Eve: total overhaul for BBC title
BBC glossy Eve has introduced a sports page for women and signed up former Observer journalist Katherine Flett to be a new columnist as part of a revamp aimed at boosting sales.
Inspired by new editor Jane Bruton, Eve has had a total overhaul and extended its homes, food and travel coverage. The title has reduced slightly in size and introduced new fonts, type faces and a new masthead.
Extensive reader research has led to the introduction of a larger books section, a new health book, a "speed shopping" section and "the organiser" – survival tips such as how to get a bigger house without moving and how to invest in the stock market.
The BBC claims Eve will be the first glossy to have a page dedicated to women and sport. The October issue features an interview with athlete Paula Radcliffe in which she gives tips on how to keep fit. "Women in their 30s are much more exercise conscious than they were in their 20s. You have to be because everything starts heading south," Bruton told Press Gazette.
"I don’t think any of the women’s glossies have recognised that women are much more into watching and partaking in sport these days – just look at football." Eve will continue to target readers with a median age of 35 to 38 and Bruton said she hoped to attract women who have outgrown the "how to keep your man and have 20 orgasms a night" set, but cannot bring themselves to buy the more grown-up titles read by their mothers. "When women get older they want a more youthful magazine, they sure as hell aren’t going to want to buy a magazine aimed at their mothers," she said.
In the latest ABCs, Eve recorded a sale of 119,102, down 9.3 per cent on its debut figure of 131,369. The BBC has used covermounts to help drive sales and the October issue will have a covermounted pashmina-touch scarf and a 28-page fashion supplement.
By Ruth Addicott
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