Rodale Reports Strong Print, Web Results

Rodale enjoyed a strong second quarter with 20.6% growth in ad pages at its print properties and a remarkable 117.2% boom in online ad revenue at its magazine Web sites. Altogether, the company's revenues grew 8.3% in the second quarter of 2007, compared to the same period last year, to $163.8 million.

The single biggest driver of growth for Rodale's print operations was the drugs and medical category, where ad pages leaped 40.9% with big increases at Men's Health, Women's Health and Prevention in particular. Here, Rodale seems to be riding the wave of drug and remedy ad spending that has buoyed magazines over the last few years, including sharp increases in the pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer category.

But its magazine brands area also attracting advertisers from a variety of unrelated categories.

Women's Health enjoyed 108% growth in ad revenue as it opened new ad accounts, including Volkswagen, Puma, Oakley, L'Oréal Bare Naturale and Verizon Wireless. The magazine plans to increase its rate base from 850,000 to 1.1 million in January 2008.

Meanwhile, Best Life, a relatively new introduction to the men's lifestyle category, saw ad pages increase 50.7% and revenues increase 77% in the second quarter. The magazine has attracted a number of new advertisers, including Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss Selection, Cartier, Gucci, Cadillac and Lincoln.

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