How It Works – creating a successful brand

The secret of How It Works’ success

Within two years of launch, How It Works already boasts a list of accolades that many magazines would be proud of. It was nominated for an industry award within four months of launch and generated a cool £1 million in retail sales value (RSV) in its first year alone.

The last 12 months have seen record sales numbers and further growth in a market facing continuing pressure, but perhaps its greatest achievement of 2011 came with the launch of Apple Newsstand. Within just five days of the digital magazine store going live, the How It Works App for iPhone and iPad generated a staggering half a million downloads.

So what are the factors that have made this exciting new knowledge/science brand such a success?

Identifying a gap in the market and serving it played a part. At some point in the mid-to-late Noughties science and technology became cool. TV programming on the subjects moved from late-night Open University slots to mainstream prime time and shows like Richard Hammond’s Engineering Connections, James May’s Big Ideas, Brainiac and MythBusters all served to create a new audience with a healthy appetite for nutritious entertainment.

In 2009, the magazine market had yet to respond, offering only a small amount of academic titles on the fascinating and exciting topics that science and technology had to offer. When How It Works launched in October of that year it instantly appealed to the wide audience that were enjoying the current trend of science and technology-related entertainment and perfectly filled a market need for a magazine providing accessible, quality content on popular and fascinating topics. Successfully identifying this gap in the market and catering to it ensured that How It Works magazine smashed its sales and subscriptions targets within six months.

It isn’t just the magazine that’s performed though, there’s also now a range of bookazines, a website, iPad & iPhone app, and eBooks under the How it Works banner. How it Works ticks all the right boxes when it comes to Imagine Publishing’s content strategy – it is relevant, covering the most topical and interesting subjects. It’s credible, featuring expert writers and celebrity columnists. It’s different to its closest competitors, with bold visuals and amazing illustrations. And its delivery of premium quality is slavishly consistent.

However, the success of How It Works is born simply from a passion for the subject, a desire to create something that inspires a sense of wonder in the world around us, and a dedication to create something that provides knowledge in an entertaining and visually arresting way. The team who create and manage the How it Works brand at Imagine do so with a unique love for the subject matter, its audience and its reputation. While strategy, targeting and marketing are crucial, it’s the passion and commitment to creating an outstanding product that underpins the success of How It Works.

Dave Harfield