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.
