“2024 has been the start of a new beginning for us, and I feel very optimistic about where we’re going,” Jane Huxley, CEO of Are Media, told Mediaweek following the presentation of the media company’s offerings in 2025.
Are Media Ignite, held in Sydney on Thursday, outlined a roadmap for the company’s products, events, awards, and competitions in the new year.
“It’s been a challenging year for everybody, whether it be things that were outside our control or, in our case, completing that last step of our transformation,” she said.
Part of Are Media’s three-year-long transformation included a foundation of the business culture, people and technology — a process she noted was completed in August.
Are Media’s director of sales, Andrew Cook, also called 2024 challenging and transformative but highlighted green shoots of opportunity and developments in the business that will be “momentum builders” for 2025.
‘We feel very bullish about Elle magazine’
Among those opportunities he highlighted was the surge of magazines in the market, which saw Elle return to newsstands. “It did much better than we ever thought it would regarding our financials. We knocked that out of the park,” Cook said.
“In this world of people wanting to get off screens, those magazines are very stable.” He also welcomed other publishers bringing magazines back and launching their brands and added that it’s “great for the industry,”
“The fact that we’ve got those brands in print and the other connections to amplify in a trusted environment are things that nobody else has.“
Huxley noted that while the magazine category “is in decline, it is proving more resilient than we thought possible with our readership numbers continuing to increase.”
Are Media’s magazine offerings include The Australian Women’s Weekly, Girlfriend magazine, Who, TV Week and Gourmet Traveller. Huxley stressed that, despite an eventual decline in magazine readership, print will remain part of their format mix.
Huxley said that magazines will continue to be part of the formats available to readers despite the eventual decline in people reading magazines over time.
“There will still be a place for them to go to consume the brand and to read the content,” she said. “So we feel very bullish about a magazine.”
She added: “I am unapologetically in love with magazines. Maybe because I’m so busy and tired, like our readers, to sit down and read the magazines is a real moment. While people are still looking for ‘me time’, we’ll still do magazines.
“We’ll keep writing and printing as long as people keep buying.“
ELLE Australia cover
‘We can bring the brand to life’
As the market for magazines grows, Are Media is also expanding its digital content strategy. Huxley shared that the company has launched a four-week training curriculum, Digital Academy, to upskill its creators, editors, and writers. This initiative helps staff understand new formats and how to reach audiences effectively.
“For us, it was crucial to bring our people along because they know and love the brands better than anyone,” she said. “Ensuring our brands truly become omnichannel is key to our future.”
Cook highlighted Elle as an example of this omnichannel approach, with the brand successfully expanding onto platforms like TikTok, which now has over 117,000 followers. “Clients are keen to connect with that audience on these platforms,” he added.
Huxley also noted that sectors like automotive and finance are “finally recognising” the value of Are Media’s majority-women audience and are increasingly partnering with the company.
In the event space, Are Media’s offerings are growing, with initiatives like the Masterclass Styling Sessions, marie claire’s International Women’s Day event, and the Gourmet Traveller Hotel and Travel Awards. Recently, they hosted their first Australian Women’s Weekly health summit, which featured panels on health and wellness.
Jane Huxley
“It’s a reminder of the power of brand association,” Cook said. “Yes, people read the pages, but they also want to engage with the brand in real life. That’s why we’re expanding our events.”
Are Media Ignite also showcased insights from its Heart of Influence study with Pollinate, exploring how the shopping journey has evolved. The study identified three key elements for effective word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing: clout, curation, and confidence.
Cook said Are Media’s ambition is to be seen as a “thought leader” in understanding consumer behaviour. “With our various verticals, we can offer broad insights and drill down into specifics for clients and agencies.”
Huxley concluded by underscoring the company’s focus on thoughtful and mindful strategies for 2025. “Our connection with Australian women is our most valuable asset, built on trusted, quality content. Nobody in Australia creates content for women like we do, whether it’s in a magazine, on a website, or across social media.”
See also: Are Media Ignite 2025: Heart of Influence research study reveals insights into the shopping journey
Andrew Cook
Huxley on Are Media’s “thoughtful and mindful“ strategy for 2025
Armed with insights from the Pollinate research, Huxley emphasised that Are Media’s strategy for 2025 centres on its unique connection with Australian women, built on the strength of its trusted brands.
“Our focus is on the quality of our content, which we deeply treasure,” Huxley said.
She highlighted that Are Media’s brands are the company’s most valuable assets and are guided by a “thoughtful and mindful” approach in how they engage clients and partners.
“No one creates the breadth of content for Australian women that we do — whether in a magazine, on a website, through social posts, EDMs, or even books,” she said. “We hold a unique place in the market, and that’s something we truly value.”
See also:
Are Media Ignite 2025: New content commerce initiatives revealed
Are Media Ignite 2025: Everything new announced
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Top image: Jane Huxley and Andrew Cook