Case Study Of A Publishing House

The Bauer Media Group is Europe’s largest privately owned publishing Group. The Group is a worldwide empire in media that offer over 300 magazines in 15 different countries; Austria, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, United Kingdom and USA as well it being online, on T.V. and on various radio stations. Also the company has office located in the following countries :Germany, USA, Spain, France, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Mexico, China, Russia, Slovakia, United Kingdom and Nigeria.

Bauer Media became a part of the Bauer Media Group in January 2008 following acquisition of Emap plc’s consumer and specialist magazines, radio, TV, online and digital businesses. As a whole, the Group employs some 6,400 people and has a 2008 turnover of 2.08 billion Euros.

 Bauer Media is a multi-platform UK-based media Group consisting of many companies collected around two main divisions – Magazines and Radio - widely recognized and rewarded as being innovators in the industry.

The business is built on influential media brands with them holding millions of personal relationships with engaged readers and listeners. Their main strategy is to connect audiences with excellent content through their broad multi-touch point brand platforms, wherever and whenever and however they want. The wide portfolio that they own of influential brands gives them good advantages over pure play magazine or radio competitors. The magazine’s heritage stretches back to 1953 with the launch of Angling Times and the acquisition in 1956 of Motor Cycle News, both still iconic brands within their booming portfolio.

The seeds of the company’s radio business were planted in 1990 with the acquisition of London dance station Kiss FM, known to many now as Kiss 100,  followed by the acquisition of Liverpool's Radio City , later by TWC and the Metro Group. Then came the acquisition of Melody FM which was transformed into the market-leading Magic 105.4.

In 1994, the company bought a small magazine called For Him Magazine which is now the core of the best-selling international multi-platform brand FHM.  1996 saw the Bauer Media acquiring the digital music TV channel The Box, as a route into the small screen business, which has grown into Box Television, a seven channel joint venture TV business with Channel 4.

Continuing its history of magazine launches, Closer was launched in 2002 and Britain’s first weekly glossy, GRAZIA, was launched in 2005. Up until today, Bauer Media controls over 80 influential brand names covering a diverse range of interests including Heat – the must have weekly celebrity title, Parker's, MATCH, CAR and Yours.

Bauer Media youth magazine brands has many magazines such as ‘Zoo’, ‘Match!’, ‘More!’ and ‘Heat’ to entertain, inspire and engage the youth. Magazines conduct market research to build a demographic profile of their readers. These are the reader’s statistics for Bauer Media:

Youth 15-24: 3,123,000 - 39.2% of population
Youth 15-34: 5,352,000 - 34.2% of population
Youth ABC1: 15,902,000 - 21.4% of population

The Bauer Media Group’s men’s portfolio produces magazine titles which have obtained a 33% share of the market they are in. Magazines such as ‘FHM’ are the leading men’s lifestyle magazine that is currently in print, online and abroad. ‘Zoo’ is the men’s weekly magazine. These are their reader’s statistics.

Men 15+: 5,272,000 - 21.9% of population
Men 15-34: 2,679,000 - 33.7% of population
Men ABC1: 3,128,000 - 23.4% of population

The Bauer Media Group’s women’s portfolio is made to cover a large range of topics to appeal to the audience. ‘Heat’ and ‘Closer’ deliver celebrity news and gossip. ‘Grazia’ delivers designer fashion and glamour to its audience. ‘More!’ delivers interesting stories about life. ‘Top Santé’ is the market leader in celebrity health and beauty. ‘Yours’ delivers lifestyle topics for women aged 50+ every fortnight. Also, Bauer Media publishes titles such as ‘Mother & Baby’ and ‘Pregnancy and Birth’ for parenting advice for women. These are their reader’s statistics.

Women 15+: 4,994,000 - 20% of population
Women 15-34: 2,673,000 - 34.7% of population
Women ABC1: 2,774,000 - 19.6% of population

Bauer Media is a sister company of H Bauer UK, publisher of the UK's biggest TV listings, Take a Break and Bella. They would make the choice to target different audiences with many different types of magazines due the fact that all magazines being sold have competition. In large companies such as Bauer Media having products that clash with others being sold will be seen as disrupted and can cause for the sales for particular and unpopular magazines to be ignored and stop the general printing of the product. This might not initially affect the sales from a large conglomerate such as Bauer but it could result in the loss of consumers. Targeting different audiences with all magazines printed will attract more customers, turning them into consumers as they make use of the product and service provided.