The phenomenal success of the annual FHM 100 Sexiest issue can be tracked over the last four years leaping from 90 000 (2000) to 93 000 (2001) to 109 000 (2002) to 134 000 (2003).
The 2004 sale of 157 000 copies for the FHM 100 Sexiest July issue was a technical sell-out at only 8% returns of its 170 000 print run.
Can this figure be topped in future years, or is there a ceiling as to how many copies the South African consumer will buy of FHM's signature annual issue? "Our mistake this year was in not printing enough copies as 66% of retailers reported selling-out," says Browne. "In other words, we are nowhere near saturation!"
FHM 100 Sexiest sponsor AXE is similarly delighted with the results of the campaign which afforded them "massive mileage", according to brand manager Siyabonga Khuzwayo. "AXE enjoyed a comprehensive presence in a variety of communication channels from our logo on the issue's special gold foil wrapper to brand activation exercises and sampling opportunities at the huge FHM 100 Sexiest Party at the Cape Town Castle. Not to mention the publicity updraft which took the AXE brand into editorial environments we would not normally have scaled".
Browne is adamant that all this effort and attention is not just about spiking sales for one month of the year, but that FHM 100 Sexiest is like a massive sampling exercise attracting new readers to the FHM franchise. "They come on board for the 100 Sexiest issue and they stay for FHM's trademarked sexy, funny, useful and relevant editorial package, as evidenced by the subsequent rise in our average circulation figures".
FHM's last ABC of 105 000 was the eighth consecutive increase for the country's biggest and fastest growing men's lifestyle magazine. It is expected that FHM will again show double digit circulation growth when the new ABCs for the period January to June 2004 are released soon.
Marcus Brewster Publicity for FHM
