22 Magazines That Are Seeing Increased Ad Revenues

The Business Insider recently wrote an article about 22 Magazines That Are Actually Kicking Butt In 2009. They discussed how the Magazine Publishers of America keep records of 249 different magazine titles and of those 249, 227 saw a decline in their ad revenues in 2009 compared to 2008. Over 91% of the industry is suffering from the recent decrease in advertising.

Looking at the 22 titles that are earning more revenue than they were last year, five are published by Meredith Corporation. Patrick Taylor, of Meredith Corporation, says these magazine titles “do a good job of building their brand” especially on the Internet. He went on, saying that magazines can find a larger audience by making content available on the internet. Also, by going online, publishers can find new forms of advertising and creative ways to boost their print subscriptions. This is just another example of how going digital can help support your print and keep you afloat during tough times.

Here is a quick run through of the 22 Magazines that have muscled out increasing ad revenues over the last year.

Better Homes and Gardens - Up 1.9%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $547,346,531
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $557,534,448

Ladies’ Home Journal - Up 2.5%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $220,113,560
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $225,511,330

Soap Opera Digest - Up 2.5%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $12,894,257
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $13,217,837

Executive Travel SkyGuide - Up 4.0%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $5,470,212
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $5,689,007

Family Fun - Up 4.3%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $75,434,521
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $78,651,596

Woman’s World - Up 5.4%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $23,708,020
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $24,987,610

Endless Vacation - Up 5.7%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $10,493,050
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $11,091,905

Women’s Health - Up 8.8%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $58,709,640
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $63,900,299

More - Up 12.7% (Meredith,
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $82,346,521
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $92,812,076

Muscle & Fitness - Up 13.2%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $71,483,698
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $80,948,436

Scholastic Parent & Child - Up 14.5%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $34,688,914
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $39,682,262

Flex - Up 15.4%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $24,595,411
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $28,379,120

Organic Gardening - Up 17.4%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $3,198,473
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $3,754,516

OK Weekly - Up- 17.5%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $47,755,400
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $56,099,244

Fitness - Up 17.5%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $70,798,273
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $83,200,149

Saveur - Up 18.9%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $8,678,312
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $10,322,035

Family Circle - Up 21.8%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $254,590,657
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $310,058,104

Twist - Up 22.1%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $2,635,592
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $3,217,460

The Week - Up 30.4%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $19,760,226
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $25,766,774

People Style Watch - Up 32.2%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $19,675,743
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $26,005,532

Fine Cooking - Up 66.2%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $793,914
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $1,319,440

Spry - Up 550.6%
2008 Ad Revenues through September: $5,508,047
2009 Ad Revenues through September: $35,837,667

What Marketers Want

Since the introduction of moving type, never has the world of publishing seen so much refinement. Even if that may be a little exaggerated, you’d think it was true by the constantly breaking news and blog reels spinning out of control with stories of new websites, applications and devices that will change the way people read forever.

If you were following the events of the last month, you’d probably think the publishing industry was going to make a complete about face away from paper. It almost seems logical with devices like desktops, laptops, iPhones, smartphones, the kindle and a slew of new tablets and e-readers being introduced what seems like everyday. On the surface, it seems like the publishing industry could start saving the truck loads of money it costs to print and deliver mountains of books, magazines and catalogs to their large audiences. But what many articles aren’t considering is the actual driving forces behind print - advertising.

Subscriptions to magazines aren’t a publisher’s main source of revenue. It’s the advertising inside. Marketers believe that those physical pages of a magazine continue to prove enticing to potential customers in a way that computer text and images cannot. In the same way, catalog publishers keep showing statistics that by paying the price to mail catalogs they are actually helping advertise and drive more sales to their web sites. One study showed that consumers who received catalogs from a retailer spent 28% more on that retailer’s website than those who didn’t receive catalogs.

We believe that print and web are two elements that, when working in harmony, are stronger than the sum of their parts. Why not mail a catalog or magazine to subscribers, but also make yourself available in the same outstanding visual quality on the internet. A digital edition is the perfect medium between a printed magazine or catalog, and a website or e-commerce site. It brings the reader and/or customer that same intuitive look and feel that you spent such resources designing and editing, while providing them with a fully-integrated, media-rich web experience.

It’s finding that right balance between digital and print that’ll maximize your audience and appeal to advertisers like never before.

Special Magazine Issues Made Even More Special

The New York Times has just published a good article about magazine publishers making some waves with special issues – ESPN’s Body Issue for example, where athletes are featured in mostly nude poses.

Gary Belsky, editor in chief of ESPN The Magazine brings up a great point in the article: “These days, people are skeptical enough about print, or at least wary enough about print, that they’re looking for executions that differentiate print.”

This couldn’t be closer to the truth.

Belsky goes on to say, “Print can’t deliver music, video, but what print can deliver is beautiful, in-depth visuals and journalism that explores subjects in a particular kind of way.”

That’s a HUGE misconception with print. Print can actually deliver more now than ever. By distributing your “print” on paper and online in the same form, like a special issue, it can differentiate your publication and attract more advertisers.

Digital editions not only cost less to publish and distribute, they also allow publishers to up-sell really exciting features to advertisers like music, video, animated ads, rollover windows and hyperlinks. All of these things add an element of “cool” among audiences and allow advertisers to offer more dimensions and in turn, value, to their ad.

“Magazines need to offer these creative alternatives to standard pages,” said Charlie Zakin, vice president for corporate media at Hasbro in response to Hasbro running an ad on the November cover of FamilyFun magazine, the first time FamilyFun would do such an ad. (The cover would be a pocket and contain a pull-out sheet promoting Hasbro’s family-game-night initiative.)

Imagine a digital edition of FamilyFun, where an animated section of the cover would promote and link to a pop-up window, which would contain all of the information found in this fun pull-out sheet, complete with animation, audio or video about the family-game-night initiative. Cool, eh?

I’ll end with this quote from Deborah Mignucci, publisher of Disney FamilyFun:
“Print is not the medium that is in vogue right now, and so we have extra pressure to overdeliver to our advertisers.”

Magazine Publishers, use a digital edition to spring up some new advertising sales. With animated, interactive ad pages you can start overdelivering now.

A Better Way to Search

Imagine being able to offer your customers the power to search across all of your digital editions from one simple little search box. With Dirxion’s Catalog Library Search, the days of searching through individual  publications are gone.

By giving your customers the ability to search all of your online publications simultaneously, not only will you provide better search results, you’ll also boost the end-user experience to a new level of satisfaction. Your customers will now be exposed to products/articles/ads that they might not have otherwise seen.

One customer that recently took advantage of Dirxion’s Catalog Library Search is TED Magazine, the voice of top electrical distributors in North America. Try it for yourself.

The Catalog Library Search feature packs a lot of potential, are you ready to take advantage of it?

Fast Stats

Do people actually use digital page turn publications? Is online publishing really here to stay? The stats speak for themselves. While we don’t want to get into specifics for individual companies, here’s a quick look at some recent usage numbers for our customers:

In the previous six months, directory publications have seen over 1.5 million page views with more than half of that coming in the last three months.

Overall number of visitors to online directories is up almost 9% when comparing the last 90 days to the previous 90 days and the average time spent on the site is up 29%. Even more compelling is that the reach of these directories is expanding way beyond their traditional print distribution.

Catalog usage continues its steady growth. A six month comparison shows a 15% growth in page views and the last 90 days has increased 29% over the previous 90 days. Another interesting find is that the greatest growth has been for those catalogers that place a link to the online catalog in the top right or top center positions of their websites. This makes sense as those are two of the most valuable positions in online advertising, but it’s still good to see that links to the digital catalog are drawing an increasing audience.

Online editions of magazines and guides are following the same great trends as online, page flip catalogs - up in unique users, up in page views and up in URL clicks.

With new opportunities to sell into online publications and an always improving set of features to enhance user interactivity, we are very excited for our publishers to see continued growth in their online publications.

Koocanusa Adds to its Growing List of Online Publications

So you’re a publisher with more than one type of publication, or maybe you’re a marketing company that works with a variety of publishers. Either way, does it make sense to try to put a catalog into an online travel guide format or a magazine into an online directory format? Of course not.

Like many publishers, Koocanusa Publications has a diverse portfolio of magazines, guides and directories. Koocanusa recently added a magazine to its growing list of online publications provided by Dirxion. In addition to their existing directories, this Canadian-based publisher has just produced a digital edition of the Rocky Mountain magazine. The Rocky Mountain magazine provides visitors to the Kootenay Rockies with information and articles about what to see, where to go and local events occurring in the region. Koocanusa’s online publications give advertisers a way to reach beyond the traditional print audience.

As a provider of a variety of customized interfaces, we are well-positioned to serve customers like Koocanusa that have a diverse portfolio of publications. You can learn more about Koocanusa through their blog at: http://www.kootenaybiz.com/blog/ and learn more about Dirxion’s customizable interfaces at http://www.dirxion.com.

BPA Worldwide President Glenn Hansen Talks About Rule Changes

The President and CEO of BPA Worldwide recently did an interview with PubExec.com author Matt Steinmetz about the recent rule changes that BPA put into place, and also about the growth and future of digital editions.

When asked by Steinmetz if publishers see digital editions as more of a way to sustain their products rather than just an alternate delivery method, Glenn Hansen responded with the following:

“I believe publishers approach electronic (digital) editions with a two-pronged approach. First, electronic editions are a far more cost-effective means of distributing a publication — especially to international subscribers. Second, publishers are recognizing a shift in subscribers’ — and advertisers’ — preferences from print to interactive platforms. For some subscribers, electronic versions can represent a better way to consume information. For advertisers, electronic editions can provide more pin-pointed marketing efforts and, potentially, a better means to measure brand engagement than the print version.

For example, as more advertisers create video to communicate their message, the electronic magazine becomes a better utility for that form of advertising helping electronic editions realize their full potential in terms of user experience. If the electronic edition is more engaging, usage is likely to follow.”

Read the full interview on PubExec.com here

Dirxion Launches The “Upload & Go 3000″

Due to recent high demand from directory, catalog, and magazine publishers who are rapidly moving from print to digital, the engineering team at Dirxion saw an immediate need for a unique piece of equipment that would facilitate current and future customers digital publishing needs in the comfort of their own offices.

We’re extremely excited and proud to introduce the highly anticipated “Upload & Go 3000″.

Using state-of-the art-technology that rivals the internals of an Atari 2600, the Upload & Go 3000 will convert your printed publication to digital format in the blink of an eye!*

You can have your publication live and digital in two easy steps!

1. Simply insert your publication into the super-charged Upload & Go 3000

2. Press the “Upload & Go” button on the side of the machine

This extremely high-tech piece of hardware will transform the digital publishing industry as we know it.

Pricing starts at $2,999

Several upgrade options available

1. Extra large slot for publications that have 1000+ pages - $999

2. “Publication Ready Lights (PRL)” (as featured) - $799

3. Upgrade 3.5″ floppy drive to 50x Beverage Holder Drive (for hot and cold drinks) - $499

Available in three different colors (light, medium, and dark beige).

Call us today to reserve your Upload & Go 3000. Supplies are limited and they’re going fast!

*By “blink of an eye”, we mean 6-8 weeks

The Upload & Go 3000 is available for directory, catalog, magazine, and other custom publications.

Print Magazine Sales Dropping - Readers Favoring Digital Editions

With the current state of our economy, everyone from average citizens to large corporations are finding ways to cut costs and still maintain some semblance of their daily lifestyle. One of many ways of doing this largely relates to Dirxion and the products we offer, and for the sake of this article, we’re talking about the Magazine industry.

With the recent failure of major newspapers, it wasn’t long before magazine sales started to dive bomb, and as of this writing, they definitely have. This is due to many contributing factors, but a few worth noting are:

1. Consumers are cutting back on entertainment and leisure costs (which includes magazine subscriptions).

2. Advertisers are making large online advertising buys as opposed to print.

3. The ipod generation heavily prefers their content to be delivered digitally. If they can’t get it online, then they choose not to get it at all.

There is a win-win situation to this, as publishers are starting to realize faster than ever - and that would be the conversion of their magazine to a digital format. Cutting costs on print, and delivering the digital content that consumers demand makes everyone happy. The publishers that realize this now are the ones that will survive in our current disaster of an economic state. The ones that don’t, well, thanks for playing.

Myrna Blyth, a veteran in the print industry, recently summed it up nicely over at PubExec.com:

““In good times, when advertising is floating everything …that’s fine,” Blyth says. “But in this ‘perfect storm,’ you now have this incredibly strong competitor, the Internet, which is taking the time of your potential readers and, at the same time, giving them very similar material.”

In other words, if publishers aren’t jumping on the digital bandwagon, they’ll quickly see themselves left behind.

Last month, Jane Zarem at AudienceDevelopment.com said, “No one expects print magazines to disappear, but the days of publishing in a single format are long gone. A paradigm shift toward electronic delivery has been underway”.

We couldn’t agree more. To find out more about publishing your magazine in a cutting edge digital format, head over to the Digital Magazine information page on Dirxion.com

Digital Magazines Combine The Best Of Both Worlds

Great article recently over at PubExec.com with an even better title, “Why Digital Magazines Don’t Have To Suck“.

Eric Shanfelt hit the nail on the head with the following line, “But unlike print, digital magazines also can provide a rich, immersive environment with video, animation and interactive features that provide much more depth.”

We couldn’t agree more. Lets admit it, sometimes there are some pretty catchy ads in you favorite magazines. So it is a neat feeling to be able to instantly dive in and explore specific offers and ads that catch your eye. You can be certain that the advertisers absolutely love that, which is why taking your print magazine digital can do so many things including saving print cost AND driving additional revenue.

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