• Newsweek , Wednesday, August 12, 2009 12:18 AM

Granted, this has been a plague year for magazines, with several titles closing down. Of the survivors, ad pages on average plunged 28% in the first half of 2009 from the first half of 2008. Nonetheless, a dozen magazines managed to attract more ad pages in this year's first six months than they did last in the first half of last year.

How did they do it? A few nesting, fitness, and celebrity magazines enjoyed a windfall because they tap ad categories that are still advertising despite the recession: food, seasonings, household cleaners, hair products and hygiene.

Several other factors explain the ad surge at the lucky dozen: recent redesigns, new editors, smart multiplatform deals, quirks, and old-fashioned stunts. For instance, Fitness' new editor added food columns and increased beauty coverage. Scholastic Parent & Child began running ads on its cover this year. OK! magazine did great thanks to its cozy editorial ties to its subjects. An upcoming advertorial will feature the young unknowns from the movie "Fame" wearing fashions from advertiser Bebe. And some titles, such as Organic Gardening, prospered simply because they happened to be in the right space at the right time.

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