While the parenting sector is made up of more than a dozen titles that cover topics ranging from pregnancy to toddlers, a handful of titles dominate the market and predictably these are from the three big publishers, Emap, IPC and NatMags, with smaller companies ­ notably Highbury Wvip and DC Thomson ­ also publishing in the market.
Nicki Brown is publishing director at Emap Esprit's two parenting titles, Mother and Baby and Pregnancy and Birth. She says that the market, while not as big as it has been, is in pretty good shape.
"In the last year the market has declined by 16.9% (based on ABC titles only) and over the past four years the market has declined by 38%). This has, in part, been due to the declining birth rate and the decreasing number of parenting magazines.
"There are now only five news stand (actively purchased) ABC magazines in the market compared with eight four years ago. The gap has also widened between the number one and number two title to be significant, whereas years ago there would only ever have been a couple of thousand copies in it."
Brown says there has also been a rise in free information available to mothers and mothers-to-be, with a range of free baby clubs.
Nevertheless, Emap's market leading title, Mother and Baby, the oldest title in the sector has a news stand ABC of 73,387 (Jul-Dec 01), up 2% on the previous year.
"We have seen the circulation buck the market trend by growing each ABC period now for four consecutive periods. We have had some of our highest sales in five years, which I think is testament to the strength of the product on all fronts when the market has been in decline," says Brown.
She adds that Mother and Baby, which targets women who are planning and expecting a baby as well as mums with babies up to the age of three, has the widest distribution as well as the largest marketing spend of any title in this market place.
It also differs in editorial content from its rivals. "We have upped the real reader experience content, which readers love and it looks great too. Compared to its competitors I think its biggest strength is its instinctive and intuitive understanding of its readers and this comes through in its warm and friendly tone," she says.
Emap's second title, Pregnancy and Birth ­ aimed at women planning and expecting a baby ­ is being given a marketing push by Emap.
"This year it has doubled its marketing budget so we hope to see significant circulation growth off the back of that. In the autumn it is undergoing a revamp in order to keep it 10 steps ahead of the competition," says Brown.
The number two news stand title in this sector is IPC's Practical Parenting, which also bucked the trend by increasing its news stand circulation in the last audit to 50,320.
Practical Parenting concedes its number two spot to Nat Mags' Prima Baby when it comes to overall sales, although on the news stand Prima Baby is third, according to ABC figures.
The monthly, aimed at pregnant women and those with children up to the age of three, began as a brand spin-off from Prima in 1996 before going monthly in April 2001. Editor Julia Goodwin explains: "Today the title is more pacey, and we can include more topical issues ­ including coverage of celebrity bumps ­ which readers love." Goodwin says the title retains close links to Prima, which he describes as practical, down to earth and cost-conscious, but the reader is younger, at about 29.
Prima Baby has not escaped the market downturn and dropped 18.85% on the news stand year-on-year in the last audit, although its overall circulation has increased.
Goodwin says the title has been focusing on improving its news stand presence. "We have been working with our distributor to improve and increase the availability in supermarkets and this has paid off," she says.
"We have done special promotions with retailers such as Tesco and that has worked very well and these kind of relationships are something we want to develop in the future. That's where our readers are ­ and supermarkets will become increasingly important to us. However, it is also important for us to be there for our readers in independent retail outlets."
In addition to the strength that comes from a parent brand, Goodwin says what sets the title apart from its rivals is its team of experts, which includes Rob Hicks, medical broadcaster and GP, celebrity midwife Zita West and Annabel Karmel, children's cookery author. "We also shoot our own fashion and we are a campaigning title. Recently we secured law changes, including an increase in maternity leave and an increase in maternity pay, as a result of our campaigns," says Goodwin.
One of the newest entrants to the sector is DC Thomson's I'm Pregnant! The title, which comes packaged with a relaxation CD, pregnancy diary, a baby names book and a birth plan organiser for a £4.99 cover price, is published four times a year.
Editor Irene Duncan says it is a new concept in parenting titles. "Its point of difference from other titles is that it covers specifically the period from pregnancy to birth ­ those nine months. It is a complete support process, right through to motherhood. The monthly titles do an excellent job, but this is a complete package.
"We think it answers every question a mother-to-be needs to know and those not necessarily found in a single issue of a monthly or a bi-monthly item."
I'm Pregnant launched with the Spring 2002 issue after the publisher's research showed a gap in the market for pregnant women, particularly those in the early stages of pregnancy. Duncan says early indications show the title is performing strongly. "Feedback from consumers has been excellent," she says. "The second issue only went on sale yesterday (Friday), so we don't have final figures for the spring issue yet, but indications show sales will be between 50,000 and 55,000 copies."
Duncan says the presentation of the second issue has changed dramatically from the first, with a reduction in the size of the title for better on-shelf accommodation.
DC Thomson has also incorporated the gifts into the presentation of the title, packaging the whole lot in a ready-to-carry folder ­ and this demonstrates how important covermounting has become in this market.
Nat Mags' Goodwin says: "There is a covermount war ­ and we've all joined it, although some of the smaller magazines cannot afford to. Readers look for added value and covermounting does push sales up, although the covermounts have to be instantly useful."
Publishers agree that in the parenting market, consumers tend to buy more than one title at a time, so retailers seeking to make the most of the sector should take notice of the smaller publishers.
Highbury Wvip publishes Pregnancy, plus Pregnancy and Birth as well as specials' such as Baby's Best Buys, which offer retailers additional sales.
And other established titles in the sector, such as Junior and The Parents' Guide, help retailers retain consumers as their babies grow older, by catering for parents of toddlers and small children. Displaying these titles alongside the high-circulation baby titles encourages this natural progression and will help retailers make the most of the sector.
Mother & Baby
£1.99
M
Marketforce
Latest news stand ABC
73,387

Practical Parenting
£2.30
M
Marketforce
Latest news stand ABC
50,320

Prima Baby
£1.95
M
Comag
Latest news stand ABC
45,330

Pregnancy & Birth
£2.30
M
Marketforce
Latest news stand ABC
41,037

Pregnancy
£2.80
Bi-monthly
Comag
Latest news stand ABC
n/a

New Baby
£2.30
M
Comag
Latest news stand ABC
n/a

Junior
£2.90
M
Comag
Latest news stand ABC
n/a

I'm Pregnant
£4.99
Quarterly
DC Thomson
Latest news stand ABC
n/a

Fit Pregnancy (Import)
£2.95
Bi-monthly
Comag
Latest news stand ABC
n/a

The Parents' Guide
£2.90
Bi-monthly
Diamond
Latest news stand ABC
n/a

Right Start
£1.95
Bi-monthly
Comag
Latest news stand ABC
n/a

Baby's Best Buys
£3.50
Quarterly
Comag
Latest news stand ABC
n/a


{{CTN }}