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More! magazine re-launches to reflect the 'girl obsessed with social media'

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By Jennifer Faull, Deputy Editor

June 5, 2012 | 4 min read

In 2002 more! magazine re-launched, targeting a wider audience than the teenagers it had previously catered for. Now it is set to re-launch once again. With owner Bauer media, it has conducted a year-long study in what readers actually want from a weekly magazine, finding that the power of social media has had a considerable impact. Abby Carvosso, director of magazines and advertising at Bauer media, is heading the re-launch and told The Drum: “What is really important for us is that we understand the consumer. We’ve done a lot of work over the past six months and I think it’s fair to say that the 18-24 year old has changed hugely in the last 3 years”, referring to the changing lives of the target audience coupled with their growing dependence on social media. She continues: “clearly social media is having an effect on their lives; they live through a different lens, creating a brand through social media which puts pressure on their lives.”

The ‘new’ magazine understands this growing pressure felt by young women, who are branding themselves through their use of social media, and has embraced the challenge of tackling the issues they face. In place of the models who once graced the fashion pages, the teams at more! and Bauer decided to use “real” people from the street and online blogs for the re-launched publication.

Multimedia platforms have further shaped the new magazine content as sites like Instagram are highlighting more and more where the interests of readers lie. Of the targeted more! reader Carvosso remarks “we know she is constantly uploading pictures of what she is eating on Instagram so we’ve picked up on that and created a light hearted food section.”

Like, Feeling Foodie – the aptly named new food section – travel and entertainment have also been given space in the magazine. Therefore as the young female reader is evolving, and feeding information into social media channels, Carvosso realises that the magazine must reflect this - “the reader is ambitious and wants to earn her own money. It's not all about sex and men anymore. It's very much about her and about succeeding.” With this in mind more! have appointed Apprentice 2006 winner Michelle Dewberry to contribute finance related articles.

The economy has also had an effect on the way the reader shops and as the ‘boomerang’ generation struggle with employment and housing more! has realised filling pages with product is no longer engaging with the reader. Instead in the new issue we will find edited fashion pages with selective products.

In terms of advertising within the new magazine Carvosso says they will work: “generally on the base of advertisers we already have“, but goes on to say that with the investment in the new layout and editorial content “we’ll be able to do and make ourselves even more of an effective advertising vehicle” not only for beauty and fashion but equally for technology and entertainment advertisers. Through the greater breadth of content more advertisers will be attracted from a broader set of categories. More! continues to be a weekly publication, thus creating an engaging product, which is important for advertisers and readers alike.

To fully publicise the re-launch Carvosso has said “we will be using all of our social media platforms, we are doing sampling with partners and will also be doing a lot of promotion work with radio; with Kiss, Hit and a lot of our local radio stations.” This will be supported with campaigns in other Bauer owned magazines, Heat and Closer, and excitement will be maintained through a strong PR campaign.

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