• by Paul Gough , July 17, 2002

Despite a harsh climate for the magazine industry, two magazines with a brand name familiar to millions of children and their parents are showing impressive gains.

Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. magazines, both published by Viacom, showed high double-digit increases in advertising pages and revenue in June 2002 compared to a year earlier. Nick Jr. reported 40.17 ad pages, up 68.5%. Nickelodeon saw ad pages jump 45% to 41.58 in June. Ad revenues increased to $1.83 million (up 130%) for Nick Jr. and $2.33 million for Nickelodeon (up 60%).

Those follow year-to-date figures that show a 27% increase in ad pages for Nick Jr. and 16% for Nickelodeon.

“It was a slow year to start, but it built up fairly quickly, said Dan Sullivan, senior VP/group publisher of Nickelodeon Magazines. “We’re going into the third and fourth quarters feeling good.”

Nick Jr. is a three-year-old magazine whose core market is mothers of children ages 2-12. Its slogan says it all: ”Where Kids Play to Learn and Parents Learn to Play.” Award-winning features include activities that help parents spend quality time with their kids plus parenting tips.

Product categories include packaged goods (Kraft, Nabisco), automotive (Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler), entertainment (video and software makers). Nick Jr. comes out seven times a year, although it will add an issue beginning in 2003. Its base rate stands at 800,000, although it could go up to 1 million with the January 2003 issue.

“It’s a magazine that speaks to the family, with great ideas for moms and the kids in their families,” Sullivan said. ”It delivers [to marketers] very involved mothers of young kids.”

If Nick Jr.’s demographic is to the parents, Nickelodeon is focused on the kids themselves, ages 6 to 14. This “tweens” demographic is an important one in the marketing world. Nickelodeon Magazine focuses on what’s “engaging, interesting and fun for kids who have a lot of competition for their leisure time.”

Nickelodeon is published 10 times a year. It started in 1993. Product categories are packaged goods, entertainment, movies, video software, computer games and fashion. Sullivan calls Nickelodeon a core book in the age 6-14 demographic, delivering a great deal of the age group.

“We’re an important print buy” for marketers wanting to reach that demographic, he said.

The September issue, which just closed, will be the biggest in Nickelodeon Magazine’s history. Advertising pages are up 39% from September 2001 and advertising dollars are up 55%.

Sullivan attributes the magazines’ success to a commitment to editorial quality and marketing efforts. He also pointed to the magazines’ ability to provide integrated sales with a far-reaching and easily recognizable brand, Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon has been a children’s TV network on basic cable since 1979.

With integrated sales, a company can reach not only the magazines but also TV and the Nickelodeon websites. “It’s for big clients looking for a broad reach,” he said. Advertisers who have taken advantaged of the integrated sales include Burger King and Ford.