“Extreme Volatility” is how I describe the newsstand environment these days. Covers that once may have worked well-enough, now can be brutally punished. So it’s more important than ever to get the cover right.
Case in Point: Country Living magazine, who saw sales tumble 14% in Canada in 2017, with 8 of 10 issues posting declines. At the top of the list of an avoidable self-inflicted mistake was the Sep 2017 cover that had a horse in the Kitchen (that’s normal right?), which resulted in loss of sale of 33%. The previous year they had their Small Spaces themed cover in that time slot, which was the #1 seller in 2016.
But was the lesson (If it works, keep doing it) learned? Apparently not. Rather then go with their Makeovers themed cover, which was their #1 best-seller in 2017 in the Jan/Feb time slot, the decision was made to try a “Creativity” issue in 2018. Result? Sales down over 44%.
