First quarter advertising figures for the magazine industry are in, and for the fourth consecutive time, ad revenue and ad pages — the more important statistic, given the discounts publishers give frequent advertisers — are up, if only marginally, a signal that the feared post-recession “double dip” on Madison Avenue has not happened.
Estimated ad revenue jumped 6.1 percent during the first three months of the year, while ad pages grew 2.5 percent through March, according to the Publishers Information Bureau.
In terms individual titles, People topped all magazines in estimated first quarter ad revenue with $236.3 million on more than 793 ad pages (Bride’s led that category with 850). Rolling Stone was the top gainer, up more than 70 percent in ad pages, while Spa magazine (down 60 percent) was at the other end of the spectrum. Worth noting: Newsweek slipped more than 30 percent during the first quarter — though that total includes just two issues of Tina Brown’s extensive March redesign.
Below, the top 25 magazines by advertising revenue, ad pages, as well as the top 25 gainers (and losers) in the quarterly ad page race.
Top 25 Magazines by Advertising Revenue (Jan. – March 2011)
1. People $236,332,270
2. Better Homes & Gardens $159,490,058
3. Sports Illustrated $145,329,598
4. Good Housekeeping $112,990,413
5. Vogue $96,303,773
6. Us Weekly $94,238,514
7. Woman's Day $89,099,357
8. Time $87,914,471
9. Family Circle $80,948,841
10. In Style $76,050,472
11. Elle $74,325,792
12. Bride's $72,509,955
13. Cosmopolitan $71,621,336
14. Glamour $60,466,962
15. Vanity Fair $55,993,912
16. ESPN The Magazine $53,767,407
17. Shape $48,389,825
18. Entertainment Weekly $47,794,506
19. Real Simple $47,523,635
20. Parents $46,744,319
21. Bloomberg Business Week $46,135,109
22. Harper's Bazaar $45,953,479
23. Star $45,359,403
24. Forbes $44,842,968
25. AARP The Magazine $44,550,066
Top 25 Magazines by Ad Pages (Jan. – March 2011)
1. Bride's 850.17
2. People 793.65
3. Bridal Guide 635.83
4. Vogue 621.13
5. Flex 576.02
6. Elle 520.18
7. Martha Stewart Weddings 510.91
8. New York Magazine 504.06
9. In Style 496.20
10. The Economist 486.40
11. Us Weekly 459.88
12. Muscle & Fitness 398.15
13. Sports Illustrated 372.93
14. Harper's Bazaar 370.39
15. Texas Monthly 365.36
16. Star 363.44
17. Time Out New York 353.91
18. Vanity Fair 320.02
19. Better Homes & Gardens 319.12
20. Woman's Day 317.92
21. Bloomberg Business Week 313.19
22. Yachting 312.30
23. Transworld Snowboarding 308.41
24. Forbes 308.01
25. Good Housekeeping 307.69
Top 25 Gainers* in Ad Pages (Jan. – March)
1. Rolling Stone 70.6%
2. Motorboating 70.0%
3. National Geographic Kids 61.3%
4. Outdoor Life 52.0%
5. People Style Watch 50.5%
6. Field & Stream 50.4%
7. Bloomberg Business Week 48.8%
8. Ducks Unlimited 47.4%
9. National Geographic 45.9%
10. Outside 44.8%
11. Departures 42.8%
12. People En Espanol 42.4%
13. Caribbean Travel & Life 42.2%
14. Wired 41.3%
15. Boys' Life 39.3%
16. Life & Style 36.6%
17. The Week 36.2%
18. Scholastic Parent & Child 35.7%
19. J-14 35.3%
20. Veranda 32.6%
21. Texas Monthly 31.5%
22. TV Guide 29.7%
23. This Old House 27.0%
24. Playboy 26.8%
25. Popular Science 26.5%
Top 25 Losers* in Ad Pages (Jan. – March)
1. Spa -60.5%
2. Transworld Wakeboarding -53.4%
3. Celebrated Living -40.5%
4. Scientific American -39.7%
5. Traditional Home -35.8%
6. Taste of Home -34.1%
7. Newsweek -30.8%
8. Nexos -29.2%
9. Executive Travel Sky Guide -28.0%
10. U.S. Airways Magazine -27.9%
11. Fine Cooking -25.7%
12. Guideposts -23.0%
13. Reader's Digest Large Edition -22.5%
14. Soap Opera Digest -21.3%
15. Jet -19.6%
16. Ski -19.5%
17. American Way -18.7%
18. Family Fun -18.3%
19. Parenting School Years -17.8%
20. Elle Decor -16.3%
21. Technology Review -15.7%
22. First for Women -14.8%
23. Travel + Leisure -14.1%
24. Lucky -14.0%
25. Details -13.9%
* By percentage
[SOURCE: Publishers Information Bureau]
