Live Issue... Have the men's mags lost their mojo?

The closure of the men’s magazine Maxim in Singapore has raised big questions about the male publishing market in the city-state.

The title, launched four years ago amid great fanfare, came with an impeccable track record: licensed to SPH Magazines by Dennis Publishing, it was the 24th edition of the magazine to appear around the world. Yet, with a circulation of 45,000, it will fold after the December issue.

But Maxim wasn’t the only men’s magazine to run into trouble. Its closure came hot on the heels of the demise of competitor New Men. Published by Lifestyle Publishing, New Men announced in August that it was halting publication indefinitely.

SPH Magazines attributed its decision to fold Maxim to the decline of readership in the ‘lad mag’ category. The question facing the publishing industry is whether similar titles may suffer, and whether broader men’s magazines have a viable future in Singapore.

Their failure has not deterred others from trying their hand. Two new men’s magazines have recently announced launch plans for Singapore - a lad mag VIP, to be launched by Playboy’s subsidiary Rabbithead Enterprise, and luxury men’s magazine The Rake by Revolution International.

What’s more, established men’s magazines such as MediaCorp’s FHM and Viscion’s Playeur do not view Maxim’s failure as a warning bell for the lad mag category. The titles claim that they their ad revenues have been healthy and readership steady.

Instead, they argue Maxim’s closure is an opportunity to expand their readership. “The closure of Maxim certainly clears the playing field and will help readers clarify their purchasing decision,” says David Fuhmann-Lim, editor of FHM. He adds that FHM is also hoping to attract more advertisers and “a larger pool of models”.

Media sources believe that Maxim’s closure might have something to do with the evolution of reading habits among men, rather than an absence of interest in men’s magazines per se.

“Men have become very discerning about the kind of content they will pay for. If they want some titillation they can go online. After all, the internet gives the kind of access magazines cannot,” says Peilin Lee, a communications planner at Mindshare Singapore.

Lee feels that even though traditional lad mags are in trouble, certain kinds of magazines in the men’s category are also witnessing growth - for example, niche titles or lifestyle magazines with more in-depth content. A way out for lad mags might be to change with the changing habits of men, for example by building their online presence and diversifying away from print. Some in the industry feel that FHM might not be in immediate danger as it has tried to modify its content and build events around the magazine to offer experiences that the internet cannot.

Singapore’s publishers are also facing changing demands from brands, whose adspend is key to ensuring a magazine’s survival. Media agencies say that brands in traditional men’s categories are becoming reluctant to be associated with raunchy content as most want to be seen as chic and high quality. This appears to be part of a larger trend where advertising for products targeted at men are moving away from using scantily clad women. Lee cites Tiger Beer, which is handled by Mindshare and dropped Maxim in favour of men’s lifestyle magazine Arena last year. Arena, licensed to MediaCorp in Singapore, is considered to possess more intellectually stimulating content than standard lad mags.

Holman Chin, GM of Viscion publishing, concurs that men’s habits are changing, but believes there is still a space for sophisticated and upmarket men’s magazines. He argues that licensed titles such as Maxim and FHM are constrained by the content and strategies of their Western counterparts, and so are not able to change direction to address local needs. “They also have to pay a huge annual fee and royalty on ad revenue, which makes their survival difficult.”

It’s no surprise, then, that SPH has decided to focus on its flagship men’s title Men’s Health. A niche magazine with fitness content not easily available online now seems a better bet than Maxim.