Six years from its conception and Soul Magazine has done it - the fourth quarter ABC’s for 2008 showed Soul as the biggest growing magazine for 2008. With a percentage growth of 75.6%, Soul was the clear leader among all South African magazine publications, most of which actually showed a negative growth in sales during the same period. In the category of Women’s General Interest, only five publications showed an increase in the fourth quarter - Femina; Finesse; Leef; Real; and Soul, out of which Soul showed the largest growth of them all. The first quarter ABC’s for 2009 shows the magazine is not slowing down on its upward trend either, with a 42% year-on-year increase being shown by the magazine for this period.

So what can this amazing feat during such tough economic times be attributed to? According to the magazine’s Publisher, Coenie Schoeman, this achievement is no accident but rather the result of hard work; dedication; and thorough research into what exactly the black woman of South Africa wants and expects from a top notch magazine today. 2008, the year of its fifth birthday, was indeed a very busy one for the Soul team, with various efforts being put into place to deliver a top quality brand for the loyal Soul readers and to also gunner in more readers who previously didn’t subscribe to the brand.

In celebration of its fifth birthday, Soul Magazine revamped itself to provide a new look magazine aimed at providing even more value and satisfaction to its readers. The October 2008 issue saw the introduction of the new look ‘Soul’ onto the market; a funkier, vibier and more colorful magazine with more of the in depth articles and features synonymous with Soul. These additions were aimed at giving even more inspiration and empowerment to black women of all ages in South Africa and beyond aspiring for a healthier, happier and more fulfilling lifestyle for themselves in every facet of their lives.

From launching its official website www.soulmag.co.za earlier in 2008 to crowning its first ever Soul Woman of the Year in September of the same year, 2008 was indeed a year of big changes for Soul. The launching of the ‘all new Soul’ was therefore only a consistent progression in line of all these other developments. One of the major revamps of the magazine was with regards to content relevant for the younger Soul reader. According to Soul’s Brand Manager, Josephine Kanengoni, ‘...this young woman is irrefutably a very vital and significant component of the Soul magazine target market and in order to cater more effectively for her needs, the new Soul looks at more issues that are of relevance to her. These articles feature a wide range of issues that are as diverse and stimulating as the interests of this young woman and aim to assist her in her process of self and social growth as well as help her create a fuller and more enriching life for herself…’

The older Soul reader was however in no way compromised or neglected in the ‘New look Soul’. There are still more of the articles synonymous with the old Soul that aim to inspire and empower black women of all ages in South Africa with the mindset to rise above their current standing and achieve greatness in all areas of their lives. From more articles of ‘ordinary’ black women in South Africa who’ve achieved extraordinary feats, to more articles taking an in depth look at real issues affecting black women of all ages in and around South Africa, to more involvement and participation from the Soul readers in the making of Soul, the ‘new look Soul’ is sure to bring even more inspiration and relevance than before to its readers, both young and old.

And if the current ABC’s are anything to go by, then the new look of Soul was indeed a welcome progression. Deputy Editor of Soul, Lauren Atkinson, says that the readers response to the new look of ‘Soul’ has been overwhelming so far. ‘The readers have been very enthusiastic and excited about Soul’s new look’ she says. This indeed seems to be in line with the sales figures, and the near 76% increase is undeniably a real reflection that the changes were the right way to go for Soul.

So where to from here? According to Josephine, the challenge has only just begun. She says, ‘As the saying goes “...To him whom much is given, much is expected”. The position we have acquired as the biggest growing publication for 2008 means we need to seriously tighten our seatbelts so we don’t get dethroned, and true to our bottom line, continue to work tirelessly to provide the utmost satisfaction and inspiration to our loyal readers. Our biggest challenge for 2009 is not to maintain the sales figures as they currently stand but rather to ensure that we get another 76% increase come year end... And if we did it before, we can most definitely do it again!’