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Magazine advertising: it’s all about partnerships
Magazines still play an important role in many brands’ media mix, and advertisers and publishers are finding new ways of working together.
That magazine brands are having a tough time is no secret. News about falling sales and collapsing circulation have been doing the rounds for some time now.
Women’s weeklies are struggling more than others. The circulation of Time Inc’s Look was down 35.4 per cent in the first half of 2017, with sales for Woman magazine down 17.6 per ent. Men’s titles, TV listings and home interest publications also saw sharp decline.
Total ad spend was £877 million in 2016, a decline of 6.8 per cent compared to 2015. The forecast is that ad spend will drop by a further 8.2 per cent in 2017. This is mainly because advertisers prefer digital.
In spite of all the dark clouds, there is a silver lining. Magazines still play an important role in many brands’ media mix. The new idea is to form integrated editorial partnerships while tailored digital campaigns add the muscle.
Other brands prefer to take the traditional print format and give it a 21st century makeover. Mobile operator Three recently decided to bring digital and print together by creating a video-in-print cover ad as part of its ‘Go Binge’ campaign.
It paid to produce 500 special covers of Time Out’s weekly magazine, giving readers the chance to stream behind-the-scenes footage of the new Netflix show ‘Glow’. It is not all that black for magazines in that sense.