Magazine (Print) Publishers Face Uncertain Future

There is no doubt that our media landscape is changing. Newspaper circulation continues to drop. Dollars are being shifted into the online world. Out of Home Media is being a topic that we are hearing more about. And Magazines are dropping by the week.

An article today by Advertising Age discusses this trend and ponders this question. Where will magazines be in our media structure in the years to come?

You can read the full article here:http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=116231

In discussing the print media world it is easy to classify all print as "going out of business." I do not believe this is the case. My feeling is that newspapers will continue to drop off slowly in years to come, just not as quickly as many of us think.

I'm still one of those who subscribe to the newspaper. Why, I don't know? I read a few sections, sports, business, entertainment, and local. I rarely browse through the news sections because I get all of my news online. I think the newspaper for many of us though is still something that is a habit that goes along with breakfast. Anyways, back to the topic at hand.

Newspaper advertising is a completely different story. Circulation is dropping and ad rates are increasing to accomodate this change. I'm not a strong believer in the effectiveness of newspaper advertising. I think it is successful for weekend sales and events, but that is all. A 1/4 page advertisement is a great compliment to a dedicated television schedule, radio campaign, etc. But in this day and age, it is not a successful way to increase sales and awareness about your store.

I believe the reason is because the advertisements are not mixed with the content to give readers a reason to actually read the ad. Let's face it, an advertising campaign is effective when someone complains that the ad is obtrusive. Obtrusive="I saw the advertisement and it affected me in some way." But the current structure of content and advertisements is not a successful mix. I know that if I read 3/4 of the way down the page then I receive all the content I possibly need. The typical newspaper has advertisements on the lower 1/4.

Is there a way to spice up newspaper advertising without completely turning away readers? If we begin to see advertisements on the front page of each section then I'm sure readers will complain. But I guarantee that the publisher will get top dollar for that page.

Never the less, I've gone too far on the topic of newspaper advertising. Just goes to show you I have a real opinion on this topic. The article focuses on magazines. We have seen a number of magazines shut down this year and it is a sure sign that the industry is in trouble.

The article is extremely optimistic that "niche magazines" will always be in demand and will have no troubles staying afloat. The trouble is, are we focusing too much on the niche magazine? To me that is a sign that times are changing rapidly. The magazines that used to focus on broad audiences and subjects are the first to be phased out which means niche magazines now have the targets on their backs.

As far as magazine advertising goes, I do still believe that this is an effective medium. Since most are only distributed once per month, the advertisements do not become obtrusive or boring. Magazine advertising also speaks to a certain demographic, which is whoever that magazine targets. Your daily newspaper targets a large audience while a magazine targets a niche audience specifically. For example, Females 18-34 are more likely to read US Weekly or InStyle, while Males 25-34 are more likely to read Sports Illustrated or ESPN the Magazine. The advertisements in these publications are going to be very targeted towards these demographics. This is the reasy I believe newspaper advertising is the most effective print medium