Mag Sag Continues, Consumer Page Drop Mirrors B-to-B

A day after business publishers reported a weak start to magazine ad demand in 2006, their consumer counterparts have disclosed the same. After reporting healthy gains in consumer magazine ad pages during 2005, the Publishers Information Bureau Tuesday said ad page volume has been relatively flat through the first quarter of 2006.

In March, the most recent month reported by the magazine industry trade group, ad pages rose just 0.2 percent over March 2005. Through the first three months, consumer magazine ad pages are up just 0.4 percent vs. the same period in 2005.

The lackluster consumer magazine stats follow an update Monday by American Business Media, which estimated that ad pages in business magazines declined 2.3 percent in February, after falling 1.8 percent in January, vs. the same periods in 2005. ABM chief Gordon Hughes noted that 2005 got off to a similar slow start, and stuck by the association's predictions that the B-to-B ad pages revenues would climb 5 percent in 2006.

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While consumer magazine ad pages are flat, the PIB estimated that "rate card" revenues rose 5.0 percent in March, and 4.2 percent for the first quarter of 2006. It also reported strong demand for consumer magazine ad inventory from some key categories. The drugs & remedies and retail categories generated double-digit increases in PIB revenue and pages, while toiletries & cosmetics; financial, insurance & real estate; and technology posted gains in ad pages year-to-date.

In fact, Ellen Oppenheim, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of the Magazine Publishers of America, said the association was "heartened" to see automotive, a major consumer magazine category, up 8 percent in ad page volume in March, following several months of "some softness."

In terms of individual titles, there were some low spots and bright starts for consumer magazines. Martha Stewart Living continues to build share, raising its magazine ad volume 85.4 percent over March 2004, while Conde Nast's Cargo magazine, which is being shuttered with its May issue, recorded a 2.0 percent ad page slide in March. Interestingly, Conde Nast's Lucky, another shopping oriented magazine, saw ad pages plunge 9.6 percent in March, amid a downturn in the shopping magazine category.

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