• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 19, 2009

According to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB), total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the full-year 2008 closed at $23,652,018,533, posting a 7.8% decline against the previous year. A total of 220,813 advertising pages were generated throughout the year, a drop of 11.7% compared to 2007.  In the fourth quarter, PIB revenue showed a 13.8% decrease compared to 2007's fourth quarter.  There were 60,814.50 advertising pages counted for the quarter, a decline of 17.1% compared to the same period in 2007.

Ellen Oppenheim, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, MPA, says "... magazines have been affected by the economic slump... for longer-lead time monthlies, consumers cut spending during the summer... (causing) advertisers to put buy fewer ads in year-end magazine issues...  In the fall and early winter, rising unemployment and steep stock market declines led to restrained ad spending in weekly titles."

In 2008, declines were seen across the top 12 magazine advertising categories, in both PIB revenues and pages. The most significant decreases were seen in the most beleaguered of sectors: Automotive and Home Furnishings & Supplies. Financial, Insurance & Real Estate. Drugs & Remedies, also saw double-digit declines.

There were bright spots in some of the more recession-resistant subsectors, says the report. For example, ad page and revenue gains were seen for household soaps, cleansers & polishes, and discount department & variety stories within the Retail category, reflecting a budget-conscious environment. In the fourth quarter specifically, growth was seen within Food & Food Products, for basics like dairy, produce and meats; within Apparel & Accessories, for clothing accessories like handbags or hats; as well as within Toiletries & Cosmetics, for personal hygiene & health products.

Full Year Ad Spend Category Totals (2008 vs. 2007)
	2008
Class Name	Dollars	%Chg	Pages	%Chg
Toiletries & Cosmetics	2,476,298,686	-3.9	18,104.86	-9.3
Drugs & Remedies	2,223,066,800	-14.5	16,706.73	-16.3
Food & Food Products	2,099,542,708	-1.2	13,573.26	-7.5
Apparel & Accessories	2,035,274,756	-6.5	22,429.39	-8.2
Retail	1,881,949,565	-0.8	17,892.46	-7.1
Media & Advertising	1,743,892,205	-2.1	14,992.89	-2.8
Direct Response Companies	1,670,112,388	-8.5	16,364.13	-11.2
Automotive	1,602,279,970	-20.5	14,000.83	-24.3
Home Furnishings & Supplies	1,384,338,034	-11.5	11,922.41	-17.9
Financial, Insurance & Real Estate	1,231,277,017	-11.0	11,954.58	-17.3
Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts	1,152,174,703	-1.6	14,232.81	-5.3
Technology	974,403,735	-9.7	9,084.52	-14.7
Source: Publishers Information Bureau, January 9th, 2009

 

Fourth Quarter Ad Spend Category Totals (2008 vs. 2007)
	2008
Class Name	Dollars	%Chg	Pages	%Chg
Toiletries & Cosmetics	730,169,827	-1.7	5,408.81	-8.0
Apparel & Accessories	608,439,307	-10.0	6,403.49	-12.2
Drugs & Remedies	563,573,094	-18.8	4,301.07	-19.3
Retail	543,299,935	-13.2	5,075.20	-16.1
Food & Food Products	498,841,110	-13.4	3,300.90	-17.6
Media & Advertising	497,708,642	-5.1	4,345.32	-7.2
Direct Response Companies	439,891,206	-12.1	4,310.62	-13.0
Automotive	439,748,768	-21.7	3,814.14	-25.8
Home Furnishings & Supplies	438,285,079	-18.0	3,710.25	-22.8
Financial, Insurance & Real Estate	324,020,824	-32.8	3,071.99	-36.5
Technology	317,409,924	-5.3	2,788.14	-14.7
Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts	294,687,827	-12.9	3,911.28	-13.5
Source: Publishers Information Bureau, January 9th, 2009

Please visit these links for magazine totals 2008 Full Year, ad revenue, for magazine totals 4th quarter, ad pages, or for magazine category totals, year 2008 and 4th quarter.