Mr. Magazine

A Snapshot of Popular Culture:
84 Magazines Launched with Frequency + 187 Specials and Annuals in the First Trimester of 2014…
The Mr. Magazine™ State of New Magazines Report

(Chart by Madisen Theobald)

The term mirror image comes to mind when I think of magazines and our society – past and present. Magazines have been reflectors of pop culture in a very tangible way for generations. They have accurately taken the pulse of both the population and the culture like no other media could have done. And there is no better way to gauge such culture than by tracking the slew of new magazines arriving at the marketplace. New titles record, reflect and note every trend or innovation people become fascinated with.

Dating back to the French during the Enlightenment written literature has been a reflection of society as the medium for politics and the arts. Ideas and concepts pre-existed due to the exposure of literature and the way in which it was written and conveyed. Literature shaped society then by widening knowledge, philosophies, criticisms and parodies. The more creative the prose, the more minds were molded within the society. Politics could be influenced too, along with the basic foundations of the culture.

And today’s literature, in the form of new magazines and the present populace are no exception. The trends of the 21st century are certainly being echoed back as precisely as a “Hello” reverberates across a canyon and comes back to the voice that initiated it.

When I first started documenting new magazine launches in the early 80s of the last century, more new magazines were being published devoted to sex and other erotic topics. As we moved into the 90s media celebrities and music started to take prominence due to the impact of cable television and the specialized networks that it ushered in.

As we entered the 21st Century, September 11, 2001 happened and the home became once more the palace of the American people. Crafts, needlework, hobbies became the largest segment of new magazines, dethroning sex, music and media personalities. The more we cocooned the more titles moved in that direction including food, the leader of such categories for the last four years.

One of the trending topics today is fitness and health, along with eating organically and smartly. And as we look at the new launches that have been born in the first trimester of 2014, we see that movement clearly in some of the titles in print.

From Naked Food magazine, the title of which has absolutely nothing to do with anything or anybody being without clothes (it’s an acronym for New American Kind & Enlightened Diet) and is strictly concerned with eating foods that have not been tainted and are not toxic with genetically-modified organisms, to Dr. Oz The Good Life; the magazine’s mirror definitely resonates with what’s important in today’s culture.

The two magazines mentioned above are included in the 84 new launches with frequency. So far, 2014 has surpassed 2013’s first trimester by 11 new titles. Frequency numbers for that period were at 73 and the titles trending then were just as resonant with the times as they are one year later.

From a business magazine dedicated to women with the intriguing title, Cake & Whiskey, where businesswomen and entrepreneurs gather in groups to eat cake & whiskey and discuss their profitability or start-ups, to an epicurean delight called One True Vine; the magazines from a year ago remain vibrant and relevant today.

Today, oversized and sophisticated is also part and parcel of what’s piquing the public’s interest. A new magazine called Dinosaur, which focuses on people over 50, is sleek and extremely fetching and perfect for the coffee table (another trending experience people are enjoying) and a beautiful photography showcase, Wolf magazine, would look perfect lying right beside it.

The fascination with whatever tickles our fancy is never lost on our print counterparts we call magazines. Nothing is as perceptive and relevant to our wants and desires as ink on paper.

(Chart by Madisen Theobald)

Special issues and bookazines also breathe life into what we exhale as important. The niche marketing of these types of publications is vital in today’s marketing. There have been 187 specials and bookazines in this first trimester.

Epicurean delights led the way in the specials with titles such as Simply Sweet’s – Best Cupcakes & More, Taste of Home’s 13×9 Pan With A Plan and Bisquick’s Breakfast and Brunch, with many more to tantalize and tease your taste buds.

From remembering D-Day to a multitude of specials focusing on Jesus and the Greatest Story Ever Told, the topics and titles are diversified and definitely reflective of what’s important to readers today.

The numbers for last year’s Specials and bookazines were slightly higher, with 201 gracing newsstands in 2013’s first trimester.

Special interest topics lead the way with everything eclectic, from Willie Nelson, Pope Francis and the celebration of 50 years of General Hospital, to flower and vegetable gardening; specials and bookazines were riding high on the niche wave and very successfully too.

As the world continues to spin on its axis and babies continue to be born; the way American culture sees itself will also continue to be reflected by the magazine reader’s demands. For every publication that rolls off of the printer’s press, there will be a living, breathing human being somewhere who can relate to it.

So the next time you buy a magazine or pull one out of your mailbox, be sure you hold it up in front of your face first and as you smile at its cover, don’t be surprised when you see the same smile staring back at you…

Happy reading!

© Samir “Mr. Magazine™” Husni, 2014. All Rights Reserved.