A Visit to Hola Magazine

This past Wednesday I was lucky enough to visit the Hola Magazine headquarters with my Spanish Media class. There we got an insider’s look-that few ever receive-into one of Spain’s oldest and most beloved magazines. First we were given a tour around the building. It was fascinating to see the journalists working away at their desks and the walls plastered with magazine covers and story ideas. The building houses the offices of both Hola and Hello magazine (the UK version). The UK version is one of the many off shoots of Hola Magazine. Versions of the magazine are now printed in 15 countries around the world, and they are looking to soon expand into the U.S. Each version is slightly adapted to appeal to the values and norms of that country. It was very interesting to see the difference in Spain’s Hola, compared to the versions printed in Russia or even Thailand. We were then introduced to the head of advertising for the website. She was incredibly knowledgeable about all means of production and distribution of their magazine. She informed us about the rivalry between Hello Magazine and OK. They are both very popular celebrity magazines in the UK. Apparently OK magazine, which came along after Hello, chooses to publish “trashier” and more sensationalized news about celebrities. Due to a long held Hola standard, Hello only publishes stories which feature celebrities in a more positive light, and seeks to only write about the “classier” celebrities. Although OK outsells Hello, Hello earns a much higher profit because they are able to attract higher end advertisers. Advertisement we learned is what is truly sustaining print media. If you’ve got advertisers willing to pay, you’ll survive. Without them, most print media struggles to make enough profit. The visit was a fascinating look into how a Spanish company has turned into a thriving Global company, which still respects the original views and values of the founders.