They say it’s the cover girl that makes people buy magazines, but I have a sneaking suspicion it’s the photographer who plays a big role in captivating and connecting with the viewer. My evidence, the top 2 selling mags were shot by the dynamic duo of Mert + Marcus.
Lady Gaga sold the most issues (602,000 copies) for Vogue, followed by Adele (410,343). Gaga has been newsstand gold for the past two years.
For Glamour, consistent best-seller Lauren Conrad sold the most issues, followed by Victoria Beckham. Scarlett Johansson and Ashley Greene worked magic forCosmopolitan–though WWD posits that it might have been the cover line “52 sex tips inspired by 50 Shades of Gray” that worked newsstand magic for Greene’s issue, not the actress.
Elle‘s top seller was Katy Perry, while Bazaar‘s was Gwen Stefani, followed by Kate Moss. Moss also worked wonders for W–but not for Vanity Fair, selling 277,190 in December, or about ten percent below the average. Kate Middleton–who wasn’t even really shot for the cover–was Vanity Fair‘s top-seller, though we think it might have something to do with that issue having the International Best Dressed List in it.
Jennifer Aniston moved the most issues for InStyle, followed by Jennifer Lopez. These last two consistently perform on the newsstand–which is probably why we continue to see them on mag covers, even when they’ve got nothing to plug.
Bonus | Gaga + Adele BHS cover shoots