Reader Experience Drives Magazine Usage, Ad Impact

The experiences readers ascribe to magazines greatly influence their readership of magazines, as well as the impact of advertising appearing in magazines. That is the central, if not so surprising finding, generated by an important new study scheduled to be released next week at the American Magazine Conference. The study is important, because it defines precisely which experiences inhibit or motivate magazine readers, insights which ultimately could be used to develop research that could be used to plan magazine advertising buys.

In effect, the study conducted by the Media Management Center at Northwestern University, provides the first diagnostic blueprint that can be used by all the elements of the magazine business - circulation marketers, advertising sales and editorial departments - to craft magazines that deliver on those consumer expectations.

It is exactly the type of research that many on Madison Avenue have been searching for as they strive to develop media plans that not only serve a media impression to a consumer, but deliver a relevant advertising message to an engaged media user.

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While the study does not fulfill on that promise, it provides a first step, executives at the Magazine Publishers of America told a small group of business journalists who got an early preview of the study's findings on Wednesday. The MPA, which commissioned the study along with the American Society of Magazine Editors, had yet to brief its full board the findings or key contacts on Madison Avenue, so reactions to the research were sparse and inconclusive. But at least one influential media agency researcher, MindShare's Debbie Solomon thought it was good first step that likely would yield direct and indirect advertising results.

"If it's something that is going to help the editorial and it is something that will help them produce a better product that creates a better environment for our ads," said Solomon, who was one of the agency executives the MPA solicited for input that shaped the study. While she hasn't seen the findings, she said it would likely provide another layer of insight about consumer involvement with media that ultimately could influence magazine planning and buying decisions.

"Anytime there's research on why a medium works, or how it works, it helps us understand the medium better, and it helps understand the consumer better," said Solomon.

Nonetheless, the research likely will have little immediate impact on magazine advertising decisions, because the study provided little context in terms of how magazine reader experiences compare by title or category or how they compare with consumer experiences of other media.

That will come later, said MPA chief marketing officer Ellen Oppenheim, after the research is vetted by the ad industry and after the major print research providers and media shops establish a dialogue on how the reader experience findings can be adapted into industry trading metrics.

"We need all of the vested interests - magazine publishers, researchers and the ad industry - to come together on this," she said. The MPA's initial focus, however, will be on telling its members about the findings and helping them to understand how it can improve the way they produce their products.

In the press presentation, Abe Peck, director of magazine programs at Northwestern's Media Management Center, offered a few examples of how editorial might be reshaped to motivate readers, including the altering of cover lines that would appeal to readers based on the research.

The findings also have immediate applications for circulation marketers, as well as other consumer marketers and ad agencies. Among other things, the data can be used to fine-tune magazine ads so that they also are better at triggering the experiences that resonate most in terms of advertising impact.

Among the details released Wednesday, were the top experiences ranked in terms of those that drive readership and those that drive advertising impact (see table below).

While the ranks differ, seven of the top 10 are the same for overall readership and for advertising impact. There are a total 39 experience factors delineated in the report.

MPA executives said they will need more time to drill through the data to tease out more insights, but some of the initial findings offered a few surprises and at least one that could give pause to publishers of large magazines.

The study found there was essentially no differences among readers of based on the issue size of a magazine. "Across the 100 magazines, we found page counts are not a significant driver," said Northwestern's Peck.

Top Magazine Experiences Driving Reader Usage, Ad Impact


Top Reader Usage Experiences Top Ad Impact Experiences

I get value for my time, money The stories absorb me
It disappoints me I like some of the ads a lot
It makes me smart It's high quality/sophisticated
It's my personal time out I often reflect on it
I often reflect on it It makes me smart
The stories absorb me I trust it
I learn things first here I learn things first here
It's part of my routine It improves me, helps me try new
It's high quality/sophisticated I feel good when I read about it
I trust it It's my personal time out

Source: A magazine reader experience study conducted by Northwestern University for the Magazine Publishers of America and the American Society of Magazine Editors. Base = 4,300 readers of 100 magazines.
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