Task 4: IPC Case Study

International Publishing Corporation (IPC) is the UK's leading publishing brand, reaching almost 27 million UK adults including two thirds of women and 44% of men. IPC is made up of three publishing divisions; IPC Connect which comprises women's weeklies such as 'Now' and 'What's on TV'; IPC Inspire which manages famous men's magazines such as 'Country Life', 'Nuts' and 'NME'; IPC Southbank which is the upmarket women's division including magazines like 'Marie Claire' and 'Essentials'. IPC also has an advertisement line where companies can purchase advertising solutions across their different brands and magazines. Current news of IPC includes their most famous music magazine NME recently celebrating 60 years of success, Livingetc (IPC's best selling modern homes magazine) celebrating 15 years of success and IPC launching a major partnership with PeerIndex to create Social Catalyst, a new marketing product.

The International Publishing Corporation Ltd was formed in 1963 following the joining up of the UK's three leading magazine publishers, George Newnes, Odhams Press and Fleetway Publications. The magazines were then created five years later although the previous three companies had already been inventing and publishing magazines since 1881, 1890 and 1880 with titles that are still in the market now under IPC Ltd. Overall the history of International publishing Corporation goes back 150 years.

IPC would be an appropriate and ideal publisher for a new music magazine as currently, the company is not publishing a large amount of music magazines, therefore there may be a demand for more music magazines in IPC. The company has over 100 years experience and states that their dedicated team will understand the magazine's market needs. They will offer support with the new magazine to allow the acceleration of growth and success in print, online and mobile. A new music magazine will need all the support possible, IPC provides this and is therefore an ideal publisher for a new music magazine.

IPC would be likely to publish a large range of different genre music/types of magazines due to their extremely large interaction with the UK public, they reach around 26 million adults, all with different interests. IPC have 3 divisions aimed at different target audiences; mass market women, upmarket women and men. Each division has a readership of approximately 10 million each, therefore showing that the audiences interests are spread equally and widely over different types of magazine. I think IPC would be likely to publish any genre of music magazine, but especially something that appeals to a large majority of the readership, such as another alternative music magazine like NME or something that will be relevant to popular culture, which is very common in the readers of IPC published magazines.

Alternative publishers like Bauer may be appropriate to publish a new music magazine as they already own extremely successful music magazines such as Q, Mojo and Kerrang! Therefore showing their expertise in this area. Bauer also owns several radio stations such as Kiss 100, Radio City and Magic, also famous music TV channel The Box which has links to 4Music. If a new music magazine was to be published by Bauer, they have more connections, expertise and ways of promoting this type of magazine as they are already in touch with a target audience suitable for a music magazine, therefore creating the possibility of more success than if the magazine was published by IPC.

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