Brands with print magazines – who’s reaping the rewards?

In a world where it can be difficult to attract and sustain attention for your message, brands with print magazines are the ones who can create cut-through in the noisy media landscape.

Producing a brand magazine is one means of doing this, but the move into print is not always straightforward, and may not be right for every brand.

We take a closer look at some of the most prominent brands with their own magazines, and examine what it is that sets them apart.

What is a brand magazine?

First of all, it's important to consider what a brand magazine is, and what sets it apart from other print publications.

• A brand magazine is distinct from a catalogue. Brand magazines offer something more to their readers than simple listings of products
• A brand magazine goes beyond straightforward advertising. It aims to provide readers with original, engaging content that will inspire and inform
• A brand magazine expands horizons.

Find out more on how to create a branded magazine.

Which brands have print magazines?

Although the concept of using print magazines for content marketing is not new (in fact, The Furrow, the magazine of U.S. agricultural firm John Deere, was first published in 1895!), the past few years have been particularly notable for the emergence and impact of brand magazines across a diverse range of sectors.

Luxury

One area which has traditionally been associated with print is that of luxury. After all, a glossy print magazine is by its very nature a luxury item, serving as a riposte to throwaway culture.

Take for example the award-winning Bentley Magazine, first launched by Bentley Motors in 2003 and later relaunched in partnership with Dialogue. This quarterly magazine includes interviews with high-profile figures, lifestyle features and stories on technological innovation, alongside coverage of new car models and accessories. The result is a luxury, collectible publication with a thoroughly modern attitude.

Travel of course remains a key luxury sector, and an obvious match for print, with the focus on beautiful imagery and in-depth, longform features. Many major airlines take advantage of this with glossy inflight magazines, but it's also used by brands on the ground – take for example travel company Luxury Escapes, which felt compelled to re-launch its quarterly print magazine, Dream, in 2023, in the face of a global surge in travel.

Fashion

As might be expected, the world of fashion is another ideal match for print. One particularly successful publication in this field was Porter, launched by online retailer Net-a-Porter in 2014. The rationale for producing the magazine was simple, as explained by brand founder Nathalie Massanet upon its launch: “We’re building a physical temple to our brand.” The premium feel of the magazine combined with its high-end photo shoots and fashion journalism ensured that it more than held its weight alongside established fashion magazines such as Vogue, and such was its popularity that at one stage it grew to six issues a year. Ultimately, it was decided to make the magazine digital-only, but it remains a strong example of how a brand can use print to cut through a crowded market.

Another fashion brand which made the move into print, and which has managed to endure, is Japanese label Uniqlo, which launched its LifeWear title in 2019. Although Uniqlo products are featured in most stories, the magazine covers a range of topics and featured a lead interview with brand ambassador Roger Federer in its first edition. The magazine is published in both English and Japanese and is available in full online, as well as being distributed in stores.

Food and drink

For a brand magazine to be successful, it needs to offer something different or extra.

"Print magazines are proven to be a successful medium that … goes beyond the ordinary with stories that have deep, rich context.”

Dietmar Otti, Red Bull CEO for TV, publishing and operations

The brand’s Red Bulletin magazine – delivered to subscribers ten times a year in multiple languages – fulfils this brief with stories from the worlds of sport, adventure, culture and music, all delivered in the irreverent style that the brand is known for.

It’s this attention to tone that is often key to the success of a brand magazine – harness your brand’s voice in print and it can be an extremely powerful content marketing tool.

Take for example Sainsbury’s magazine: launched back in 1993, it was the first of its kind and a bold move for the supermarket chain at the time, but it paid off. The magazine has won multiple awards and has a monthly reach of over 1.7 million, making it one of the best-selling glossy magazine titles in the UK.

Another supermarket that has seen its print title pay dividends is Ocado. Such was the success of its magazine, OcadoLife, that the decision was made in 2021 to move to a monthly publication, and it remains a highly popular platform.

Something different

While print can be a way for a longstanding brand to diversify its offering, it can also be a means of cementing the presence and image of a younger brand.

An example of this is oat milk purveyor, Oatly, which launched a print magazine, Hey Barista, in 2022. What sets this title apart from other brand offerings is that you have to look very hard to find any mention of the brand inside. Apart from a small reference to being funded by Oatly, the magazine does not appear to be brand-affiliated at all, and instead presents as a stylish and quirky exploration of the coffee world and those who work within it.

Why are print magazines from brands effective?

In a digital-first world, print magazines offer the opposite to snacky, ephemeral, speedy content that is consumed at pace. Instead they invite the consumer to relax and engage deeper. And in return, for the brand, it’s an opportunity to brand-build and share their values in a more subtle way. Just like the emerging podcast format, it’s a more intimate experience and allows brands to cut through what is called ‘content shock’.

Of course, there are multiple other benefits to a print magazine that go beyond engagement; the opportunity to maximise content, generate revenue from it through advertising and of course, drive to sale.

Community spirit

By choosing to invest in print, and thereby invest in readers, a brand may well find that the reward is that most coveted of consumer behaviours: loyalty.

Underpinning this is trust. Research has shown that consumers tend to trust print more than online content, and many persist in choosing print over digital. The 2023 Two Sides Trend Tracker survey (a global study of over 10,000 consumers) found that 51% prefer to read magazines in print rather than digital format. This is in contrast with news consumption, which sees preferences tending towards online formats.

Another major benefit of producing a print magazine is that it can help foster or enhance a sense of brand community.

A good example is Soft Top Hardtop magazine – the award-winning publication of the Mazda MX-5 Owners Club, which is produced by Dialogue. The magazine has a strong identity – members are eager to have their photos and stories featured in the magazine, and feel themselves to be part of a passionate, dedicated community that spreads across the UK and even overseas. In the most recent reader survey, 88% of club members said that they feel Soft Top Hardtop enhances their enjoyment of their MX-5.

A two-way relationship

Another valuable reward of print which can be hard to quantify is that of time. A print magazine offers the consumer full immersion and so a brand can build a stronger connection than a fleeting advertisement or social media post may achieve.

The relationship between brand and consumer can be mutually beneficial in other ways when it comes to print magazines – for example, brands may use feedback from customers, gathered via online platforms or through tracking sales and bookings, to inform future content planning.

Short- and long-term gains

We’ve examined some of the deeper benefits that a brand can gain from a print magazine in terms of consumer behaviour, but that’s not to say that there aren’t measurable financial benefits too. For example, as Lisa McDowell, Head of Brand Marketing at Ocado Retail, reported:

"The love our customers have for the magazine – which has direct links to increased basket spend and sales uplift for our advertisers – has solidified the magazine’s role in our ongoing marketing strategy."

What’s clear from reviewing the various brand magazines available is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to be taken when developing a content marketing strategy: any brand should carefully analyse what exactly it is hoping to gain from such a venture, and what it hopes to offer to consumers. If the resulting magazine can deliver on these aims, it may prove to be an extremely powerful asset indeed.

Take advantage of our FREE content consultation here to talk to us about branded magazines.