• by Erik Sass , October 20, 2006

In the lead-up to the American Magazine Conference in Phoenix, Arizona this weekend, the Magazine Publishers of America announced the launch of 47 new magazines in the third quarter of 2006, demonstrating publishers' belief in the continued vitality of the medium in the face of Internet competition. According to the MPA, the new launches include 17 lifestyle mags; 14 mags targeting affluent readers; 13 men's magazines; 12 women's magazines; and nine magazines for African-Americans.

Among the new titles launched by MPA members are Vogue Living from Conde Nast, JunkMarket Style from Meredith, Sherman's Travel, from Sherman's Travel LLC, and SI Edge from Time Inc. Together, the 47 launches represent a 34% increase over the number of new launches in the third quarter of 2005.

In the last year, the industry has also seen the launch of new events and awards intended to refine magazines' competitive edge versus other media. In December 2005, the MPA hosted the first "Magazines 24/7," a conference devoted to magazine publishers' digital strategies. A second "24/7" conference was held in April 2006. The American Society of Magazine Editors also announced a new awards event, the Best Cover Competition, to focus attention on graphic and editorial elements that attract consumer attention in a crowded newsstand environment. The first winners of the Best Cover Competition will be announced at the AMC conference in the Biltmore Hotel, Phoenix, on Tuesday.

Ad Revenue Up At Business Pubs

The latest figures (July) available for business publications from the Business Information Network showed a 4.5% increase in monthly ad revenue over the same period in 2005, and a 1.4% increase for the year-to-date. Ad pages were up 2.21% on a monthly basis, and 1% on a yearly basis. Although the number is somewhat delayed, "this upswing in ad revenue is a welcome harbinger for the second half of the year," according to Gordon T. Hughes II, president and CEO of American Business Media (ABM).

Hughes adds: "This growth, coupled with the strength of face-to-face this year already, is an exciting indicator that as an industry we are holding steady." The three leading ad categories were: architecture, design and lighting, which grew 8.14%; resources, environment and utilities, which grew 8.81%; and aviation, aerospace and military, which grew 9.8%.

A number of studies released in 2006 have suggested the special persuasiveness of B-to-B publications as ad platforms. For example, according to one study conducted for ABM by Harris Interactive, more than half of executives who read B-to-B magazines have acted on an ad they saw. Specifically, "57% [of respondents] said it had caused them to make a purchase or recommend a purchase" for their company, recalls Regina Corso, research director for Harris Interactive.

This year's revenue figures seem to confirm another finding of the Harris study, which placed B-to-B publications second only to live calls by sales executives--including company reps at trade shows and expos--in terms of sales success. According to Harris, 70% of the study respondents said interactions with company reps at industry functions caused them to make or recommend a purchase to their company.

Financial Advisors Rely On Trade Pubs

While B-to-B publications are undeniably popular as sources of information for executives from a broad spectrum of businesses, financial advisors seem to rely on them even more than others, according to Aptura Research. In a survey of 400 personal financial advisors, Aptura found they relied on trade publications over every other medium, with 61% citing them in job-related decisions.

According to Joseph Hardin, Aptura's research director, "personal financial advisors view trade publications as the most important source of media to get information concerning their jobs. The study confirms that they look to trade publications more than Web sites, trade shows, newspapers or television. Some titles are read more thoroughly and frequently than others among professionals, suggesting advertising dollars may be better spent in such titles."

Magazines.com Agrees To ABC Evaluation

Magazines.com has signed on to be the first consumer magazine subscription agent to be evaluated by the Audit Bureau of Circulations for compliance with ABC's circulation bylaws and rules. The ABC program is an important step forward in making magazine subscription sales more transparent, which itself is crucial to sustaining advertiser interest. The ABC evaluation uses a control review process and transactional testing procedures to verify that subscription agents' practices are above-board.

Analysts: Time4Media Strong, Despite Difficulties

Time Inc.'s Time4Media and parenting publications--including 18 titles currently up for sale--are strong despite their current difficulties, according to Reed Phillips, managing partner of the investment media banking firm DeSilva + Phillips, reports Red7Media, an online business publication.

Conceding that the titles will likely finish the year down from last year, Phillips still says that given the high-profile sale, "you're going to get a lot more people interested in taking a look at these titles than you normally would." Likely bidders include Bonnier AB, a Swedish media company worth $2.7 billion, Aspire Media, and Apprise Media.