Commentary

Magazine Ad Revenues Down

According to the Publishers Information Bureau (PIB), total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue through the first three quarters of 2008 closed at $18,452,988,859, posting a 5% decline against the previous year, There were 164,125 ad pages generated through the first three quarters of the year, a drop of 9.5% compared to the same period in 2007.

And, for the third quarter, total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue was an 8.8% decrease compared to 2007's third quarter.  There were 52,778 advertising pages in the third quarter, a drop of 12.9% compared to the same period in 2007.

Year to date only three categories posted gains in revenue vs. the first three quarters of 2007:  Retail, Food & Food Products, and Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts. Overall, magazine advertising was negatively impacted by the ongoing weakness in the economy for the first three quarters of 2008. 

Ellen Oppenheim, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Magazine Publishers of America, noted that "...Consumers have cut spending and advertisers have followed suit.  It's affected every ad category and every ad-supported sector of the media industry."

YTD Magazine Advertising Revenue January (September 2008 vs 2007)

Class

 2008 Dollars

 2007 Dollars

%Chg

 2008 Pages 

 2007 Pages 

%Chg

Toiletries & Cosmetics 

1,751,402,701

1,833,542,695

-4.5

12,718.38

14,081.43

-9.7

Drugs & Remedies 

1,657,528,614

1,904,992,985

-13.0

12,380.88

14,608.38

-15.2

Food & Food Products 

1,598,932,193

1,547,010,067

3.4

10,236.23

10,640.23

-3.8

Apparel & Accessories 

1,432,730,525

1,501,074,935

-4.6

16,088.31

17,153.25

-6.2

Retail 

1,323,078,173

1,266,575,003

4.5

12,666.59

13,152.77

-3.7

Media & Advertising 

1,245,593,555

1,256,292,802

-0.9

10,629.49

10,731.34

-0.9

Direct Response Companies 

1,230,785,988

1,323,619,378

-7.0

12,027.92

13,444.50

-10.5

Automotive 

1,163,000,102

1,451,443,227

-19.9

10,190.54

13,346.67

-23.6

Home Furnishings & Supplies 

942,421,879

1,030,278,700

-8.5

8,185.65

9,698.53

-15.6

Financial, Insurance & Real Estate 

905,725,112

900,476,367

0.6

8,868.79

9,599.58

-7.6

Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts 

856,962,652

831,525,549

3.1

10,313.62

10,485.62

-1.6

Technology 

658,363,602

742,340,917

-11.3

6,304.03

7,357.73

-14.3

Source: PIB, October 2008 (Data as of October 8th, 2008)

 

Third Quarter Advertising Revenue 2008 vs 2007

Class 

 2008 Dollars 

 2007 Dollars 

%Chg

 2008 Pages 

 2007 Pages 

%Chg

Toiletries & Cosmetics 

623,471,892

626,705,117

-0.5

4,492.80

4,822.24

-6.8

Apparel & Accessories 

510,992,600

549,693,207

-7.0

5,577.83

6,186.80

-9.8

Drugs & Remedies 

494,667,971

593,076,047

-16.6

3,713.35

4,638.65

-19.9

Food & Food Products 

449,325,222

550,606,914

-18.4

2,883.26

3,765.24

-23.4

Retail 

430,701,512

462,227,587

-6.8

4,107.90

4,756.87

-13.6

Media & Advertising 

424,462,544

442,547,166

-4.1

3,614.89

3,755.14

-3.7

Direct Response Companies 

396,865,779

430,577,559

-7.8

3,893.03

4,259.13

-8.6

Automotive 

390,094,763

512,598,185

-23.9

3,348.57

4,642.11

-27.9

Financial, Insurance & Real Estate 

317,412,316

322,621,210

-1.6

2,865.09

3,270.85

-12.4

Home Furnishings & Supplies 

313,441,413

342,060,765

-8.4

2,620.85

3,215.40

-18.5

Technology 

234,265,051

239,611,478

-2.2

2,221.57

2,353.95

-5.6

Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts 

227,589,712

232,846,904

-2.3

2,902.87

3,063.41

-5.2

Source: Pib, October 2008 (Data As Of October 8th, 2008)

For YTD magazine totals, please go here.

For 3Q magazine totals, please go here.

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About the Author

Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.