Fashion Magazines report readership losses barring Vogue
There is no denying that fashion glossies have had their fair share of problems as a result of the economic crash: From falls in advertising to circulation figures, is there anything that can pull them out of this slump?
Sales in all the major fashion magazines have reported
losses this year barring Vogue, the Queen Bee of the glossy, which reported an increase of more than 12%.
And my my didn't she have a sting in her tail.
Copies of the March issue of Vogue flew off the magazine stands and for one good reason: Lady Gaga.
They say that who it featured on the front of the magazine can make all the difference to sales and this is true for Vogue. It's Gaga edition sold over 100,000 copies alone, according to WWD.
Recently it was
reported that advertising pages had climbed back up to figures we were used to seeing pre economic slump, but the industry still has a long way to go.
It is not difficult to determine the reason why glossies have been struggling; with the hefty price tag (often in excess of £3-£4) and people's reluctance to splurge on such luxuries it is no wonder that magazines have taken a back seat in some women's list of priorities.
With this in mind, it would seem that who glossies chose to front their magazine is 
more important than ever, given their positive spin on sales.
Among the popular names are reality royalty Kim Kardashian and Lauren Conrad and Tinseltown A-Listers such as Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow. However Reese Witherspoon's Vogue cover proved to be very unpopular.
It sounds so simple, but chosing the right star for your cover can make or break sales figures for that month. Get it right and you can increase it by thousands and wrong and you're left wondering who your audience are reading.
InStyle remains the top dog at the newsstand sales despite a loss of 8%, claiming that their average sales of 570,000 copies (compared to 360,000 copies of Vogue) are as a result of their mix of high end fashion, celebrity content and accessibility to every woman.
Given the expensive nature of the fashion magazine industry don't expect prices to drop anytime soon. So what's the magic word for both cosumer and producer?
...Subscription!
FemaleFirst Jenna Fordie
twitter: @Jenna_FAM