Magazine: Oh Comely- Audience
Read Meet the Editor - Oh Comely in Media Magazine 65 (p26). You can find this in our Media Magazine archive. This gives you a brilliant introduction to the magazine. Answer the following questions:
1) Summarise the ownership and production of Oh Comely - how did it start and who owns it?
Three friends at Oxford University created Oh Comely around eight years ago. They wanted to create the antidote to the women’s magazines on the market and the founders felt like they wanted to offer something much more than that: meaningful content, thoughtful stories, creative writing, and a safe space for honest discussion, arty photography and illustration. Iceberg Press owns Oh Comely, which is an independent publishing company set up by three friends who all worked together in a large magazine publishing company.
2) What is the print circulation and how many subscribers do they have?
The circulation per issue is around 10,000 copies. Print is difficult because print magazines are struggling – not as many people are buying them as they used to.
3) How does the editor Alice Snape characterise the typical Oh Comely reader?
18-35-year-old creative, intelligent women who may or may not be settled into careers and are looking for inspiration from other women/ interesting characters. Oh Comely readers are educated and politically aware and looking for a unique and thought-provoking look at the kind of lives they aspire to lead. They like spending money and time on the things that matter to them – art, culture, music, theatre, clothes, jewellery, experiences, travel, home, craft/ creative projects.
4) What are the key aspects of the magazine's design aesthetic discussed by the editor? How might this link to audience pleasures?
The magazine’s design reflects the words, it’s thoughtful, beautiful – the clean and minimal layout allows the words and pictures to shine. We work very closely with illustrators who create original works of art for our features. We love natural portrait photos to accompany interviews too, capturing people.
5) How does the magazine represent women in terms of its production team and editorial decisions?
We’re a core small team of four women and we all work part time on the magazine. We work with a number or freelancers too – both men and women. I think it’s important that a magazine for women is created by lots
of women.
Now read the Oh Comely website page on advertising and audience to get a good idea of the demographics and psychographics for the Oh Comely target audience. Answer the following questions:
1) How does Oh Comely introduce itself ('what it's all about')?
2) How do the print circulation/readership statistics for Oh Comely compare to Men's Health?
The print circulation/readership statistics for Oh Comely are lower as opposed to Men's Health. This shows that they have a much more niche and smaller targeted audience.
3) How is Oh Comely distributed to the audience?
It is sold through independents, WHSmith and international outlets.
4) What do you think the target audience demographics for Oh Comely might be? Some details are provided by the magazine (e.g. average age 27) and you can fill in further gaps using the Media Magazine interview with the editor.
A woman who is around the age of 27 and has strong views on female equality and who are very modern.
5) What psychographic groups might be attracted to Oh Comely? If you've forgotten this, revise psychographics here!
Succeeders, Explorers and Reformers.
6) What social class classification would you expect most Oh Comely readers to be? Why?
ABC1/AB as they are more likely to be aware of the misrepresentation of women in contemporary media.
7) What level of education would you expect for most Oh Comely readers? Why?
A high level of education so a Russell Group University degree level.
8) What audience pleasures are offered by Oh Comely?
Personal Relationships- Readers are likely to connect with the editorial team
Surveillance- Women can gain lots of information about food, style etc and also niche events.
9) It has been suggested Oh Comely is a “magazine about people, their quirks and creativity rather than money and what it can buy”. How does the design and advertising content of Oh Comely support this view?
The founders felt like they wanted to offer something much more than that: meaningful content, thoughtful stories, creative writing, and a safe space for honest discussion, arty photography and illustration. It surprises me that those magazines with regurgitated diet content and circled cellulite etc. still exist, but even if they all disappeared there’s still a place for thoughtful mags like Oh Comely.
10) Why do you think Oh Comely has been able to build a loyal audience of subscribers in the years since it launched? Think about audience demand, rival magazines and the overall media landscape in the digital age.
Oh Comely has been able to build a loyal audience of subscribers as they cater towards a niche audience in comparison to rival magazines such as ELLE and Harper's Bazaar. We don’t make lots of money and we do need more people to buy it in order to create a more sustainable future. But, we’re trying to do more events, not just to make more money but also to get our brand out there to more people. For example,
we recently did an issue launch dinner in the private dining room inside Spring in Somerset House. And we hosted a panel discussion for International Women’s Day featuring amazing women who have featured on our pages. We also like to work with advertisers on a more personal level; if we create content for them, we have to believe in what they’re selling. Therefore, it feels much more genuine. We only sell ads to eclectic and ethical companies who fit with our ethos. We don’t want ads to stand out, or ads to make us look like we’re selling something just because we have been given a
1) Summarise the ownership and production of Oh Comely - how did it start and who owns it?
Three friends at Oxford University created Oh Comely around eight years ago. They wanted to create the antidote to the women’s magazines on the market and the founders felt like they wanted to offer something much more than that: meaningful content, thoughtful stories, creative writing, and a safe space for honest discussion, arty photography and illustration. Iceberg Press owns Oh Comely, which is an independent publishing company set up by three friends who all worked together in a large magazine publishing company.
2) What is the print circulation and how many subscribers do they have?
The circulation per issue is around 10,000 copies. Print is difficult because print magazines are struggling – not as many people are buying them as they used to.
3) How does the editor Alice Snape characterise the typical Oh Comely reader?
18-35-year-old creative, intelligent women who may or may not be settled into careers and are looking for inspiration from other women/ interesting characters. Oh Comely readers are educated and politically aware and looking for a unique and thought-provoking look at the kind of lives they aspire to lead. They like spending money and time on the things that matter to them – art, culture, music, theatre, clothes, jewellery, experiences, travel, home, craft/ creative projects.
4) What are the key aspects of the magazine's design aesthetic discussed by the editor? How might this link to audience pleasures?
The magazine’s design reflects the words, it’s thoughtful, beautiful – the clean and minimal layout allows the words and pictures to shine. We work very closely with illustrators who create original works of art for our features. We love natural portrait photos to accompany interviews too, capturing people.
5) How does the magazine represent women in terms of its production team and editorial decisions?
We’re a core small team of four women and we all work part time on the magazine. We work with a number or freelancers too – both men and women. I think it’s important that a magazine for women is created by lots
of women.
Now read the Oh Comely website page on advertising and audience to get a good idea of the demographics and psychographics for the Oh Comely target audience. Answer the following questions:
1) How does Oh Comely introduce itself ('what it's all about')?
Oh Comely is a powerful mix of words and pictures, stylishly presented and much loved by its readers. It provides an alternative to the ‘pile-it-high-sell-it-cheap’ aesthetic of mainstream magazines for young women, and this is why it has carved a loyal niche of fans. It is a breath of fresh air for a creative audience desperate to find something that speaks to them directly in an accessible, intelligent and interesting voice.
Its time has come.
2) How do the print circulation/readership statistics for Oh Comely compare to Men's Health?
The print circulation/readership statistics for Oh Comely are lower as opposed to Men's Health. This shows that they have a much more niche and smaller targeted audience.
3) How is Oh Comely distributed to the audience?
It is sold through independents, WHSmith and international outlets.
4) What do you think the target audience demographics for Oh Comely might be? Some details are provided by the magazine (e.g. average age 27) and you can fill in further gaps using the Media Magazine interview with the editor.
A woman who is around the age of 27 and has strong views on female equality and who are very modern.
5) What psychographic groups might be attracted to Oh Comely? If you've forgotten this, revise psychographics here!
Succeeders, Explorers and Reformers.
6) What social class classification would you expect most Oh Comely readers to be? Why?
ABC1/AB as they are more likely to be aware of the misrepresentation of women in contemporary media.
7) What level of education would you expect for most Oh Comely readers? Why?
A high level of education so a Russell Group University degree level.
8) What audience pleasures are offered by Oh Comely?
Personal Relationships- Readers are likely to connect with the editorial team
Surveillance- Women can gain lots of information about food, style etc and also niche events.
9) It has been suggested Oh Comely is a “magazine about people, their quirks and creativity rather than money and what it can buy”. How does the design and advertising content of Oh Comely support this view?
The founders felt like they wanted to offer something much more than that: meaningful content, thoughtful stories, creative writing, and a safe space for honest discussion, arty photography and illustration. It surprises me that those magazines with regurgitated diet content and circled cellulite etc. still exist, but even if they all disappeared there’s still a place for thoughtful mags like Oh Comely.
10) Why do you think Oh Comely has been able to build a loyal audience of subscribers in the years since it launched? Think about audience demand, rival magazines and the overall media landscape in the digital age.
Oh Comely has been able to build a loyal audience of subscribers as they cater towards a niche audience in comparison to rival magazines such as ELLE and Harper's Bazaar. We don’t make lots of money and we do need more people to buy it in order to create a more sustainable future. But, we’re trying to do more events, not just to make more money but also to get our brand out there to more people. For example,
we recently did an issue launch dinner in the private dining room inside Spring in Somerset House. And we hosted a panel discussion for International Women’s Day featuring amazing women who have featured on our pages. We also like to work with advertisers on a more personal level; if we create content for them, we have to believe in what they’re selling. Therefore, it feels much more genuine. We only sell ads to eclectic and ethical companies who fit with our ethos. We don’t want ads to stand out, or ads to make us look like we’re selling something just because we have been given a
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