print is that it can't interrupt you. I’m not going to get an alert, I’m not going to get a text, nothing is going to happen. It’s a moment of freedom and I think print media needs to celebrate that more proactively than it does actually.” One example of using print alongside digital successfully to offer different experiences is Future Plc and its creation of the concept of a Bookazine. For this, the company takes content from its archive and turns it into a book in magazine form. This could be on cycling or photography for example, and the company sells enough meaningful quantities at £10 or £12 an issue and you have a really profitable business model in print. Another example is the National Geographic’s annual 100 Most Beautiful Places issue. This issue is jam-packed full of beautiful imagery with only a small amount of text, and just wouldn’t work in the same way online with viewers expected to sift through 100 images on screen. Instead, the magazine offers something eye-catching and immersive to sit down and flick through at leisure. Reflecting on the shift from the industrial era to the artisan era for printed magazines, Catherine Westwood, global print editorial strategy and operations director at Future Plc, comments: “Future magazines span a wide range of different production values and publishing frequencies to serve the needs of our very diverse magazine audiences. “At one end of the scale are consumers who prefer a premium product that is unique to their interests and includes bespoke paper treatments and varied publishing schedules. At the other end of the spectrum, we create and publish thousands of copies of weekly titles with seamless efficiency for our loyal readers who wouldn’t dream of missing an issue. This essentially sums up one of Future’s USPs – we know our customers' passions and cater to them perfectly.” When quizzed on Future’s own view of printed publications amongst its wider business strategy moving forwards, Zack Sullivan, chief revenue officer of Future Plc, says as the company focuses on driving forward for the digital age, magazines and subscriptions remain an important part of the business. “Our high-intent, passionate audiMAGAZINE RESURGENCE 33 www.printmonthly.co.uk January / February 2024 - Issue 346 ► Magazines are still used in many hotels and hospitality environments to provide a luxury and high-end feel
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