Better Homes & Gardens is Harry’s House: But is That Enough?
I haven’t bought, no, looked at, a copy of Better Homes and Gardens in years. The extent of my knowledge of the magazine came from nail salons and doctors offices, it being my reading of choice after People. Suddenly, in June of this past year, I found myself and thousands of other young women running to grocery stores, bookstores, and our mother’s magazine subscriptions, desperately searching for a copy. The answer, as it is to most everything in my life, is Harry Styles.
Pop superstar, fashion icon, and love of my life, Harry Styles has a grip on the 18–24 year old female demographic like few others. Fellow Harries will remember the panic of running to target desperately trying to buy the Cashmere Vanilla candle because someone, somewhere, said it smelled like the cologne Harry was rumored to wear. Users are posting different fruit themed socks, accessories, and bed sheets with the moniker “Harry coded,” and, in defense of the masses, I did buy a new set of bedsheets adorned with little cherries, thinking about the ex-One Directioner. Styles’ newest album, Harry’s House, released in May with a flurry of cozy, home related marketing. Most surprisingly, however, was his decision to give the cover story to none other than Better Homes and Gardens, leaning harder into the concept of being at home with Harry.
Late Night Magazine Analysis
As a gardener and baker, I’m surprised I don’t read this magazine more, and as a Harry Styles fan, I immediately became a sheeple and read the article online, absorbing any and all information. Afterwards, however, I poked around. They had me at Harry, and kept me with apartment decor tips, and easy one-pan baking recipes. In my humble opinion, BHG is simply trying to push itself into the times, and successfully used Styles as a way to reintroduce itself to a potential legion of subscribers.
According to similarweb.com, the average BHG reader is a woman aged 24–35, followed by women aged 55–64. Admittedly, I fall just barely outside of the main demographic (excuse me as I cling to the waning months of my early twenties) yet I notice a marginal push to focus on the mid to late twenties crowds, and perhaps a recognition of the economic sign of the times. It takes some digging, but decor for apartments and condos has its own subsection on the site, and in fact, the “small spaces” category is above the “traditional homes, “ and “houseplants” sits above “landscaping.”
While the magazine doesn’t tend to overly target itself to a specific gender identity, one could argue that BHG is a traditionally “women’s” magazine (and their inclusion of Styles as recent coverman doesn’t help that argument) but to do so would argue for the gendered concepts of gardening and cooking. Even if one did want to stick to the biased concepts of cooking and cleaning, BHG includes landscaping, home improvement, and grilling recipes, all traditionally “masculine” tasks. Similiarweb.com does point out that while there is a predominantly female readership, 35% of the readers do identify as male.
Even the cover story featuring Harry leans more towards the artistic, cozy nature of the album, instead of focusing on him and his relationships, like the (beautifully shot) September issue of Rolling Stone. The article links out to two spin off articles, one a simple behind the scenes shoot video, and one that gives a house tour of the space used for the shoot. BHG has found its niche and successfully maintained its cozy, safe, environment.
‘Daydreaming’ of a BHG Renaissance
This leads me to discussing its competitors. I almost reviewed Southern Living, because as an ex-Alabama sorority girl, I was curious to see what my peers were up to. Remembering the Harry article may have swayed me, but I took a peek at the site for comparison purposes. Southern Living at the surface, seems similar (if not more luxe) than BHG, but it has the downfall of coming off as highly regional. What does Southern Living have to offer me, a student living in the suburbs of Chicago, looking at apartments the size of a sunroom in Georgia? Actually, quite a bit, but I wouldn’t know to look. Martha Stewart’s magazine falls victim to a similar downfall, being that the magazine seems geared towards East Coast, WASP living (though Martha and her bestie Snoop Dogg are making strides in changing her image to appeal to a younger demographic.)
Better Homes and Gardens, for all its strengths, is not really the crown jewel of magazines, and I anticipate growing pains as it moves to keep that 24–35 demographic. They have a widely successful Instagram page, with over 3 million followers, but their TikTok sits at 30k. They post an average of one video a week, and their last three posts have had, collectively, about 2.5k views, and their video announcing Harry as their cover star still remains their pinned video. In order to keep the momentum going, they really need to start marketing towards the millenial/Gen Z cuspers that will soon make up their target audience. BHG, tell me the best charcuterie pairings, or the cocktail recipe that will wow everyone at a Euphoria themed party. I want to know the wall colors for 2023 and the best ways to recycle thrifted finds.
It’s not the Same As It Was
It won’t take much, but just a simple move towards a more youthful aesthetic would be all they need. The design and layout of the print and digital issues stay true to the purple, homey, coastal aesthetic they’ve become known for, yet leaning into a slightly more artistic, maybe even editorial, website could benefit them. I could see a palette of warm, maximalist colors paired with beautifully shot grazing tables and cozy city lofts elevate the magazine from something you’d buy for your mother, to something you’d buy for you. There’s also a major lack of video content, a Vogue-esque approach to a really personal look into a celebrity’s personal life would work great. Architectural Digest and Vogue have cornered the market on celebrity home tours, but why can’t they post a video where Harry walks us through his favorite British recipe? Take a page out of Florence Pugh’s book and have a celebrity cooking show. The options are endless!
