Princess Mary is a godsend for weekly magazine publishers and newsagents. Put her on the cover and sales jump. In my own store I know Mary can add between 15% and 25% in sales. While yesterday’s New Idea has been out barely 24 hours I can tell from the sales data that this issue, with Mary on the cover, will be at the high end of the range. Mary is our new Diana since the content almost does not matter – the key is the photo and the prospect of more inside.
Last week’s imported Hello! is another example of cover power. Kylie Minogue was on the cover and it was a sell out in five days whereas we would usually return 30% of supply.
While the science of magazine covers is not a new discussion, it is important to newsagents and other retailers as it helps us attract new shoppers and that underpins our relevance compared to online, for the moment.