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Magazines Post Overall PIB Revenue and Page Gains
Drug advertising strong. Technology and financial services still lagging.
adapted from Publishers Information Bureau data

Total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the month of February increased 5.7 percent compared to the same month last year, closing at $1,699,097,942, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Ad pages totaled 16,571.67, up 1.8 percent from February 2006. Year-to-date, PIB revenue increased of 5.5 percent over the same period in 2006, with ad pages slightly ahead (0.3%) of last year’s pace.

“Drugs & Remedies turned out another strong performance, retaining its spot as the No. 1 ad category by PIB revenue for the fifth month in a row. Retail’s five-month growth trend also continued, thanks in part to large increases posted by department stores, electronics and clothing shops and home improvement centers,” said Ellen Oppenheim, Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer, Magazine Publishers of America. “Food & Food Products really popped from spending by beverage, confectionery and snack companies, while a broad range of advertisers — from bridal couture to jewelry to casual wear — contributed to gains in Apparel & Accessories.”

February 2007 vs. Jan-Feb 2006

Seven of 12 major advertising categories posted PIB revenue and page increases in February 2007. They were: Drugs & Remedies; Food & Food Products; Direct Response; Apparel & Accessories; Media & Advertising; Retail; and Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts. Three categories recorded double-digit page growths: Food & Food Products; Apparel & Accessories; and Retail. In terms of pages, Technology and Financial Services lagged most of the field, although estimated advertising revenue for the Tech category is actually ahead of last year’s pace according to PIB.

Source: Publishers Information Bureau

Expanded PIB information is available at www.magazine.org/PIB.

Year-to-Date 2007 vs. 2006
For the first two months of the year, the top three categories for magazines by PIB revenue are Drugs & Remedies, Direct Response and Automotive. Top categories by pages were Apparel & Accessories, Direct Response and Drugs & Remedies. Categories that posted both dollar and page gains included Drugs & Remedies, Direct Response, Automotive, Media & Advertising and Retail.

Year-to-date, the technology category is running slightly behind last year’s spending pace, while the financial services category, which includes insurance and real-estate, has not yet gotten on track.

Source: Publishers Information Bureau