South Africa Edition 2

• Celebrity news: Satisfy readers’ insatiable
hunger for glitz and glamour
• Lifestyle: Practical fashion and beauty
articles for women, men and teenagers: food,
handicraft, gardening, travel and motoring
• Children: YOU carries articles and picture
material applicable to the school curriculum,
as well as teenage news covering music,
movies, DVD’s posters and articles
As a weekly magazine, YOU strives to bring
readers up to date with insightful stories and
articles in a format that readers have come to
know and trust.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
To celebrate Huisgenoot’s 90th birthday in 2006
and YOU’s upcoming 20th in 2007 both magazines
received a mini-makeover. The look was revamped
to reflect a more sophisticated reader and to show
how these titles move with the times. The new
modern and user-friendly layout is not entirely
alien from the magazine readers have grown to
love over the years.
On 29th June, YOU, Huisgenoot and DRUM
magazines launched the Unite Against Crime
Campaign. A black ribbon was the chosen symbol
for the campaign - the colour of mourning not
only for the thousands of people who have
already been killed but also for the millions
who live in constant fear of becoming the next
victim. Together South Africans are encouraged
to stem the tide of crime before South Africa is
engulfed by one of the most serious threats to
its young democracy. As part of the campaign
a competition was launched where readers were
invited to nominate everyday heroes. Ten finalists
were chosen and the winner announced at a glitzy
gala event at Emperors Palace.
PROMOTION
YOU opts mainly for television to promote itself,
making use of SABC, etv, M-Net and DStv to
flight its promotional campaigns.
It also makes use of interactive events to
reach its target market. A music truck with bands
and entertainers, appealing to a predominantly
English audience, performs road shows
specifically during holiday periods. The shows
are held along the Garden route during the
December/January holidays and the South coast
during the June holiday break.
Launched in 2005 the YOU Spectacular has
become an annual event and a definite highlight
on the social calendar in South Africa. It is the
biggest competition of its kind in the country and
gives readers the opportunity to vote for their
favourite celebrities, TV and sport stars, as well
as newsmakers. In 2006 the Awards included
12 categories and major artists such as Brandon
October, Karin Zoid, Arno Carstens and Judith
Sephuma gave performances.
Huisgenoot and YOU started 2007 with a
bang with the Kaapse Jol held at the Bellville
Velodrome in Cape Town. Building on the
hugely successful Skouspel held at Sun City
each year, the Kaapse Jol was the biggest concert
of this kind celebrating local music talent ever
held in Cape Town. The concert was dedicated
to the memory of murdered South African music
legend Taliep Petersen.
In another first at the Suidoosterfees held in
January in Cape Town, Huisgenoot, YOU and
DRUM launched the TeenTalent Competition
where teenagers from all over the Western Cape
were invited to audition in front of judges. After
two days of auditions ten finalists were chosen
and on the third day took part in a workshop.
The event culminated in the finalists sharing the
stage with top local artists in the finale of the
competition.
BRAND VALUES
YOU offers instant recognition for consumers;
credibility in editorial content; topicality in news
and actuality features; easy readability; broadest
possible appeal across social and income groups
and cutting-edge typography and layout.
The magazine does not patronise, but speaks
a language readers understand and can relate to.
Integrity means the entire family is able to read
YOU, and the magazine is accessible to all. YOU
is seen as trustworthy and reliable, informative
and empowering. YOU maintains professionalism
with readers and advertisers, and offers real value
for money.
The YOU promise is to consistently present
relevant, personal, top-class entertainment - on
time, every time. It strives constantly to be a
magazine of world-class quality and a leader in
its field, delivering a familiar and trusted product
to an often critical and fickle market.
YOU’s masthead is instantly recognised
countrywide. This national identification
imprinted in consumers’ minds, be they regular
readers or impulse buyers, is the essence of
successful branding. Through faithful adherence
to its highly successful formula in content, design
and promotion, YOU is a brand many South
Africans cannot remember being without.
YOU is involved in numerous social
responsibility initiatives, the main thrust of which
is education, literacy and entrepreneurship among
the youth. The latest of YOU’s social responsibility
and community network projects is UBUNTU,
where readers write letters or articles about what
their school or community need - whether it is
crayons, matric dance dresses, soccer shirts for
the local team or building materials. Every month
these are published in YOU and readers and
companies can respond through this more formal
platform by donating money, providing a service
or helping to fulfill a dream.
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
YOU
Huisgenoot and YOU account for 29.9
percent market share of all magazine
sales in South Africa
In 1996 there were four magazines
selling in excess of 200,000 copies per
issue: Bona, Reader’s Digest, Huisgenoot
and YOU. Today YOU is one of only
two magazines in South Africa that still
exceeds 200,000 in circulation, the other
one being Huisgenoot
YOU is one of the very few local
magazines making money from its copy
sales. Average weekly sales of 222,845
at R10.95 each generates R9 million per
month
At 2.1 million, YOU has the highest
readership amongst all English weekly
consumer magazines in South Africa
In September 2007 YOU turned 20