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PIB: Mag Ad Pages Flat YTD; Automotive Plunges 14.6 Percent

Magazine ad revenue soared 9.6 percent, with ad pages rising 4.4 percent for August, over the same month last year, according to new figures from The Publishers’ Information Bureau.

Double-digit page gains in Drugs & Remedies, Food & Food Products, Retail, Public Transportation, and Hotels & Resorts offset declines in the Toiletries & Cosmetics and Technology categories (both down more than 5 percent) and the Automotive category (down 1.6 percent), writes Mediaweek.

But report doesn’t seem as rosy when year-to-date figures are considered, MediaPost points out. The PIB shows that revenue was up just 3.9 percent and ad pages were essentially flat at 0.3 percent. The article also notes that some categories that have been mainstays for magazines are weakening. While the Automotive category was essentially flat for August, the year-to-date figure was down 14.6 percent.

Celebrity titles were the hardest hit, with Entertainment Weekly’s ad pages down 7.3 percent YTD, People’s pages down 1.5 percent and Vanity Fair down 12.8 percent. But other titles in the category are gaining: In Touch Weekly, for example, saw a rise of 40.5 percent in ad pages YTD, Star’s are up 11.5 percent, and Us Weekly is up 3.3 percent.

Men’s titles have fallen across the board, with Details down 7.3 percent for the year, FHM plunging 17.1 percent and Maxim falling 11.2 percent. GQ was flat at 0.7 percent growth and Sports Illustrated saw a 0.5 percent growth.