By definition, a niche market is a focused targetable portion of a market sector. Niche marketing, in turn, is any attempt to provide a product or service that is not being addressed by mainstream providers. This new demand arises whenever there are changes to society, technology, or the general environment.

If there’s a magazine company out there worth noting when it comes to this, it would have to be Hinge Inquirer Publications.

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Their magazine lineup includes the following: Game, MPH, Golf Digest, SME Insight, F&B World, Baking Press, Burn, and Spark. Quite noticeably, you do not see them competing in bigger markets such as men’s and women’s lifestyle. One thing worth remembering is they would have joined the licensing wars more than two years ago had they been successful in bringing in Electronic Gaming Monthly. Unfortunately, this did not push through.

I’ve never known the reason behind this strategy, but I’m guessing they don’t want any of their magazines cannibalizing their broadsheet advertisers, and vice versa? One thing I know, they are good at targeting their chosen niches. It’s easy for them to say to advertisers that “Hey, we’re the only ones going after these markets”.

Society magazines may also be considered niche titles for the simple reason that they cater to a very segmented part of our community. Philippine Tatler, Lifestyle Asia, Metro Society, and Town & Country are titles that belong to this group. While the A/B market indeed has spending power, I just didn’t see the point of magazines that showcase a lifestyle that is worlds away from the lives most of us live. Get a copy of these titles and almost all of them are filled with pictures of socialite X at socialite Y’s party, and so on. You get the idea.

Society Magazines

I guess my experience with mainstream markets somehow blind me from the true essence of the above titles. I guess I just have to put to mind that these people shouldn’t be faulted for being filthy rich. They worked for it (at least most of them) after all. Bah. I guess my thoughts just carry with them a little bit of bitterness :) .

What is a magazine’s purpose, if it entertains 10,000 socialites, but makes about 1,000,000 feel bad about their less than extravagant lives? I guess there’s just so much money to be made out there, that the answer to this question doesn’t really matter much.

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