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Dec. Ad Pages Slide 13%; Some See Improvement

Total ad pages for the month of December were down, but as expected, some magazines saw increases.

Total ad pages for monthly consumer magazines slipped 13.4% in December compared to the same month last year, according to the Media Industry newsletter (via MediaPost).

That’s an improvement over the 19% drop seen in November. Of the 151 monthlies tracked by MIN, 112 saw declines. 30 of those declined between 10% and 20%. 55 titles declined more than 20%.

The magazines that fared better for the month tended to be those not catering to an elite crowd. Those posting gains included Scientific American (up 55%), Better Homes & Gardens (up 42%), Ladies’ Home Journal (up 30%), Southern Living (up 29%) and Cooking Light (up 25%), while those seeing the biggest losses for the month included Architectural Digest (down 58%), Town & Country (down 50%), W (down 49%) and Elle Decor (down 40.6%).

InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, Marie Claire, Woman’s Day and Real Simple also fared well for the month.

One reason for the improvement in some magazines was a boost in food advertising. Heinz and Hellman’s are two brands increasing their ads in an attempt to raise market share at a time when people are eating at home more often, writes The New York Times.

For the year, only 10 monthlies saw a gain in ad pages, according to MIN. These included Family Circle, Style Watch, Flex, Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Saveur, Ladies’ Home Journal, Better Homes & Gardens, More, and Antiques: The Magazine.