IPC Publishing Company

IPC Media publishing house

IPC Media (International Publishing Company) the owner of Time Inc is the leading consumer magazine publisher in the UK. Ipc started in 1958 by Cecil Harmsworth King who made an offer for association press, which was accepted and in 1959 he changed the company name to Fleetway publications LTD. King saw and opportunity in an overcrowded woman’s magazine market in which fleet way took over Odham’s press one of their competitors. In Consequence Fleetway controlled almost 100 consumer magazines and had joined Odham and Newnes as a combined business.

In 1963 all the companies were combined by the holding company called IPC, all of the existing companies continued to existed but as an IPC subsidiary.

Ipc produce over 60 media brands, with magazines reaching both males and females with different lifestyles and characteristics. Ipc focuses on producing diverse print media for everyone while focusing on men, mass market women and upmarket women. It exceeds selling over 350 million copies each year, which includes selling magazines such as Look, Nuts, NME, Mouse breaker, Country life and Instyle which are all in different categories.

Ipc would be a good publishing house for my Electro music magazine ‘House’ because it does also produce NME - one of the top selling music magazines. With such experience in targeting a specific audience and exceeding, it gives me the confidence that they will be able to sell my magazine and increase the reputation of the new magazine.

Also Ipc has the funds necessary to make the magazine look appealing as possible  to appeal to my specific target market, the graphic design is very important therefore they will be able to guide me on what to do to get the attention of the readers. As it is a new magazine it is important that they help me in this area. Also due there their funds they will be able to print a larger capacity of magazines to meet the demand of the consumers much easier due to its large reputation.

An example of Ipc dominance of the Publishing house industry is ‘Look’ magazine which covers the latest high street woman fashion, beauty and celebrity fashion, with important branding included in the weekly magazine such as Asos, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Lipsy, New Look and French connection. These Large businesses pay are funds of money to advertise their business and products in the magazine which complements their business. Also In Style with is targeted for Up market women have international companies such as Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana, Rolex etc to advertise in their magazines resulting in large profits.

However, IPC specialises in targeting mass audiences, my magazine ‘House’ is targeted at young music lovers who are interested in the Elecro House Dubstep and Drum and Bass scene, while advertising the latest hotspots for these types of music. This genre of music is at a minority in the UK compared to R&B, HipHop, Pop and Rock, therefore I will be operating in a niche market.

Moreover, in January 2010 IPC Media announced that a strategic review of their niche and specialist Magazines, at that time they were publishing over 85 different magazines with almost reaching two thirds of women and 44% of men. The review was looking into the business and whether it was desirable for IPC to publish some of the brands they own, specifically niche and specialist magazines who may intend to sell them off to smaller publishers where they will have a stronger knowledge for the appropriate place for target market resulting in better focus.

Nevertheless from the information above it is clear that IPC would  be the best publishing house for me, although they publish magazines that target a mass audience,  they also publish Alternative Rock magazine –NME, the brand is majority aimed at men in which the audience have specific characteristics,  I believe IPC will focus on trying to establish my magazine as there is a gap in the market for one. 

 

Rosemary Ekanem