What is People StyleWatch's Secret?

Time Inc. has a goldmine on its hands. Surprisingly, the magazine with merchandise on its cover is topping both circ and ad numbers when most of the industry is falling behind. According to the NYT, "in the second half of last year, StyleWatch’s circulation rose 8.6 percent, to about 802,000, as the industry average dropped 2.2 percent. [...] StyleWatch increased its pages by more than 24 percent, to 629 pages. In the first quarter, consumer magazines lost 9.4 percent of their ad pages on average, but StyleWatch’s grew by about 130 percent, and the magazine is profitable."

Ed breaks down the reasons for its success after the jump! 

1) They feature affordable brands.

“Topshop and H&M pump out stylish, low-cost items meant to be worn for a season, then thrown away. Those mass-market clothes are the basis of StyleWatch’s coverage.”

2) They’re inclusive, marketing towards the everywoman.

“Where Vogue presents itself as an elite insider in the fashion world, StyleWatch throws open the doors. It defangs intimidating trends (“Would you wear ... super-slouchy harem pants?”), running pages of under-$100 clothes, and reassuringly shows celebrities wearing the same item over and over.”

3) They make celebrities feel accessible.

“There are the blog-influenced notions that celebrities should be accessible and information concise, so StyleWatch runs paparazzi photos of stars — no expensive fashion shoots or negotiating with managers — accompanied by brief captions on imitating the fashion.”

4) They feature advertisers in their editorial.

“It has tossed out old-fashioned ideas of what magazine editorial pages should contain, and is baldly selling products — some from advertisers, some not. As the line between marketing and creative functions blur in fields like television and film, magazines are starting to follow, and that is a trend that StyleWatch understands well.”

5) The discounts in the magazine guarantee retailer (aka ad) satisfaction. 
“The StyleWatch staff also arranges reader discounts for featured products, part of what advertisers find so appealing about the magazine. ‘It was obviously happening in retail anyway,’ Ms. Kaufman [StyleWatch’s editor] said of discounting. That lets the publishing side brag to advertisers that readers shop StyleWatch’s pages: RevolveClothing.com sold $1.4 million of merchandise after a 2009 StyleWatch offer, for instance.”

What do you think, Edsters? Should other magazines copy StyleWatch's techniques? Do you think it's ok for magazines to blur the line between advertising and editorial?