THE WEEKLY SCOOP - 26.01

Women’s & Men’s Health the latest titles to introduce membership schemes?

Following on from the announcement that Elle UK was to introduce its exclusive membership scheme, fellow Hearst publications Men’s Health and Women’s Health are to follow suit.????Joint editor-in-chief of both titles Claire Sanderson (pictured) announced that membership schemes will become a priority focus in 2024.????New apps launched for both the Women’s Health Collective and Men’s Health Squad, featuring exclusive premium content as well as workout videos and training plans.??Both brands actually launched the first version of their membership more than a year ago but the addition of the apps marks a huge step up in the strategy.???Annual memberships for each title costs ￡89.99, but there is an initial price of ￡49.99 for the year for anyone who signs up before 1 February. This compares to a print and digital subscription to Women’s Health, which currently costs ￡44.99 for a year or ￡23.99 every six months.???Sanderson also implied the membership programme will be rolled out across other key Hearst titles in the coming months.?

Online news paywall inflation running at 20% in the UK?

Sticking on a digital theme, the price of a digital news subscription has risen by 19% on average in the UK over the last year.????Online news price rises are well ahead of inflation which stands at around 5% in the UK and 3% in the US.????The rise in the price of paywalled online news comes as ad-funded news faces a crisis. Online advertising revenue was forecast to decline sharply in 2023 for news publishers, despite overall market growth.???The Financial Times remains the most expensive consumer digital news subscription in the UK or US, followed for the second year running by The Times.??A full-price annual digital subscription to the FT now costs ￡369, a rise of ￡50 or 16% since January 2023. A new subscriber can pay ￡329 for their first year.?

Robots are OUT. Authenticity is IN

The usage of AI will skyrocket in 2024 with more brands continuing to adopt the technology into their social strategy. This new era of generative AI will force brands to?redefine authenticity?within their social marketing and find their place between efficiency and authenticity.??The calling for authenticity is evident from the success of the social app BeReal – the impromptu nature of the app encourages genuine moments in life to be shared and is favoured particularly by Generation Z.??So, what’s the secret to remaining authentic in 2024? UGC will be the hero – a way to show authenticity through genuine, ‘real’ reviews and testimonials that don’t feel like a sales push. Brands must also be even more considerate when selecting other brands or creators to partner with. Partnerships that either do not reflect the brand’s values or are perceived as ingenuine will suffer.??AI has the potential to create boundless opportunities for brands and can boost efficiency tremendously. Deciding on how much to utilise AI is dependent on the individual brand. It’s important to know your audience and how they feel about AI. The underlying theme this year is to remain authentic, transparent and original by creating policies and best practices for using AI on social media.??In 2024, the most successful brands will redefine authenticity, focusing on creating a brand experience for customers that feels right and reinforces everything the brand stands for, whilst keeping a human side present!?

Community is everything

“Community”?will be the new buzzword in the social sphere this year. A behaviour shift across social media has meant social media users are now moving away from engaging on public feeds and are taking their engagements to DMS, more private spaces and within communities such as Instagram broadcast channels - which have risen in popularity. To engage with your audience and their changing shift in behaviour in 2024, brands must adopt a more closed and intimate form of communication across socials. These private spaces will allow brands to nurture their community, connect to their audience on a deeper level and with more of a personal touch, whilst building brand loyalty and promoting long-term relationships.??Unsurprisingly, this means the top tip for succeeding on socials is to be SOCIAL. How can brands encourage engagement? Set up an Instagram broadcast channel, add a call to action within your caption or add a button to your Instagram stories that encourages the conversation to lead to direct messages.?