The Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) has released its semiannual FAS-FAX report on U.S. consumer magazines, covering July to December 2011.
The champion among subscriptions: AARP [American Association of Retired People], The Magazine, with 22.4 million subscribers, closely followed by AARP: The Bulletin, with 22.2 million. But, these publications are benefits of AARP membership, with its 50+ demographic. Only two other titles in the list are membership-based, being AAA Living and American Legion Magazine.
Excluding those, Better Homes and Gardens tops the list, with 22.2 million subscribers—down just a hair from 2010. BHG (a Meredith title) claims a monthly readership of 38.33 million readers, 30.28 million of whom are women.
There is likely very little crossover in demographics between BHG and #4 on the list—Game Informer, covering the interactive gaming market. Publisher Sunrise Publications offers no insight into its demographics (which presumably reflects those of gamers, being largely male and under 30).
10% downtick at newsstands
Still, single-copy sales were down 9.96 percent during the period, which Media Life called the “steepest slide in the last four reporting periods.” Single-copy sales across 408 consumer titles dropped from 32,118,948 in the latter half of 2011 to 28,919,153. They were down 9.15 percent during the first half of 2011, and down down 7.27 percent latter 2010.
Ad pages were down in 2011 as well, and consumers likely cut back on impulse buys, particularly of celebrity titles like OK!. Newsstand sales of OK! Plummeted 27.5 percent. Women’s titles suffered as well, with Oprah Winfrey’s O down 32%.
Still, publishers are pushing valiantly into the digital space—a good move: According researchers GfK MRI, almost three-quarters (71%) of tablet owners say they are interested in reading magazines on their devices. Publishers are not surrendering on the newsstands, either. Yesterday marked the launch of a revamped Ladies’ Home Journal, (12th among paid subscriberships in latter 2011, absent from the top 25 in newsstand sales). In addition to a new look and logo, the new content creation model invites readers for a stipend to submit personal growth stories—ostensibly for a more engaged readership.
Election Year Ad Buys: Who’s Tuning In, and Where?
Media buyers and planners hoping to take advantage of Campaign 2012, take note: cable news leads the pack among sources, with local TV in second place, but on the decline. A surprising second-to-last, the Internet. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press’ 2012 campaign news survey discovered the trends in a January survey of 1,507 adults nationwide.
Pew reports that fewer Americans are closely following the campaign than four years ago, which has caused long-term and sharpening declines in the number of people tuning into local TV and network news.
Cable tops the sources in 2012, at 36%, but is only treading water. That despite the fact that cable nets have hosted most of the Republican debates, which are among a campaign year’s strongest draws. Almost half of Republicans (47%) watched a Republican debate during this campaign, up from 32% during the 2008 campaign.Still, cable news “reaches a substantial number across age and partisan lines,” reports Pew. Republicans tune into Fox News, Democrats into CNN and MSNBC.
Only 20% of Americans “regularly learn something” about the campaign or its candidates from local daily papers, a plummet from 31% in 2008. Local TV is down as well.
It is easy to blame it all on the Internet, but not so fast: the Internet as a source has gained only 1% since the 2008 campaign. The Internet had jumped from 13 to 24%, from campaign 2004 (Bush/Kerry) to campaign 2008 (McCain/Obama). Pew speculates that the Internet is the key source for a younger demographic, who are less likely to be Republican. Just 20% of those younger than 30 followed the campaign closely, down from 31% in 2008.
Analysts: 2012 Ad Spends to be “Decent” In TV, Digital, Down in Magazines
Ad Age is predicting a pretty good, if not stellar 2012 in which digital and TV spends will be up, but magazines down.
Vincent Letang, who is executive VP and head of global forecasting at Magna Global, attributed what growth there will be—about 10.9% across all media—largely to 2012 being both an Olympics and an election year. Without them, “Some would have predicted probably a worse outlook” for 2012. But with those two powerful drivers, TV ad revenue should increase by 6.8% this year. Time will tell, with upfront spending just getting going. Thusfar only General Motors (GM) has canceled upon a significant percent of its commitments, at just shy of 50%.
TV ad revenue should increase 6.8% this year, once again, attributable once election season and the Olympics have their effect, according to Magna Global's forecast on Jan. 23. The past several weeks have been strong, but the second-quarter scatter market will ultimately provide the best indication for upfront spending, said Mel Berning, exec VP-ad sales at A&E Networks.
Ad pages fell about 8.4% in January and February issues, year-over-year (YOY), and magazines overall can expect a 5.2% decline in 2012 ad revenue, Magna Global predicts. But there are signs of health in the digital quarter, with at least one media provider (Complex Media) projecting firth-quarter revenues doubling over Q4 2012. So while print journals will see a decline, their digital properties—and they all have them—are likely to help them tread water.
Conde Nast Awards “Architectural Digest” for “Best Business Turnaround,” Ad Gains
Condé Nast held its annual publishers meeting last week, and in its in-house awards ceremony, recognized Architectural Digest for “Best Business Turnaround.” As WWD reports, the Digest wrapped up 2011 with a 9.1% boost in ad pages—the highest jump among the Condé Nast canon, which includes Vogue, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Wired.
Architectural Digest got off to a slow start, but between Q2 2011 and Q1 2012, has seen ad-page increases of 6, 5, 18 and 22% in those quarters. Publisher Giulio Capua claims that the April issue will have a 38% increase year-over-year. AD is among a vanguard of lifestyle and luxury titles that saw gains in 2011. Among other winners, Departures at a 43.3% jump and Power & Motoryacht at 24.9%.
AD appointed a new editor-in-chief in August of 2010, in an effort to revamp the book after a miserable 2009; when it saw what WWD calls a “jaw-dropping 49% fall in ad pages.” New editor Margaret Russell had overseen Elle Décor for 20 years has not remade the book: rather she has focused upon the quality of photography and writing, and has led the book in creating a stronger digital presence.
At present, AD lists its total circulation at 823,280, with a median household income of $97,123 and a 55/45 male/female readership. The website metrics are 5,319,132 average page views per month with 333,906 unique visitors spending an impressive average of 8.04 minutes on the site.
comScore Data: Newspaper Websites Gaining, Holding Interest
Newspaper websites in Q4 2011 averaged more than 111 million monthly unique visitors (MUVs), up by more than 6 million compared to the same period in 2010, reports the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), citing comScore data. Fully 63% of adult Internet users visited newspaper websites.
A comarison of newspaper website usage data year-over-year (YOY) revealed that average daily visitors increased by more than 3 million, or nearly 15%. Unique visitors increased nearly 6%, while total minutes increased 14%.
The comScore data demonstrate “The growing appeal of newspapers’ online content,” said NAA President and CEO Carolline Little, “particularly for engaged, informed and affluent users whom advertisers…seek to reach.” As Little described, 70% of Internet users with household income (HHI) above $60,000 are reached by newspaper websites, and 75% when looking at HHI above $100,000.
Other key findings about Q4 2011: Among people 45 to 54, newspaper website percentage reach climed to 67%. In the 18 to 34 demographic, website reach remained at or above 60%.
Newspapers are answering these numbers with a steady stream of what NAA calls “innovative strategies designed to maintain and build their digital audiences.” For example, the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. launched animated editorials, and the New York Times launched a fashion-focused niche app.
“During all of 2011, the percentage reach of Internet users enjoyed by newspaper websites never dipped below 61 percent,” Little said. “Web-based and other digital platforms at newspaper are capturing—and holding—attention in the marketplace.”
Signs of hope
Editor & Publisher described 2011 as “the lowest point yet” for newspaper ad revenue," with 2011 revenues of $24 billion, down from the record high $49.4 billion in 2005. E&P observed that, however important a digital strategy appears to be, it has yet to fulfill its potential in newspaper revenue. “Sure, digital advertising climbed 8.3%, but digital still contributes only 14.3% to overall publisher revenue. But the newspaper industry is clearly aware of the trend, and 2012 will likely see the digital contribution approaching 17%. E&P opined that newspaper must compete on content, and the papers are treating apps, animation and streaming video as exactly that—content—if not the content they are used to providing.
“The Economist” Banks that China Section Will Draw Readers, Advertisers
Beginning with this week’s issue, The Economist will run a section devoted entirely to China. This is only the third time in 170 years that the magazine has created a country-specific section. But as Editor in Chief John Micklethwait told Audience Development, “China is getting so large that trying to constrain it in a section like geo-politics was difficult.”
China is a broadly-interesting topic, Micklethwait believes, affecting the magazine’s entire global readership. The British-born magazine took the same stance during WWII with its still-existing U.S. section.
Circulation of The Economist within China is a miniscule 3,740, and Micklethwait is not counting on it growing; rather, he is counting on it increasing readership long-term in the U.S., among “That group [that] wants to know more about China than what they’re being told.”
In addition to mainstream business and politics, The Economist has reporters on the ground to cover rural life, social changes and emerging trends.
The Economist claims a 2011 circulation of 1,486,838, and a modest year-over-year growth of 3.03%. But Omniture clocked the digital edition with a swift 7,610,593 unique visitors in December 2011, and 34,124,539 page views.
Research: Digital Magazines Attract Male Readers, Stretch Ad Exposures on Tablets
Old ads may find new life on tablets, suggests new research from GfK MRI. The market research firm surveyed its iPanel, composed exclusively of Tablet and eReader owners. Among other findings: male tablet computer owners are particularly interested in reading digital magazines, and that tablets generate readership of back issues of publications (meaning more exposures for long-ago ad purchases).
According to the GfK MRI iPanel, almost three-quarters (71%) of Tablet owners say they are interested in reading magazines on their devices. Men, in particular, are open to digital magazine reading: 77% of male tablet owners expressed interest in reading magazines on their device versus 68% of female owners. Among younger male Tablet owners, ages 18 to 34, 85% expressed interest in reading magazines on their device.
Moreover, digital magazines seem to be sparking new reading behavior among consumers. For instance, almost one-fifth (19%) of tablet owners who read a magazine on their device in the last 30 days also took the opportunity to read back issues of a title during their reading session. In this instance, there was little difference between genders, with 20% of males having read back issues compared to 19% of females.
"The fact that younger men who own tablets are interested in reading digital magazines bodes well for digital magazine advertisers, since this demographic has been historically hard to reach," said Risa Becker, SVP Research at GfK MRI.
The most popular way in which tablet owners read a magazine or magazine-related content is with an App. Almost two-thirds (65%) of tablet owners who read a magazine on their device in the last 30 days did so via an App; 47% of tablet owners accessed magazine content on their devices by visiting a magazine's website; and 37% read a digital reproduction of a magazine, which includes both print content and advertisements.
“Bloomberg Pursuits” Luxury Lifestyle Mag Readies for March Debut
When in October 2011 Bloomberg announced it would launch a luxury lifestyle magazine, a Poynter Institute editor described it as “What the 1% reads.” Bloomberg Pursuits is a spin-off of its investor-oriented title Bloomberg Markets, and will debut with a March 2012 issue.
Bloomberg describes its readership as the "Global Financial Elite." Pursuits is exclusive to the 310,000 subscribers to the Bloomberg Professional service, who also receive Markets. The company describes the readership as market-movers, young, business leaders, and influencers with discerning tastes.” (Hence Pursuit’s hiring one editor to report solely upon luxury watches.) The demographics are:
- Age 38
- Average household income $452,000
- Male (90%)
“Our readers don’t just own and appreciate luxury,” said editor Vince Bielski in an interview with WWD. “They have a command and mastery of their toys.” WWD got an advance look at the debut issue, which will contain 46 pages of editorial and 30 ad pages, with such brands as Hermès, Chanel and Rolls-Royce. Issue 2 is not due until December, then the book will go quarterly in 2012. Feature articles include such titles as "Collectors Revive Picasso" and "Fine Tuning Ferrari."
QR and “Action Codes” Doubled in 2011 Magazine Ads
A full 8% of magazine ads in December 2011 included action codes (including quick-response or QR codes), up from 3.6% in January. That according to mobile technology provider Nellymoser, and reported in Adweek.
The company surveyed the top 100 magazine titles throughout the year, and offers these findings:
- 4,468 codes appeared in the top 100 magazines during 2011
- Only 352 codes appeared in Q1, and grew to 1,899 in Q4, for 439% growth
- Advertisers drove the growth with 4,011 codes, while editorial (supporting the publisher or magazine) drove the remainder
Nearly 40% of the codes came under beauty, fashion and home. Top users were John Frieda with 82, L’Oreal with 79, Cuisinart with 74, Garnier with 72 and Revlon with 67. That is why most of the codes were in women’s magazine titles, and the top 10 included InStyle, Self, Allure, Glamour and Shape.
Male-oriented titles using QR codes included ESPN Magazine, Sports Illustrated and Wired. Advertisers in male-oriented magazines tended toward electronics (Bose, Samsung), credit cards (American Express) and retailers (American Eagle).
Finally, advertisers used QR codes for four types of campaigns:
- Video demonstrations and branding (e.g., a look behind the scenes)
- Data capture and list building (e.g., with sweepstakes)
- Links to e-commerce sites and store locators for brick-and-mortar locations.
- Social media sharing with links to Facebook and Twitter.
The significance of QR codes is that 18% of those who regularly scan the codes are moved to purchase. Magazines represent the highest use of QR codes (versus billboards and on-screen ads) at 35%.
February’s Magazine Ad Gainers Include Allure, Traditional Home and - Surprise! - Smithsonian
Beauty and lifestyle magazines continue to lead the pack among ad gainers. Condé Nast owns three of five magazines that gained in February issue ad pages, reports Access Intelligence. Its minOnline boxscore tracks ad page gains and losses across 150 titles.
Comparing February 2012 to February 2011, beauty-and-fashion title Allure jumped 32.21 pages, for a 56.67% gain. Teen Vogue was second, with 15.95 pages and a 34.78% gain, and Self rounded out the top five with 19.96% gain.
Traditional Home, a Meredith property, was third with a 34.87% gain, and 13.43 pages. Publisher Beth Brenner cited an “editorial refresh,” with more eye-friendly design and larger product shots.
The one lone cultural publication among those lifestyle magazines—also the only independent publication—was Smithsonian, published by The Smithsonian Institution, which gained 41.22%. New advertisers to the February Obsession-themed include Norway Tourism, Mexico Tourism and Advair, with advertisers like Toyota Prius, Celebrex and Prudential returning. Group publisher Jennifer Hicks believes new editor Michael Caruso, former Los Angeles magazine editor, has generated enthusiasm among advertisers. Smithsonian is also the only magazine with a strong male readership, at 48%.
These said Access Intelligence were exceptions to an “overall dismal February,” with only 53 of 150 titles registering gains, and a cumulative loss of -6.56% across all titles.
