839 and those of Following 638 to best 412

Claire Chazal in bikini or les amours de Senna, of the show Secret Story, are no longer really the fortune of people press publishers. 2010 Circulation figures, who have just to be published by the OJD, the major players in the market have still lost buyers last year, after a difficult year 2009. Sales paid for "closer" declined from 4.82, to 480.173 copies, those of "Public" 5.11, best 456.839, and those of "Following" 6,38 to best 412.746. The latter continued year last losing points on its major competitors. Launched by Prisma press in 1987, it has long been leader on its market prior to be replaced in 2008 by "Closer" (Group Mondadori), launched in 2005, and then doubled in 2003 by "Public" (Lagardère Group), which had him, was launched in 2003.

It is true that this family of magazines suffered last year competition wild, unusual in the context of general crisis of the press, forlorn by its readers for the benefit of the Internet. Twenty new titles are thus appeared on this niche in 2010, including during the summer. The "People Story", "my people", "France people", "gossip" and other "Top People" came to snack on sales of the traditional players. "It is low cost magazines, publishers are not always known." "In total, their sales have represented up to best 100,000 a week in July", find a professional.

The launch of 3 new female, "Grazia", "Be" and "Envy", between September 2009 and March 2010 have also stepped on this field. Especially the last, clearly positioned as a "female-people". This is in any case the argument to justify its closure in September 2010, and its merger with "Be". "We hope that this operation will enable us to increase the gross margin of"Public"from 30 to 50 next year," said Bruno Lesouëf, CEO of Lagardère Active in France magazines then. The case of "envy" was visible effect on the diffusion after September, but it is true that the strong sales in this market are in the summer.

Publishers have yet homework on ways and means to support their dissemination. They fight suddenly scoops, but investment marketing. Promotion, first: they have broadcast TV commercials or ads radio for 3.5 million gross in "Public" and "closer", less than 1 million in "here". Declines in price, also, 1.40 or 1.50 euro for 1 euro, especially during the summer: "Public" has resorted to this incentive 12 times during the year, "closer" 10 times, and "Here" 9 times.

Finally magazines people embarked on the sales to the third party, these sales at companies (hairdressers, sports clubs, businesses, etc.), which then redistributes free of charge to their customers: this is not new in "Closer", for which they have represented best 9.823 the last year ( 21). But "Public" and "Here" opened last year this "last charge of the magazines marketing tool", in the words of the editors: sales to third parties represented best 13.144 averaged over the year in "Behold", where they have been systematic from July, and best 19.818 weekly average in "Public".

An expensive effort, whose goal is to entice advertisers and increase advertising revenues. It is relatively new magazine people, who traditionally based their strategy on dissemination: advertising represents overall than one-quarter or one third of their sales. "This family of press is sous-investie to its dissemination: long, advertisers did not wish that their brand be associated content sometimes trash", says Sophie Renaud, Director of the press in Aegis Media expertise. "But this has changed: they gradually realized that these titles enjoyed a certain power of diffusion." And the magazines themselves brought fashion and beauty pages, to meet the demand. "In ten years, the gross investment in the people have nearly tripled, from 50 to 142 million euros. "Closer", "Public" and "Here are" naturally benefited. All three say have observed an increase in their revenues in 2010, but it is difficult to know in what proportions: gross investments are calculated excluding trade discounts, and the pressure on prices still high in strong competition.

The war will continue this year It is likely, in view of the issue: publishers will continue to fight to safeguard the profitability of their magazines people, while more cows milk in the past.