There has been a lot of discussion in the media world about whether or not print is indeed dead. While most would agree that newspapers probably won’t persist to again captivate the nation with the level of grace that they once so historically obtained; magazines seem to be left out of the discussion completely, destined for a seat at the kids table- perhaps deterred by the transient, hyper-niche reputation they’ve worked so hard to attain.
But is it possible that in the wake of a digital revolution magazines find themselves more popular than ever before? Built up by the embracement of the very same attributes newspapers previously pushed so hard against (adoption of new technologies/niche audiences/opinionated personas). Ryan Dohrn, CEO of Brain Swell media, not only believes in magazines as a giant amongst the media ranks, he has the statistics to prove it..
In his weekly Shweiki webinar
Dohrn takes all his statistics from a study founded by Magazine Media Factbook
Everyone loves magazines
The simple fact of the matter is that everyone loves to read quality magazines. They are specifically designed for unique tastes, cheap to purchase, and contain information that one is unlikely to find elsewhere. And as Dohrn (as well as the chart) points out, it takes the average reader forty-two minutes to read an issue cover to cover. There is no doubt that when a reader uses forty-two of their minutes to engage with their favorite magazine, they are actively participating in an intimate monthly ritual. Similar to that of checking ones email in the morning or catching the nightly news before bed.
Dohrn states that another dimension that separates magazine readership from other forms of media consumption is the fact that when one is reading a magazine, it is extremely difficult to multi-task with other forms of media. Because users pick up magazines to read articles or learn about specific topics that interest them, they tend to shut off alternative noise to avoid distraction while consuming content.
Notable Magazine Statistics
Magazines are the medium of engagement
Magazines continue to score significantly higher than television and the internet in key engagement attributes
Ad receptivity
258 magazines
209 internet
208 television
Social Interaction 100-500 rating scale
308 magazines
274 internet
291 television
Consumers welcome advertising in magazines
- A measure of ad effectiveness for magazines has grown 11% over the last five years
- 53% of those recalling ads took action as a result of seeing that specific ad
- 58% of respondents agree that ads are particularly enjoyable when related to content
- 60% agree that ads allow for more detailed information
Magazines rank #1 in driving purchase intent
Magazines increased purchase intent five times as much as television or the internet
Number of people impacted per $1 spent
Magazines 4.8
Television .8
Internet .3
Ryan Dohrn is the CEO of Brain Swell Media. Ryan is an Emmy award winning TV producer, has overseen over 3,000 web site builds, and is a nationally acclaimed speaker. He has been featured in USA Today, on ABC, CBS, FOX TV stations, and on Forbes.com.
