IPC Case Study

'IPC Media is the UK's leading consumer magazine and digital publisher'

IPC have more than 60 iconic brands, they create content for many platforms, it is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom.Connecting with 26m UK adults they are the UK's leading consumer magazine publisher. Doesn't surprise us why they are an award winning company.

IPC are very committed to working in partnership with its consumers, advertisers, business partners and employees They do all this to produce exceptional value. 


                                                                FASHION & BEAUTY

SPORT & LEISURE                                                                                                    TEEN

YOUNG MEN & MUSIC                                                                       women's WEEKLIES

All the publications IPC Media produce

TV ENTERTAINMENT                                                         COUNTRY PURSUITS & 

                                                                                                    EQUESTRIAN

History

The International Publishing Corporation Ltd was formed in 1963. This was from three of the UK's leading magazine publishers coming together, George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications. They got together with the Mirror Group to form the International Publishing Corporation (IPC).  5 years later IPC Magazines was created.

Here are a few pieces of information that happened across the years:

While IPC Media,then IPC Magazines, was formed in 1968, the company's history goes back as far as 1799

The 1800s

• In 1853 launched of the largest newspapers in Europe,The Field
• Eight more IPC Magazines that are still thriving today were launched in the late 1800s - Country Life, Horse&hound, Shooting Times, Yachting World, Amateur Gardening, Cycling Weekly, Amateur Photographer and The Railway Magazine.   

                                                   

The 1900s

• In the early 1900s saw the arrival of three new titles that in many years later became part of IPC Media-Yachting Monthly, Cage Birds and Motor Boat.
• In the 1920s the new monthly Ideal Home was launched by Odhams
• 1969 gave us a  new football weekly - Shoot
•  In 1998 IPC Magazines is sold to Cinven for £860m , one of the largest management buyouts in UK history.
• After the first World War Homes&Gardens became one of the first magazines to be published.

The 2000s

• New name- IPC Magazines is renamed IPC Media in 2000
• The biggest Magazine deal-Time Warner acquires IPC Media for a cool £1.15bn in October 2001
• More brands where made
•  IPC Media develops new digital media brands

The 2010

• Men, Mass-market women and up-market women where the three key audience groups that IPC Media restructured around in January .
• Two new monthly magazines where launched- Style at Home and Goodtoknow Recipes

Structure of the company

IPC Media is constructed into three divisions, IPC Connect, IPC Inspire and IPC Southbank. Also going along side the divisions they have IPC Advertising. This is where clients and agencies can purchase advertising space. 

IPC Connect 

This is the mass market women's division, there magazines are read by 9.4 million.The different brands that it offers all provide a powerful reach.It's split into 6 different genres celebrity and fashion, Lifestyle, Traditional, Real life, Tv and Entertainment and Casual Gaming .

IPC Inspire

This section has 38 different brands coving a wide variety of interests, this is the IPC men's division. The areas which the range in are Country, Shooting, Equestrian, Marine, Sport, Men's Lifestyle, Music, Cycling, Decanter and Technology.  Its most known lines are Country life and The Field as well as Nuts and NME.

IPC South bank

This is the up markets women's division, there are three key areas they focus on. Fashion, Women's Lifestyle and Home Interest. There work includes well known magazines such as Marie Claire.

• What types of magazines and target audiences has IPC been associated with over the years ?

IPC Media aims its audience for Men,mass market women and upmarket women  covering wide range of different magazine genres. The different genres include fashion, Television, Sports and Music. For the interest of the men they have magazines such as World Soccer, Country Life and Nuts. For the Mass Market Women they have Now, Look and Women's Weekly. On the other hand for Upmarket Women they have a  range of magazines from Homes & Gardens to Marie Claire.  

• Why might IPC be an appropriate publisher for a new music magazine?

IPC  would be an appropriate publisher for a new music magazine because they have there own range of magazines they know whats important to include, what sells and how to make it stand out from the rest. They would also know how to aim it appropriately for a target audience and know what to include to make it successful.

• What sorts of genres of music/types of magazines might they be likely to publish? 

IPC already publish a few of there own music magazines so they might go for a different style of genre other than Popular, Modern and Rock. However it does mean that they know that area well and what things sell and what don't. Depends if they want to stick to the same target audience or branch out to something new such as classical or R&B to cover a wider range.

• Why might alternative publishers like Bauer be appropriate?

Bauer might be more appropriate as they are more of a music based publishers. They publish big and well know magazines such as Kerrang. Which are also cheaper than a lot of IPC magazines, this immediately opens up a wider range of buyers as more people will be able to afford the magazine.