The Big Issue

The Big Issue 

Key Terms

Circulation - Number of copies a magazine sells

Readership - Not just who buys a magazine but the total number of people likely to read it

Mass Audience - readership on a very large scale

Niche Audience - narrow group of readers with a particular interest 

Subscription - where a reader pays for a set number of copies of a magazine in advance at a lower price and receives them by post

Masthead - the title of the magazine

Plug - text that 'plugs' a feature that will appear inside the magazine

Puff - a story that is given prominence on the cover

Cover Star - the 'star' featured on the cover

Anchorage Text - text that anchors the main image and gives it context/meaning

Banner - text that runs across the lower section of the cover

Skyline - text that runs across the top of the cover

Without advertising, no magazine could survive.  If a magazine did not contain ads, then its COVER PRICE would be three or four times greater .

The INCOME for a magazine comes from both sales and advertising.  On average, advertising accounts for 70% of magazine income.

A magazine with a small CIRCULATION is more dependent on advertising than one with a large circulation.

What is the Big Issue?

Set up in 1991 by John Bird and Gordon Roddick
Sold only on the streets
Sold by people facing poverty and homelessness as a way to make their living
Built a reputation for access and attitude
It eventually went global selling in Australia, Japan, Korea, South Africa, Kenya, France etc
It nows helps the poorest of people around the world to make a living to give them a better quality of life
Sold over 200,000,000 copies since its launch in Britain alone
Brands who trade with a social purpose can now sell through the 'BIg Issue' website
The Big Issue Invest provides finance for social businesses who work hard to help dismantle poverty
The Big Issue enables people to make a difference
About 100,000 copies of 'The Big Issue' are sold each week

Most widely circulated street newspaper
Hybrid genre (entertainment and social business)
Entertainment aspect attracts advertising revenue
Editorial content if often critical of big business, banking and champions the political cause and role of the individual within society 
Costs £2-50 / £1-25 goes to the trader

Inspired a network of 120 similar street magazines 
Primary objective
Independent publication to offer a public service and to try and improve a social problem

2000 vendors

'Ethical Capitalism'

Ethical Capitalism seeks to build deep, trust-based relationships in the service of society as well as the bottom line. In other words, it is a business model with a “higher purpose.”