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On those few bright spots in magazines
By Diego Vasquez
Jul 21, 2009 - 1:10:28 AM
First-half 2009 may have been the most brutal period ever for consumer magazines, with ad pages plunging 27.9 percent and all 12 advertising categories falling compared with the previous year. Fewer than a dozen publications actually saw ad pages rise, but those that did have something in common. They put the focus on worthy pursuits like low-priced hobbies, self-improvement or parenting rather than indulgences such as high-priced leisure activities or celebrity crushes. While magazines such as Boating and Life & Style saw ad pages plummet by at least one third, others with a more personal focus, such as Fitness and Organic Gardening, saw ad pages jump 18.4 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively. Among the more than two dozen magazine categories tracked by Media Life, the parenting category held up the best during the first half of the year, down 8.1 percent for nine titles. Carol Pais, print buying director at Fallon Worldwide, talks to Media Life about which magazines and ad categories look strongest for the future, when advertising will pick up, and what sort of deals publishers are offering buyers.
Which magazine categories (business, newsweeklies, etc.) have held up the best during the recession and why?
During a recession, or any time of strife, for that matter--a similar thing happened after 9/11--consumers tend to shift their focus inward. They re-evaluate what is important to them and put their time, energy (and money) into themselves and their families and homes.
Magazine readership follows suit, as do the ad dollars.
Hence we see magazine categories faring well such as fitness/health (internal focus), home/entertaining (with a family-first focus, not high-end), and even vertical hobbyist titles (again, internal focus—look at the numbers for a title like Organic Gardening).
Similarly, the ad categories that have held up best fall under the same umbrella: toiletries and cosmetics (affordable self-improvement); food and food products; and drug advertising, too, to a degree, as health takes center stage during times of hardship.
Obviously all the ad categories are down from last year. Which do you see rebounding soonest and why?
Technology, for one. Many tech advertisers have done a good job at positioning themselves and what they have to offer as both necessary and helpful to daily function.
In other words, not only do you need “it,” “it” will make your life easier, “it” will facilitate higher productivity--all helpful things during a recession.
Another category would be apparel/accessories.
From the consumer standpoint, when they start adding things deemed as luxuries back on the list, apparel/accessories comes back fairly quickly, as it can be an affordable luxury depending on your price point.
Do you think any ad categories will return to prerecession levels, or will we see lower spending on magazines across the board?
I think we will see lower spending on magazines across the board, at a bare minimum well into 2010, possibly even into 2011.
Which categories are having the toughest time and why?
The obvious ones, and for obvious reasons: automotive and finance.
Fewer than a dozen magazines saw year-to-year page gains. They include Cooking with Paula Deen, Country Weekly, Fitness and Family Circle. Why were they able to have success in this recession?
This goes back to my original point, both from a readership standpoint and the types of advertisers. The current focus is on home/entertaining (Paula Deen, Family Circle), self-improvement (Fitness) and personal passions (Country Weekly).
How have publishers been responding to this downturn? Are they more flexible on pricing and cross-promotional deals?
Absolutely, yes.
We have seen both creative pricing packages and cross-promo deals. We've seen both heavy discounting as well as packages that extend the ad presence via bonus units (both print and online).
© 2012 Media Life
