Pacific Magazines has revealed a major shake-up of its youth portfolio, involving the sale of K-Zone and Total Girl print titles and online presence.
The two brands have been snapped up by special interest publisher nextmedia with the deal formalised late Monday.
It marks the second time this year Pacific has slashed several titles in one hit.
In August, the company flagged cuts to print editions of Practical Parenting and Bride to Be, and Your Garden entirely.
Pacific CEO Gereurd Roberts says, “Our youth titles have always been very close to our hearts. The brands are innovators and have always attracted some of the country’s best publishing talent – and the external interest in this sale speaks to the strength of both.
“We have however been reviewing our strategy with a view to refocussing our efforts on the major consumer and advertising categories – Food, Family, Home, Fashion, Beauty and Health – and it is within this framework that we have assessed the sale proposal. We believe both titles will flourish under nextmedia.”
The changes will also see teen title Girlfriend’s print frequency reduce from monthly to seasonal and trend-based, with a greater focus on a mobile-first strategy.
Girlfriend will undergo a relaunch early next year with current editor, Tamara Davis expected to spearhead the title’s fresh strategy under her new appointment as content director.
Davis says in order to evolve with its audience, the new Girlfriend will appeal to the next generation of female teens, Gen Z.
“It is time for a new go-to brand, developed directly for today’s Gen Z female audience – who is drastically different from her millennial predecessors. We understand this nuanced shift in her drivers, motivators, values and consumptions habits,” Davis explains.
“Based on this understanding, we are evolving when, where and how we communicate – and will unveil a reimagined Girlfriend brand, a keepsake print format and a more sophisticated content approach early in the New Year.”
According to the latest Roy Morgan Australian Magazine Print Readership figures for September, audience readership of print magazine titles managed to increase by 2.7 per cent compared to last year.
Food & Entertainment was named the best-performing category overall with the combined reach of its titles growing by 17 per cent.
However, categories popular amongst female teens only experienced modest increases, such as Music & Movies (up 3.1 per cent) and Women’s Fashion (up 1.2 per cent).
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