Tweetable Truths About Magazines
- Magazine readership remains steady in an increasingly crowded and noisy media landscape.
- 92% of U.S. adults read magazines.
- Magazine readers pay attention to magazine ads. They don’t pay to avoid the advertising as they do with other media.
- Who says that iPod-dependent teenagers have abandoned magazines? 75% of teens read magazines.
- Magazines appeal to younger adults. Adults 34 and younger read more magazines than adults +34.
- Magazines build buzz. They excel in reaching people who shape attitudes and behavior.
- The top 25 magazines reach more adults and teens than the top 25 prime-time TV programs.
- Magazines drive web search more than any other medium. More than double Internet advertising and social media.
- Magazines love the internet. Almost a quarter of all new subscriptions come from the internet.
Source: Magazine Publishers of America
Article: "Advertising in a down cycle gives you a competitive edge" from the Journal of South Mississippi Business
Magazines Make a Difference
Top Reasons to Advertise in Magazines
Magazine advertising is valuable content: Consumers value magazine advertising, according to numerous studies. Yankelovich and Dynamic Logic both report that consumers are more likely to have a positive attitude toward advertising in magazines compared to other media. In addition, consumers are more likely to turn to magazines to search for information across a variety of categories compared to the internet, based on research from MediaVest.
Magazine print and digital audiences are growing: The number of magazine readers as well as the average number of magazine issues read in the past month has grown over the past five years. In addition, magazine website usage is growing faster than web usage overall.
Magazines are a leading influence on word-of-mouth: Magazine readers are more likely than users of other media to influence friends and family on products across a variety of categories. Magazines are also most likely to complement the web in reaching social networkers, whom marketers increasingly favor in generating buzz.
Magazine advertising sells: Several studies demonstrate that magazines are generally the strongest driver of purchase intent. Perhaps this is because more than half of all readers act on magazine ads, according to Affinity Research.
Magazine advertising drives web search, traffic and action taking: BIGresearch proves that magazines lead other media in influencing consumers to start a search for merchandise online, ranking at or near the top by gender as well as by age. In addition, studies from Marketing Evolution, JupiterResearch and the Online Publishers Association show that ads in magazines or on magazine websites boost web traffic, spur online purchase and offline behavior.
Source: Magazine Publishers of America.
Readership Trends
Magazine Readership Remains Strong
More than four out of five U.S. adults read magazines. Magazine audience – including readership among younger adults – has remained strong over the past five years despite the growth of new media options.
Source: Magazine Publishers of America, MRI Fall Studies 2004 and 2008.
Accountability: Magazines Get Results
Technology: Magazines Target Key Purchase Influencers
Two independent sources show that above average magazine readers are key influencers for technology products. IntelliQuest reports that heavy users of magazines are more likely to be decision makers for the purchase of their company’s technology users – even more so than heavy users of the internet.
Source: Magazine Publishers of America, IntelliQuest Business Study, Spring 2008.