• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 9, 2006

The Publishers' Information Bureau (PIB) reported Tuesday that magazine ad revenue rose 3.7 percent in July 2006 compared to the same month last year, for a total of about $1.64 billion--with pharmaceutical advertising again taking the lead in terms of absolute revenue growth. Although other categories such as food, technology, and apparel showed larger percentage jumps, pharmaceutical's 13 percent rise to about $179 million made it the leading area of revenue growth--figures buttressed by 5 percent growth in ad pages.

With these latest figures, pharmaceutical advertising is now almost neck-and-neck with automotive, which posted about $188.5 million in revenue for the second quarter. Furthermore, pharmaceuticals appear to be poised to overtake auto in the near future, as the most recent auto figure represents an 8.8 percent drop from last year. Auto ad pages also experienced an 11.4 percent drop on a year-over-year basis.

Debbie Solomon, a senior partner and group research director for MindShare, said magazines are a natural area of focus for pharmaceutical advertising because of the age demo that magazines reach: "You have more drugs targeted to baby boomers and baby boomers are heavy readers, so if you want to reach them, you've got to be using magazines." Overall, Solomon said, "baby boomers are heavy media users--heavy radio listeners and TV watchers too."

Indeed, a 2004 study by Time Inc. and Harris Interactive suggests that magazines--in combination with television--are one of the most popular sources of information about new drugs, especially among older Americans. After health care providers, the Internet, and friends and relatives, the Time Inc. study recorded that magazines and TV programs both at home and in doctors' offices were the most popular sources of drug information--with 29 percent of respondents citing magazines and 27 percent citing TV.

The study also noted that while "magazines and TV work together," magazines tend to be "better at communicating side effects and risks," while TV is "better at helping patients remember the brand and company name."