Maverick Publishing Corporation, publishers of
Muscle Evolution, have published the 40
th edition of the body-building magazine. Amidst the economic challenges of 2009 the title has enjoyed steady growth in readership amongst South Africa's growing community.
Andrew Carruthers, Co-publisher at Maverick Publishing Corporation and Editor-in-Chief at
Muscle Evolution attributes the continued success of the magazine to the fact that in tougher economic times, readers prefer to spend their money on specific interest magazines, rather than more general lifestyle and consumer titles. “Advertisers can also guarantee that the targeted messages they communicate from the pages of niche titles, like
Muscle Evolution reach the right target market, with very little wastage,” he explains. “Also, the local supplement market has and continues to be a very competitive environment, which drives a great deal of our ad revenue. But we are also seeing a growing number of sports apparel and lifestyle brands using our platform to reach a very defined and economically active segment of the population.”
Published since 2003, Carruthers says the trick to keeping things interesting and fresh in all 40 editions has been to constantly strive to improve on the previous issue. “Staying connected to the community and reader base by being an active member of the community means that my finger is always on the pulse in terms of what people want to read about, and I also get first hand info about what the community thinks of the magazine. This allows us to always make changes, be they big or small, to the layout, content or contributors to keep our readers coming back for more,” he says.
Muscle Evolution has also entrenched itself in the community with a number of brand extensions launched over the years. These include a competition partnership with the IFBB (International Federation of Body-building and Fitness) South Africa, to host the
Muscle Evolution Grand Prix, as well as a range of
Muscle Evolution t-shirts. More recently,
Muscle Evolution launched a new look website, which includes a local forum; an online TV channel, called
Muscle TV; the latest news; insight; and analysis on industry topics; and the company now plans to launch an online supplement store, to make
www.muscleevolution.co.za the complete local body-building resource online.
The 40
th issue of
Muscle Evolution (March/April) includes an in-depth interview and cover feature with Andrew Hudson, the next big thing in South African bodybuilding; a feature on the young, up-and-coming athletes of the sport; a profile and photo feature on local model and presenter, Riana Roberts; as well as all the latest training; nutrition; and supplementation news and insight from the industry's most knowledgeable proponents.
The 40
th edition of
Muscle Evolution magazine hits the news stands of CNA; Exclusive Books; and select retail outlets and gyms on Monday 1 March.