MediaCat Weekly #14 — print magazines, OnlyFans TV, Kairos Group

Welcome to MediaCat Weekly — a short and sweet newsletter featuring some of the top stories from the past week, recent conversations, and a round-up of industry news.

This week we kicked off our April theme, Phoenix From The Ashes, examining the rise and fall of media. We had articles unpacking how Alpha-Gen Z interplay is shaping culture, and how agencies are creating hero moments to generate fame.

We also have a new playlist, thanks to John Clarvis, Data & Insight Director at The Kite Factory. You can listen here.

Enjoy!

How print magazines are thriving in the digital age

By Josh Mcloughlin

FHM, Shortlist, Glamour, Now, Time Out London… the rise of digital and skyrocketing print costs have killed off many longstanding British magazines in print. Sales have been falling since 2005. But a few print magazines have survived and thrived in a radically changed media landscape, and continue to attract media buyers, brand partners and ad spend. So, what explains the enduring value of print magazines to brands and advertisers??

Read the full piece.

OFTV: OnlyFans extends brand to become a streamer

By Mike Piggott

What do you think of when you think of OnlyFans? Well, for those of us that ever do think of OnlyFans… nudity, right? Maybe adult content and creators? Well, in August 2021, for those not in the know, OnlyFans launched OFTV: a new ‘safe for work’ streaming platform. I say safe for work in quotation marks but I shouldn’t, because it seems like the company has gone out of its way to get across the message that the platform really is safe for work.

Read the full piece.

How entertainment media drives cultural moments

By Kerri-Anne McNally

Entertainment is actually a precursor to cultural shifts. Its ability to tap into existing interests, harness passions and capture the mood of a generation is what makes it such a powerful force, while our inability to predict where it will go next is what keeps everything so very interesting. Kerri-Anne details how entertainment drives cultural moments from Miyazaki and anime, to girl power and K-pop.

Read the full piece.

Conversations

Q&A: Culture is not an industry: Culture is a common good, not a market, says author Justin O’Connor

How Kairos Group is ‘hungry to push boundaries’ We speak to Kairos Group's new MD, Laura Tannenbaum

News

• A new campaign for the women’s health charity Sister Circle, created by Droga5 London highlights the shocking stats about maternal death rates and poor outcomes for pregnant women of colour in the UK. read
• Film agency Jung von Matt has created a short film to show how Hyundai’s IONIQ5 robotaxi became the first autonomous vehicle to take and pass a standard driving license test in Nevada. read

Seen elsewhere

• Tech: Yahoo said on Tuesday it had acquired Instagram co-founders' AI-driven news platform, Artifact, and will incorporate its technology across the U.S. web services provider's news and other sites. (Reuters)
• Media: Amid rising competition and lacklustre stock performance, Tesla is brushing off CEO Elon Musk’s previous disdain for marketing and pushing ahead with digital ads in search of a much-needed sales boost. (Yahoo)
• Media: Adverts featuring the actor Dominic West as a sneering bank manager will be pulled from TV in their current form after the advertising watchdog ruled they were misleading (The Guardian)
• Tech: Generative AI search engine Perplexity, which claims to be a Google competitor and recently snagged a $73.6 million Series B funding from investors like Jeff Bezos, is going to start selling ads (ADWEEK)

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