• by Lydia Loizides , Op-Ed Contributor, January 24, 2007

OK -- I admit it. I read them. I have since I was a kid. I can't help it. There is something about the colors, the stories, the art. You don't know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about: comic books. From the big screen to the little screen to the paper screen, this genre of periodicals -- once considered a medium for the weird, the nerdy, the uncool -- has become mainstream. But where are the advertisers? And I don't mean the ones chasing 12- to 16-year-olds. I am talking about the brands chasing those of us who were the weird, the nerdy, the uncool 20 years ago. Well, a few have caught on -- but honestly, not enough.

Consider the following:

--The U.S. comic book business (publishing only) was approximately $550 million in 2005. -- Marvel Entertainment publishes approximately 70 different comic book titles per month, primarily distributed to consumers through three main channels -- direct market retailers, mass-market retailers, and through subscription. Revenue is also derived from the sale of advertising within the core comic book product of approximately ten pages -- specifically, three glossy cover pages (the inside front cover and both the inside and outside back cover), and seven interior non-glossy pages. (And did I mention that gross profit margins in the business are in the mid-50% range?).

--Virgin Comics retains an 86% male, 14% female readership, with a median age of 23 and age concentration from 16 to 29, with a median household income of $50.69k. Some of the brands that have used comics to deliver their brand message include Dannon, Coke Classic, L'Oreal, and Nautica (not to mention the usual suspects Nokia, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, etc.).

--John Woo, Guy Ritchie, Rosario Dawson, Dave Stewart -- just a handful of the celebrities who have taken to using this form as a way to create new vehicles for more traditional media channels.

The purpose of most publishers is to license titles for new distribution platforms, like movies. And if you think that these movies are just for "fans," well, let the box office speak for itself: Marvel Entertainment alone, through titles such as "Blade," "Spider-Man," "X-Men," "Elektra," "Fantastic Four," "The Hulk" and "Daredevil" generated over $4 billion in eight years over 14 films. And you don't build an audience like that without a base -- a base that is simply, the comic book reader.

Now, I don't mean to generalize or oversimplify, but this is truly an untapped market. From ad-sponsored digital versions for the PC and wireless handsets to merchandising to new or celebrity-based Web-based-only titles -- this is truly a market that is experiencing a renaissance. And lest we forget, I am not talking about the U.S. market alone here. I am talking about worldwide audience potential that translates into worldwide branding opportunities for multi-national advertisers. Just imagine the possibilities. Think I have been reading too many manga books? Perhaps. But any comic genre that commands $5.6 billion worldwide has my attention. Does it have yours? You tell me.