Magazine – An Effective Advertising Medium

A magazine is more effective when targeted to niche readers, and while creating a value, ultimately can attract the advertisers. Soft versions of magazines increased the readership, while hard versions got more penetration into the minds and can cause a change in the views.

Pros:

• A sphere of particular magazines (targeted to niche readers) provides advertisers an opportunity to reach targeted readers, which are very hard to do otherwise.
• Magazines can play a vital role in Brand Development with strong visuals and contents that remains in the minds for a long time
• Magazines are very effective media because they are portable and have long life.

Cons:

• Above the line marketing and costing terms, yes magazines are expensive.
• You may misplace yourself in dozens of advertisings on single page or may get no attention in numerous advertising pages. Generally readers skip those pages.
• Collection of material, publishing and then distribution, these processes some time take a long time and internet takes an edge over it. Some information may be outdated when reach to a reader.

Focused to niche readers, following magazines have done a great job to generate big advertising revenue in the past.

Maxim Magazine

O Magazine

Business Week Magazine

Vogue

Good Housekeeping

Time

People

Newsweek

Demographically there is a very important segment of Teen age group. This age group is so trendy and advertisers always have a special focus for this group.

Seventeen

Sports Illustrated

Swimming World

NYC

Magazines for Children

American baby

Child

Magazine Elements

There are different opinions about magazines elements, depending upon the perspective. As far as advertising process and advertisers are concern ad size, magazine size, position, colors and style play very important role.

Size

The page size of a magazine means the size of type area, not the actual page. You can benchmark the “Time” size as standard (nearly 8 by 10 Inches) and small size of Reader’s Digest (about 4.375 by 6.5 inches). An example of oversized publication is Rolling Stone

Position, Color and Size of Magazine Advertising

In Magazines, space is sold in terms of full pages and fractions (like half page, quarter page, three column or one column).

While if you want small classified advertisement, then space is measures in line. Title Page, or Magazine Cover is most expensive place in most of the magazine.

Bleed Page Advertisement

Magazines have their styles and formats for advertisements. Very common and attractive is Bleed Page advertising in which advertisement ends with page, no margin is available. In this way maximum available space is used.

Magazine Dates

Cover Date:

The date which appears on the cover or title

On-sale Date:

The date on which the magazine is issued (the August issue of a magazine may come out on July 6, which is important to know if you are planning any event specific ad like Christmas ad)

Closing Date:

This is the final date to give your ad to your publisher for printing for a particular issue. For example a magazine can have

March Issue
On sale February 18
Closes December 27

Corporate Branding

A big concept and a process, in which a company communicates with its diverse customers through advertising, public relations, internet and even product design. As this is A to Z of company’s image so logo and other trademarks also play very important role.
Magazines are very effective in this regard. Magazines play more roles in Branding, not directly in sale increment immediately.

Conclusion

Magazine is a very effective medium.