NatMags’ Jellyfish flops
The National Magazine Company has closed its weekly e-zine Jellyfish due to “distribution challenges” following the completion of the 20 week trial this week.
Jellyfish was initially launched in March to target the declining teen market and sat beside CosmoGirl!, before it was axed in July.
In June, Jellyfish was repositioned at a slightly older 18 to 25 year old market and included a mix of fashion and celebrity, rivalling IPC’s print title Look.
NatMags is currently in talks with the Jellyfish team to find them ‘alternative roles within the business’.
Jellyfish, which included Brands such as Rimmel and V05 as advertisers, was edited by former CosmoGirl! editor Celia Duncan. The marketing activity was handled by NatMags’ central marketing team.
Nat Mags chief executive Duncan Edwards said: “The 20 week trial period has been extremely valuable but we could not see a sustainable business model emerging.
“We have learnt a great deal about digital and email marketing which will prove to be useful, for our core business and specialist digital company Hearst Digital Network, as we continue to develop our brands and future products in the digital arena.”
The Jellyfish concept used the same Acreo technology as Dennis Publishing’s men’s weekly e-zine, which launched in November and posted an ABCE of 209,612 in February.
NatMag’s digital division Hearst Digital Network publishes a number of community websites for NatMag magazines, as well as the Handbag network and netdoctor.co.uk, the UK’s leading consumer health site.
When CosmoGirl! closed less than two months ago NatMags also planned to place the CosmoGirl! editorial team in other areas of the company.
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