In recent years, ‘Superstars of Science’ have emerged on TV, breaking down barriers between science and the masses. Brian Cox is probably the best-known example of a new wave of personalities who combine both expertise and a talent for making the complicated appear simple. Added to that, as viewers, we’re now treated to incredible infographics and special effects on science TV and there’s the likes of the Wonders of the Universe interactive iPad App which makes us want to find out more. All this means that science is being brought to life like never before.
This is the key to the modern science consumer. Science can be entertaining – hugely entertaining – and with popular mass appeal. Science Uncovered will meet the demand for engagingly presented science, explained by experts.
Gone are the dark days of being ostracised as a science geek, awkwardly stuck in the dark corner of a pub with your friends. Science is very much out of the closet, now waxing lyrical at the heart of the social scene. It’s part of the national conversation. Felix Baumgartner’s jump from the edge of space epitomised that cultural shift. There’s no denying that increased science coverage from TV, radio, online and mainstream newspapers has gone some way to meeting the public’s appetite for more science content. Discovery Channel now places science as its number one selling point for subscribing to its hugely popular TV service. And, of course, it’s also the originator of a series entitled How It’s Made – a precursor to many wannabe interpretations for presenting the subject matter. But quite frankly, science content publishing needed a shot in the arm and that’s where Science Uncovered delivers – in buckets!
Popular science lends itself well to a print or digital format, where a “sit back and relax” passive consumption mode can be enhanced with strong illustrative elements. Indeed, the UK print science publishing sector is a rare beast, enjoying 6% year-on-year growth in sales, bucking the overall print magazine trend. This only serves to underline what a timely opportunity this is to launch a resonant product into a buoyant market sector – giving the public exactly what they want.
Future’s Illuminate Research Panel was an essential resource used to inform the launch of Science Uncovered. It provided clear evidence that mass consumer understanding of what science is no longer relates to just biology, chemistry and physics – it’s now materials, ecology, medicine, engineering, food, travel, technology, and all the other areas that drive forward the very essence of the world we live in. And with Future’s launch of Science Uncovered, we have very much captured the essence of that change to deliver a title that entertains and informs. It’s 100% science.
The most successful popular science titles to date have managed to capture a moment in the public consciousness – a moment when science and technology are having their greatest impact on the world. The first of these, published in 1865, The English Mechanic and World of Science, covered how the effects of the Industrial Revolution gathered apace through society. Arguably, today’s society is very much in the midst of another of those periods thanks to the likes of new materials such as graphene, new techniques, such as 3D printing, and new ways of doing science, such as crowdsourcing data.
Future’s Illuminate Panel research combined with other highly informative inputs, helped form our editorial strategy:
* Consumers are interested in how science affects their lives and hungry to discover exciting new information
* Both male and female readers – the research emphatically shows that females are equally interested in a popular science magazine
* Knowledgeable and intelligent consumers, but not necessarily working in traditional science professions. This also fed into the view that readers could tackle challenging subjects and detail, but that they had very busy lives and so didn’t want to spend too long consuming the content
When we eventually hit on the right formula, we also found that we had created a title that appealed to readers from 10 to 70+ years old.
In summary, Science Uncovered is a new popular science title from Future meeting the rapidly growing global demand for intelligent science content. From the heart of the science community, it gives readers the inside track on the latest breakthroughs and a window into the future. With topical and intelligent content and personally affecting subject matter, the science is written and explained by scientists who are recognised as global leaders in their field. And all of this is brought together in an accessible and time-friendly format.
