Magazine Advertising Rebound

With all the conversation about online advertising, marketers would be remiss to not include print advertising in the marketing mix. According to the Publishers Information Bureau, total magazine advertising revenue for the first half of 2011 increased 4% versus the same period in 2010. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter that magazines have posted increases in both revenues and pages, a trend welcomed by many.

According to The Association of Magazine Media three sectors exhibited double-digit page gains, driven by advertising for the following product categories:

• Toiletries & Cosmetics: cosmetics and beauty aids; hair and skin care products
• Automotive: domestic and foreign brands, driven by a mix of fuel-efficient/hybrid models, sports cars and motorcycles; also auto accessories and equipment
• Financial, Insurance & Real Estate: banks; investor consultancies and software; insurance firms

Joe White, publisher of Jacksonville Magazine, 904, Home, Bride and Taste magazines said, “Our numbers are up this year over last, both in ad pages and total ads. In a sluggish economy (where Florida ranks in the top four nationwide in unemployment), there’s something very encouraging about that. Of course, we’re a long way from the numbers of 2007. But we’re upbeat about the future of advertising in all our print products.”

“Despite the remarkable advancements in technology, advertising products and services is basically the same today as it was 200 years ago. In short, get your message in front of an audience. Technology has added new avenues to do that. But good old-fashioned print works the same as it always has. I can give all sorts of statistics and industry info to support that. However, I’d prefer to offer two simple truths we see here in Jax.”

“To every event we attend, host or sponsor, we bring copies of our publications. Very rarely do we bring those same copies back to the office. If given the opportunity to receive a quality magazine, the vast majority of people we encounter say, ‘yes, thank you.’ In addition, when we set up our Jax Mag party photo screens at a fundraiser, the line of people wanting their photo taken for the magazine starts to form almost immediately. People wouldn’t wait in line, by choice, if they didn’t see it as something worth waiting for.”

So remember, with all the online advertising options, print advertising remains a steadfast option.