• by John Gaffney , November 4, 2002

FHM magazine and Bloomingdale's will stage a multi-tiered Die Another Day retail program anchored by a Male Model Search, along with a four-page advertorial, Bond-inspired fashion shops located in Bloomingdale's nationwide, themed windows at Bloomingdale's flagship store in New York City, as well as in-store events:

A high-profile media event at which Die Another Day co-stars Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry will unveil Bloomingdale's special display windows on Third Avenue at Bloomingdale's flagship New York City store. The windows will showcase Die Another Day, the store's Bond shops and include issues of FHM magazine.

The events fit into FHM’s strategy of reaching the male 18-24 audience with events and its magazine, which has had a year in which its numbers read better than the measurements of its scantily clad cover models. “I know how to sell to men,” says publisher Dana Fields. “The belief used to be that young men don’t read magazines. The belief was that they read vertical-content magazines only, like sports, entertainment, sex. We proved that wasn’t true. We put it all under one roof and made it work. Our editors don’t edit for their friends at Elaine’s. They edit for the magazine’s audience.”

Fields took Rolling Stone to its highest levels of circulation and sales as group publisher for Wenner, and she also put Men’s Journal on the map. Her performance at Wenner was outstanding, but her stewardship at FHM, an emap magazine, has found a new level. Start with ad pages and revenue. Fields started the year clocking a 98% jump in ad pages for the Jan./Feb. issue. April was up more than 90% as well. When the dust clears on 2002, FHM will have logged four months of 50%-plus increases in ad pages. For the year, Fields expects it to end at a 38% page increase and an 85% revenue increase. Circulation ended 2001 at 750,000. It will end this year at 1.07 million, with 462,569 of those sold at newsstands.

FHM’s competitive set comes from two categories. The first is the other books that go directly at young men - Maxim, Stuff, and Gear. The second set is the books that skew a bit older or aim at a segment of the men’s market. GQ, Esquire, Rolling Stone, Men’s Health, and Men’s Journal make up this group. By staying in touch with the real-life needs and wants of the 18–34 men’s demo, Fields says, the editorial product follows a strategy of “aspirational but accessible.”

“Real guys don’t dress in $3,000 suits and expensive Italian loafers,” says Fields. “We may start an editorial layout with a very expensive Armani suit. But we’ll have a healthy dose of affordable, fashionable clothes. We’re closer to A/X than Armani.”

From an advertising perspective, Fields maintains that FHM is the “only men’s general interest magazine.” She also presses what she claims is a huge advantage in newsstand sales. That is a result of attractive covers, emphasis on promotion, and U.K. magazine culture. Emap is owned and based in the U.K.

With 2002 in the books, it’s fairly obvious the independent FHM will look to expand its current brand or acquire more magazines. “We’re looking seriously,” says Fields. “Our growth has been so spectacular that we have to. I would think that expansion will probably come in the men’s market. I think FHM would rather have a brother than a sister.”