What is magazine advertising?

Magazines provide advertisers with an extremely targeted and engaging platform that both informs and influences consumers.

Industry scale and brand reach:

• 63.3% of adults read a printed consumer magazine each month

• Another 3.2 million engage with magazine brands online only

• Over 2,500 consumer magazines are in regular print production in the UK

• 250 new consumer magazine brands launched in 2012

Display advertising example (left)

Interactive tablet example (right)

How is it different to other media channels?

Magazine brands are 'appointments to view' media and a catalyst for a break. Consistently described as a 'reward' and a 'break from work / housework / homework,' they allow the audience to create an 'oasis of engagement' where the magazine brand is the sole focus of attention.

The audience can engage with magazines across multiple platforms allowing readers to develop a strong and intimate relationship with their chosen title:

• Relevance: To the readers, the editorial and advertising is relevant, interesting and useful information.

• Trust: Magazines are highly trusted brands in their own right. Readers rely on the expertise of the editorial team to know the best of their subject.

• Consumption style: Magazine reading is a very personal experience. Content, print or tablet is most commonly consumed alone, in a relaxed environment, without interruption.

• Mood when consuming content: Readers of magazines are relaxed, engaged and inquisitive. They want ideas of what to do, where to go, how to think about a particular issues...and what to buy.

• Halo effect on advertising: Advertising messages exposed to readers in the environment of relevance, trust and calm consumption benefit by being introduced to audiences within that magazine branded environment.

• Positive emotion: The feelings audiences have toward their magazine brands transfer to third party brands advertising within them.

In this reading paradigm, each advert also has a moment where it is the sole focus of attention. When the advertised brand is relevant, the message is compelling and the advert engaging and easy to understand, the communication power is impressive.

54% of magazine editorial pages are recalled. It's exactly the same for advertising pages. 

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