A meta study from FIPP, the international organisation representing magazine publishers, has underlined the value, power and importance of a printed magazine to the advertising industry.
The pithily entitled The Enduring Impact of Print Advertising draws on dozens of studies and research to show how consumers enjoy reading magazines, that they take notice of and trust printed advertisements and that for an advertiser the return on investment can be £6.36 for every £1 spent.
But it is not every magazine and the findings are not a return to a golden age for magazines, However, with digital advertising falling from favour and subject to increasing mistrust, print represents the opportunity.
In introducing the report, executive director of consumer and special interest magazines at FIPP Alastair Lewis says: “This doesn’t mean a shift to how print used to be.” He adds that publishers have been disappointed by digital’s failure to deliver promised returns and that many now see print as a high value portfolio anchor. In other words the printed magazine becomes the identifiable brand around which publishers can run events, produce supplements and similar to boost revenues.
This is because readers like magazines as a counter to digital noise, as a means of self identification and for many who want to reduce their screen time, print is a safe space away from intrusive messaging associated with digital channels. Print remains tangible, on a human level and contains advertising that is relevant to the reader through their choice of title.
In turn premium advertisers in particular seek the halo effect of being associated with a quality publication. The report quotes figures showing that a printed ad has greater trust than social media or influencer marketing.
There is a definite move towards quality and premium publications, where there is little chance of AI creating content and where journalists, designers and editors have been closely involved in the process. It adds that for greater impact, premium ad formats, such as gatefold covers, work well. It is, Lewis points about making print the premium experience. “What works for readers, works for advertisers,” he says.
