Problem: A media organization headquartered in WNY, in business for over 40 years with 2 leading magazines, is foreseeing a decline in readership. Part of the issue is that their readers appear to be aging out of the market, and the macro statistics of readership make them wonder if they will be out of business in the next decade. This brought them to us with the question: What does our future hold? What can we do to stay in the market?

Process: Nova Research Group conducted a secondary analysis of the market and did a survey of current subscribers to see if they indeed compared to the national averages. Next, we identified the various segments in their market and compared them with secondary data from national sources. Finally, we conducted a study of prospective audiences for each of the magazines and came up with a marketing plan to meet this new niche. Follow-ups every other year helped tweak the marketing plan and better target the niche.

Outcome: While some of their internal information was correct, certain assumptions were not, and a new segment of younger readers was indeed available but unaware of the magazines. The outcome was an increase in subscriptions from a relatively young group of readers. This led to a refinement in the magazines’ positioning in the market, as well as improvements in how outreach was conducted to further grow and sustain their subscriber base.