Transcript State of the Teen Magazine Industry

Investigating Teen Magazines
Julie Wagoner,
Private Detective
My Specialty: Records Investigation
 Use of both public and private records to provide
background information on a subject.
 Examination of current data to inform the public about
today’s trends.
I have been hired by an
anonymous media company to
figure out…..
How is the “typical” suspect
involved in the disappearance of
several popular teen magazines
for girls?
Latest Case: Teen Magazines
R.I.P.
 ELLEgirl - 2006
 Sassy - 1994
 YM - 2004
 Teen People - 2006
 Jane - 2007
….and many others.
The “Typical” Suspects: Teen Readers
 They are categorized as Generation Y, also known as
millennials, who were born between 1982 and 1990.
 There are over 32 million of these suspects in the
United States.
 They are not easy to identify. The teen market is the
most diverse market when it comes to ethnicity and
race.
The “Typical” Suspects: Teenagers
 Active consumers that possess significant
discretionary income.
 A market that has access to the latest technologies.
 Informed individuals with diverse beliefs, attitudes,
and behaviors that constantly influences the
marketplace.
Why These Suspects Are Important
 Parents are relying on teens more to make household
purchases. This is because of the teens’ advanced
computer skills that allow them to research products
online.
 Teens have more choices now than before. It is
sometimes an impossible mission to achieve their
attention.
Why These Suspects Are Important
 Eight out of 10 teenagers read magazines to
obtain information and entertainment. This
means that 19.3 million readers influence
purchasing trends for an entire society.
Suspects Led Advertisers in a High Speed
Chase on the Information Super Highway
 Teens quickly realized the benefits of online media. It
was free, fast, and fun.
 Advertisers quickly followed their teen audience by
creating interactive media to sell products.
At the end of the chase, there was a
crash. There were only a few survivors.

The victims of Exhibit A did not survive the crash.
While they were padded by the airbags of their
circulation numbers, the magazines were not prepared
for the amount of readers they lost each year to their
own parent brand.
Exhibit A: Sassy, ELLEgirl, Jane, Teen
People
 Print publications were suspended.
 ELLEgirl and Teen People switched to online formats
to sustain the brand of their parent magazines.
 Could not endure the expense of acquiring new
readers every few years.
There were only a few survivors.
 Seventeen, CosmoGirl, and Teen Vogue. survived the
crash because they featured both print and digital
features to maintain the interests of their teen
audiences.
Exhibit B: Seventeen, CosmoGirl, Teen
Vogue
 Three most popular teen magazines.
 Encourages the reader to utilize both print and digital
media. Involves two-way communication through
interactive features.
 Launched mobile web sites that include content
designed for small cell phone screens.
There were only a few survivors.

The only other car involved in the accident suffered
minor damages. Zines and Blogs were created by
users for specialized topics.
 The car was able to drive away from the scene as if it
were unaffected.
 This is likely because Zines are part of the DIY - Do It
Yourself movement. The car was probably fixed and
ready to go back on the superhighway within minutes.
Exhibit C: Alternative Teen Media
 Zines - Created by teens for teens.
Examples: gURL, Jellybean, The Media Fix
 Blogs - a shared on-line journal where people can
post entries about a particular topic.
 Examples: Chadzboyz.com, CU Live Blog
 Social Networks - interactive communities where
teens can socialize with friends.
Examples: MySpace, Facebook, Flip
Closing Remarks