The National Magazine Company has switched editors on Zest and She
magazines as the company looks to shore up circulations in the face of
increased competition in the women's title sector.
The switch of Eve Cameron, creator and editor of Zest since 1994, and
Alison Pylkkanen, editor of She since 1995, is a precursor to
significant activity next year in support of each title.
She is being fully re-launched while the publisher is to run a campaign
to develop the profile of Zest.
NatMags said the switch was prompted by the fact that both have been in
their jobs for some time and by the recent arrival of group publishing
director Justine Southall.
Southall, who joined the company from BBC Worldwide's eve magazine six
weeks ago, said: 'Both editors can give a fresh viewpoint to each
magazine coming at it from different kinds of experience.If you have
good people, you want to keep them challenged and allow them to have new
ideas. They need to be working in an environment where they can be
creative,' she added.
Southall said the company was planning to invest in both titles next
year. The She re-launch will involve changes to the design, content and
production quality. For Zest the changes will not be about content but
about developing 'the full potential of the brand'.
The changes are in part a response to recent circulation falls at both
titles. In the latest ABCs She was down six per cent year-on-year to
182,790, while Zest was down seven per cent to 110,120.
The falls stem from increased competition with five launches in the
women's consumer sector last year and two this year. The handbag-sized
Glamour, which came in with an ABC of 451,486, in particular has
affected the market.
