• by Paul Gough , August 8, 2002

New data released by the Publishers Information Bureau suggest consumer magazines might be coming out of the recession.

Ad revenue rose 8.6% to $1.129 billion in July 2002 compared to last July. Ad pages were up slightly, 0.5% to 15,125 pages. Eleven of the 12 advertising categories showed growth in July, with only technology advertising down. The bureau's categories total 85% of all advertising spending.

"There's been a more positive trend with decreasing declines," said Ellen Oppenheim, EVP/Chief Marketing Officer at the Magazine Publishers of America. "We're definitely moving in the right direction."

Oppenheim said the advertising upturns seen by other media seem to have found the magazine industry, which has a three-month lead-time. "We're now seeing them [better results] in the magazines," she said.

Sharp increases were seen in the categories of drugs and food products, with slight increases in automotive, toiletries and cosmetics, home furnishings, apparel, retail and media/advertising. Advertising revenue from the financial-services category also rose 25.2% and ad pages were up 8.5%. Although given what's been happening on Wall Street, it isn't clear whether those gains will hold.

"It's another affirmation of advertiser confidence," Oppenheim said. "It's not just one category leading the way. It's all the pieces fitting together."

Advertising revenue in the technology sector dropped sharply, with 283 fewer ad pages and 14% less ad revenue.

In ad pages, among the biggest gainers from July 2002 compared to July 2001 include Allure (28.24%), Field & Stream (58.87%), Fitness (40.98%), Gourmet (39.84%), In Style (91.72%) and Men's Journal (35.35%).

Several magazines showed large drops in advertising pages from July 2001 to July 2002. They included Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel (35.32%), Discover (29.48%), Hemispheres (49.76%), Popular Photography (25.65%) and Sierra (35.53%).