• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, June 17, 2002

Magazine Advertising Through March Down, April Better

Total magazine advertising revenue for the month of March closed at $1,377,102,513, a 1.7% decrease from last year, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Advertising pages for March were 19,350, down 10.0% from last year. Year-to-date, advertising revenue decreased 6.3%, closing at $3,286,776,734, and ad pages were 46,624, down 14.1% over last year. However, the returns for April alone were slightly better, with ad pages down 10% and ad revenue up 11% from March.

March 2002 vs. 2001
Five of the major advertising categories showed positive dollar growth this March.

	2002	2001	2002	% CHG
	DOLLARS	DOLLARS	PAGES	PAGES
	(Million$)	(million$)	(million)	'01-'02
Automotive	$144.8	$123.9	1,673.8	11.1%
Apparel & Accessories	$124.5	$143.9	2,211.1	-17.4%
Food & Food Products	$120.4	$99.3	930.7	4.2%
Drugs & Remedies	$112.3	$101.9	1,129.7	5.7%
Direct Response Companies	$106.7	$97.1	1,676.8	-0.9%
Toiletries & Cosmetics	$106.0	$116.1	1,204.0	-14.3%
Retail	$89.4	$90.8	1,488.7	-11.5%
Technology	$89.2	$102.4	1,161.9	-24.9%
Household Furnishings & Supplies	$79.7	$91.2	1,015.4	-20.0%
Media & Advertising	$79.5	$76.7	920.3	-2.5%
Financial, Insurance & Real Estate	$71.9	$94.0	959.5	-29.4%
Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts	$66.8	$82.5	1,345.5	-17.0%

JANUARY THROUGH MARCH Gains were noted in three out of 12 categories for the year-to-date comparison (1stQ), namely in Food & Food Products, Drugs & Remedies, and Direct Response Companies. Losses were most notable for Technology; Transportation, Hotels & Resorts; Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; and Apparel & Accessories.

"Overall, the March declines are not as dramatic as those in recent months," noted Ellen Oppenheim, Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer, MPA. "We hope that this signals the beginning of an advertising uptick."