Research Center >> JoA

Finance, Insurance and Real Estate Pages Off Sharply in November
Year-to-date overall ad revenue up 4.0 percent, but pages down 2.6 percent.
Adapted from Publishers Information Bureau data

New York, NY (December 7, 2006) — Total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the month of November increased two percent compared to the same month last year, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Ad pages suffered a decline of 2.6 percent against November 2005. It looks like 2006 will finish the year without ever really getting out of first gear. For the 11 months ended November 30th, PIB revenue is up 3.9 percent over the same period in 2005, but ad pages, perhaps a truer measure of the print advertising climate essential flat (+0.1%) compared to the first 11 months of 2005.

November 2006 vs. 2005

The Drugs & Remedies category was the top magazine ad category for the fifth time in 2006, posting PIB ad revenue and page increases every month this year. Automotive continued its slump and financial service also had another off month. Other ad categories that contributed to magazine advertising growth in November included: Food & Food Products; Direct Response; and Retail. Drugs and Retail registered double-digit revenue gains.

To date in 2006, the top three magazine ad categories by revenue are Drugs & Remedies, posting double-digit page and revenue gains so far, Toiletries & Cosmetics and Automotive. The top three categories ranked by pages are Apparel & Accessories, Automotive and Toiletries & Cosmetics.

“Drugs & Remedies’ double-digit increase in November is a continuation of the category’s strong commitment to magazines in 2006,” said Ellen Oppenheim, EVP/Chief Marketing Officer, Magazine Publishers of America. “However, while magazine PIB revenue is slightly up and pages are holding for the year, November pages reflect advertising softness that is leading forecasters to lower their projections for this year and next.”