Commentary

Leading Indicators?

  • by March 28, 2001
Leading Indicators?

SharperMedia reports that, according to Publishers Information Bureau, total magazine advertising for the month of February totaled about $1.2 billion, a relatively small 0.3% decline from last year,

The PIB reported that advertising pages for February totaled 18,611, down 9.7% from last year. Year-to-date, advertising revenue continued to rise, with a 1.5% increase to $2.16 billion, while ad pages were 33,777, down 6.3% over last year.

They go on to point out that seven of the 13 major advertising categories showed positive dollar growth this February: food & food products; drugs & remedies; toiletries & cosmetics; home furnishings & supplies; direct response companies; apparel & accessories; and beer, wine & liquor.

Losses were in automotive; media & advertising; technology; financial, insurance & real estate; and transportation, hotels & resorts.

Ellen Oppenheim, executive vice president and chief marketing officerof Magazine Publishers of America said "We are encouraged that many leading advertisers have recognized the value that sustained advertising can have on their ability to maintain market share, as evidenced by the fact that several categories have increased spending."

Jan-Feb 2001 (YTD)

  +-----------------------+-------+-------+--------+---------+   | CLASS
|  2001 |  2000 |  Page  |    %chg |  |                       |   pgs |   pgs |  Chg   |         |   +-----------------------+-------+-------+--------+---------+   | Food & Food Products  | 1,492 |
1,330 |  161   |   12.1% |   | Home Furnishings &    | 1,900 | 1,720 |  180   |   10.5% |   | Supplies              |       |       |        |         |   | Drugs & Remedies      | 1,839 | 1,672 |
167   |   10.0% |   | Technology            | 3,556 | 3,808 | (252)  |   -6.6% |   | Apparel & Accessories | 3,138 | 2,976 |  162   |    5.4% |   | Automotive            | 2,491 | 2,643 | (152)  |
-5.8% |   | Direct Response       | 3,318 | 3,379 |  (61)  |   -1.8% |   | Companies             |       |       |        |         |   | Toiletries &          | 1,676 | 1,725 |  (49)  |   -2.8% |   |
Cosmetics             |       |       |        |         |   | Transportation,       |  2138 | 2,203 |  (65)  |   -3.0% |   | Hotels & Resorts      |       |       |        |         |   | Financial,
Insurance  | 2,131 | 2,396 | (266)  |  -11.1% |   | & Real Estate         |       |       |        |         |   | Media & Advertising   | 1,847 | 2,205 | (357)  |  -16.2% |   | Retail
| 1,679 | 2,376 | (697)  |  -29.3% |   | Beer, Wine & Liquor   |   545 |   561 |  (16)  |   -2.9% |   +-----------------------+-------+-------+--------+---------+   

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