Advertising
Print magazines have experienced a decrease in the number of advertisements within each issue. Early in their history magazines were the only national media. Today the Internet is an additional national media option for advertisers. Magazines are more targeted than newspapers, providing a target audience to the advertiser. But the Internet allows advertisers to track the number of clicks their ads receive and these functions are appealing to advertisers whose ultimate goal is to sell a product.
Vogue has an edge because many of the advertisements are artistic and have a larger presence in print than they would online; but even this is changing. With new developments in technology, larger computer screens and high definition picture quality, high-end fashion designer advertisers have begun to dapple in the online world.[1]
The September 2009 issue of Vogue shrank 36% as designers began to look into advertising in the online world.[2] These high-end designers began utilizing the resources available online: Twitter, YouTube, DailyCandy.com (a daily fashion e-newsletter) and Internet websites.[3]
Advertisers are now utilizing the Internet for more than selling their products; they are now able to display their advertisements artistically online. High-end fashion designers were wary of the Internet at first because they felt technology could not adequately display the details of their fashion. The improvement in computer technology has allowed a larger amount of detail to be displayed on a computer screen. The appeal of online is also in the instant commerce it generates; clicking on an advertisement can immediately transport consumers to a website for the product.
Video websites like YouTube also provide a visual platform for advertisers. YouTube is a free interactive video site allowing users to upload videos. With the viral video scene gaining popularity, corporations are trying to create videos to generate interest in a product. For example, Prada produced a movie with French actress Audrey Tautou for their personal website in 2009.[4] If this trend continues thick season magazines could continue to shrink every year, and this trend would hurt magazines like Vogue. With so many alternative options to print, advertisers are experimenting in other places to reach consumers.
While fashion designers are changing to online advertisements, print still has dramatic appeal. Car manufacturers are returning to print. Companies like General Motor Corporation see the potential magazines still hold as a foundation for a product.[5] Magazines provide an online following through their websites, a following useful to automobile advertisers. Chevrolet used the Conde Nast Media Group promotion “Fashion Rocks” to advertise in magazines (which include Vogue and Vanity Faire), online on the websites and sponsor a rock concert during fashion week.[6]
Advertising in a magazine can also provide print and online options to an advertiser. Jeff Hamill, senior vice president of advertising sales and marketing for Hearst Magazines, was quoted saying spending on magazine advertising is “leveling off” after declining for several years.[7]
Another plus of the Internet is advertisement placement on a page. Based on a survey of readers, Folio Magazine found readers of digital publications are less likely to ignore advertising banners featured digitally compared to the ads featured on websites. These readers also found banner advertisements less obtrusive in digital magazines and audiences stayed online longer.[8]
Another platform available to advertisers is social media sites. Myspace.com (previously) and Facebook.com are huge sites for advertisers to invest in. Facebook allows advertisers to target specific audiences through their ads. While teen magazine websites may get unique viewers, the numbers cannot compete with social media sites. Statistics published in 2007 reported Seventeen.com got 216,000 unique viewers compared with 7.8 million on Myspace.com.[9] According to its website, today Facebook is a website of over 500 million users[10]. With properties available to advertisers, these social media sites are ideal places to target viewers.
Another way magazines can appeal to advertisers is through pay for content magazine websites. Readers pay to subscribe to the online content, and this allows the magazine to gain information on their online audience.[11] While pay for content is appealing to advertisers, many readers do not like the option of paying for their content online. This is an exception for many niche readers though.
Advertising goes hand-in-hand with the reported subscriptions of a magazine. Subscription numbers can provide a rough estimate of the circulation of the magazine. Vogue is one of several fashion magazines in print, so if its circulation fell suddenly it would not be worthwhile for advertisers to invest in the magazine.
For general topic magazines, advertisers chose magazines with the largest subscriptions to advertise in. For niche magazines this rule is different because any niche magazine will deliver the specific audience advertisers are trying to reach. For those companies who advertise in general magazines subscription numbers can be acquired from a company tracking the audience. One company is Mediamark Research and Intelligence and their tracking survey provides general information on an audience of a magazine. The company goes door to door and asks respondents to fill out a survey about magazine readership. This survey can track which magazines people are reading, which is important information to advertisers.
Mediamark Research and Intelligence is creating a new way to measure advertisement views.[12] This program will be called AdMeasure.[13] Gathering as much accurate information as possible is important for both magazines and advertisers alike.
Despite what many may think, magazines are fighting back against the decrease in advertising by trying to make their product appealing to advertisers. Both Vogue and Jewelry Artist have online media kits for advertisers to see prices. Overall, these efforts are working. Vogue is still attracting advertisers by bundling packages of advertising to include online options and other events; magazines are seeking to appeal to some advertisers.[14] Jewelry Artist is a niche magazine, appealing to advertisers in the field for the audience demographics it provides.
[1] Emily Steele, “Thick Fashion Magazines are so Last Year- Once Hefty September Editions Lose Ads as Apparel Marketers Cut Back and Experiment More Online,” Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) (August 17, 2009): B.1, ProQuest.
[2] Emily Steele, “Thick Fashion Magazines are so Last Year- Once Hefty September Editions Lose Ads as Apparel Marketers Cut Back and Experiment More Online,” Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) (August 17, 2009): B.1, ProQuest.
[3] Emily Steele, “Thick Fashion Magazines are so Last Year- Once Hefty September Editions Lose Ads as Apparel Marketers Cut Back and Experiment More Online,” Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) (August 17, 2009): B.1, ProQuest.
[4] Emily Steele, “Thick Fashion Magazines are so Last Year- Once Hefty September Editions Lose Ads as Apparel Marketers Cut Back and Experiment More Online,” Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) (August 17, 2009): B.1, ProQuest.
[5] Mary Connelly, “Car marketers: Magazines must widen ad reach,” Automotive News 82 (May 2008): 22B.
[6] Mary Connelly, “Car marketers: Magazines must widen ad reach,” Automotive News 82 (May 2008): 22B.
[7] Mary Connelly, “Car marketers: Magazines must widen ad reach,” Automotive News 82 (May 2008): 22B.
[8] Matt Kinsman, “Survey Says: Digital Magazines Outperform Other Electronic Media with Ads, Readers,” Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management 39 (April 2010): 22-23.
[9] Nat Ives, “Magazines’ teen sites no match for MySpace,” Advertising Age 78 (October 2007): 8.
[10] “Facebook Ads” (Facebook.com, 2010, access November 9, 2010); available from http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?campaign_id=402047449186&placement=pf&extra_1=0.
[11] Joseph Galarneau, “Digital Continues Upward Ascent in the American Consumer Magazine Industry,” Publishing Research Quarterly 25 (June 2009): 89-93.
[12] Stephanie Clifford, “Magazine Researchers Explore New Ways to Weigh Ad Impact,” The New York Times Late Edition, 10, June, 2009, Lexis Nexus.
[13] Chandra Johnson-Greene, “MRI Rolls Out First Ad Ratings For Magazines,” Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management 38 (July 2009): 15.
[14] Mary Connelly, “Car marketers: Magazines must widen ad reach,” Automotive News 82 (May 2008): 22B.
Vogue has an edge because many of the advertisements are artistic and have a larger presence in print than they would online; but even this is changing. With new developments in technology, larger computer screens and high definition picture quality, high-end fashion designer advertisers have begun to dapple in the online world.[1]
The September 2009 issue of Vogue shrank 36% as designers began to look into advertising in the online world.[2] These high-end designers began utilizing the resources available online: Twitter, YouTube, DailyCandy.com (a daily fashion e-newsletter) and Internet websites.[3]
Advertisers are now utilizing the Internet for more than selling their products; they are now able to display their advertisements artistically online. High-end fashion designers were wary of the Internet at first because they felt technology could not adequately display the details of their fashion. The improvement in computer technology has allowed a larger amount of detail to be displayed on a computer screen. The appeal of online is also in the instant commerce it generates; clicking on an advertisement can immediately transport consumers to a website for the product.
Video websites like YouTube also provide a visual platform for advertisers. YouTube is a free interactive video site allowing users to upload videos. With the viral video scene gaining popularity, corporations are trying to create videos to generate interest in a product. For example, Prada produced a movie with French actress Audrey Tautou for their personal website in 2009.[4] If this trend continues thick season magazines could continue to shrink every year, and this trend would hurt magazines like Vogue. With so many alternative options to print, advertisers are experimenting in other places to reach consumers.
While fashion designers are changing to online advertisements, print still has dramatic appeal. Car manufacturers are returning to print. Companies like General Motor Corporation see the potential magazines still hold as a foundation for a product.[5] Magazines provide an online following through their websites, a following useful to automobile advertisers. Chevrolet used the Conde Nast Media Group promotion “Fashion Rocks” to advertise in magazines (which include Vogue and Vanity Faire), online on the websites and sponsor a rock concert during fashion week.[6]
Advertising in a magazine can also provide print and online options to an advertiser. Jeff Hamill, senior vice president of advertising sales and marketing for Hearst Magazines, was quoted saying spending on magazine advertising is “leveling off” after declining for several years.[7]
Another plus of the Internet is advertisement placement on a page. Based on a survey of readers, Folio Magazine found readers of digital publications are less likely to ignore advertising banners featured digitally compared to the ads featured on websites. These readers also found banner advertisements less obtrusive in digital magazines and audiences stayed online longer.[8]
Another platform available to advertisers is social media sites. Myspace.com (previously) and Facebook.com are huge sites for advertisers to invest in. Facebook allows advertisers to target specific audiences through their ads. While teen magazine websites may get unique viewers, the numbers cannot compete with social media sites. Statistics published in 2007 reported Seventeen.com got 216,000 unique viewers compared with 7.8 million on Myspace.com.[9] According to its website, today Facebook is a website of over 500 million users[10]. With properties available to advertisers, these social media sites are ideal places to target viewers.
Another way magazines can appeal to advertisers is through pay for content magazine websites. Readers pay to subscribe to the online content, and this allows the magazine to gain information on their online audience.[11] While pay for content is appealing to advertisers, many readers do not like the option of paying for their content online. This is an exception for many niche readers though.
Advertising goes hand-in-hand with the reported subscriptions of a magazine. Subscription numbers can provide a rough estimate of the circulation of the magazine. Vogue is one of several fashion magazines in print, so if its circulation fell suddenly it would not be worthwhile for advertisers to invest in the magazine.
For general topic magazines, advertisers chose magazines with the largest subscriptions to advertise in. For niche magazines this rule is different because any niche magazine will deliver the specific audience advertisers are trying to reach. For those companies who advertise in general magazines subscription numbers can be acquired from a company tracking the audience. One company is Mediamark Research and Intelligence and their tracking survey provides general information on an audience of a magazine. The company goes door to door and asks respondents to fill out a survey about magazine readership. This survey can track which magazines people are reading, which is important information to advertisers.
Mediamark Research and Intelligence is creating a new way to measure advertisement views.[12] This program will be called AdMeasure.[13] Gathering as much accurate information as possible is important for both magazines and advertisers alike.
Despite what many may think, magazines are fighting back against the decrease in advertising by trying to make their product appealing to advertisers. Both Vogue and Jewelry Artist have online media kits for advertisers to see prices. Overall, these efforts are working. Vogue is still attracting advertisers by bundling packages of advertising to include online options and other events; magazines are seeking to appeal to some advertisers.[14] Jewelry Artist is a niche magazine, appealing to advertisers in the field for the audience demographics it provides.
[1] Emily Steele, “Thick Fashion Magazines are so Last Year- Once Hefty September Editions Lose Ads as Apparel Marketers Cut Back and Experiment More Online,” Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) (August 17, 2009): B.1, ProQuest.
[2] Emily Steele, “Thick Fashion Magazines are so Last Year- Once Hefty September Editions Lose Ads as Apparel Marketers Cut Back and Experiment More Online,” Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) (August 17, 2009): B.1, ProQuest.
[3] Emily Steele, “Thick Fashion Magazines are so Last Year- Once Hefty September Editions Lose Ads as Apparel Marketers Cut Back and Experiment More Online,” Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) (August 17, 2009): B.1, ProQuest.
[4] Emily Steele, “Thick Fashion Magazines are so Last Year- Once Hefty September Editions Lose Ads as Apparel Marketers Cut Back and Experiment More Online,” Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition) (August 17, 2009): B.1, ProQuest.
[5] Mary Connelly, “Car marketers: Magazines must widen ad reach,” Automotive News 82 (May 2008): 22B.
[6] Mary Connelly, “Car marketers: Magazines must widen ad reach,” Automotive News 82 (May 2008): 22B.
[7] Mary Connelly, “Car marketers: Magazines must widen ad reach,” Automotive News 82 (May 2008): 22B.
[8] Matt Kinsman, “Survey Says: Digital Magazines Outperform Other Electronic Media with Ads, Readers,” Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management 39 (April 2010): 22-23.
[9] Nat Ives, “Magazines’ teen sites no match for MySpace,” Advertising Age 78 (October 2007): 8.
[10] “Facebook Ads” (Facebook.com, 2010, access November 9, 2010); available from http://www.facebook.com/advertising/?campaign_id=402047449186&placement=pf&extra_1=0.
[11] Joseph Galarneau, “Digital Continues Upward Ascent in the American Consumer Magazine Industry,” Publishing Research Quarterly 25 (June 2009): 89-93.
[12] Stephanie Clifford, “Magazine Researchers Explore New Ways to Weigh Ad Impact,” The New York Times Late Edition, 10, June, 2009, Lexis Nexus.
[13] Chandra Johnson-Greene, “MRI Rolls Out First Ad Ratings For Magazines,” Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management 38 (July 2009): 15.
[14] Mary Connelly, “Car marketers: Magazines must widen ad reach,” Automotive News 82 (May 2008): 22B.
http://www.condenaststudio.com/#/sizzle_reel
This website is the sizzle reel for the Conde Nast Digital website. Notice the features it offers to advertisers online, and on the new technologies like the iPad and smart phones.
