MagazineMagazines.

Magazine advertising is a very effective way of reaching a customer that identifies with your product or service offering.

Magazine advertising is a creative media, sometime referred to as intrusive advertising. Magizine advertising is sold in CPMs, or readership. Most magazine publications have rate sheets for different size ads, and discounts are given for larger contract lengths.  Magazine advertising is designed to be a stimulus, or create interest, but is generally considered NON-ACTIVE engagement in the sense that i doesn’t target the consumer when they are ready to buy.

Strong Points:

  • The advertiser has the ability to more accurately target a consumer that is more likely to engage & purchase (behavioral).
  • Full color advertisements in a credible magazine lends advertisers a significant amount of credibility.
  • Distribution over structured periods allows the advertiser to change their message regularly.
  • Some publishers allow for contextual style ads.

Weaknesses:

  • Limited Distribution.
  • Readership is generally inflated based on bias usage studies.
  • Most Magazines are not free, and pricing doesn’t allow for deep market penetration.
  • CPM’s are generally very high ($20-$30 adv) in contrast to other forms of creative media.
  • Most people don’t read a magazines from cover to cover, and your advertisement can be missed.
  • Limited space for message delivery.
  • Most magazine advertisements rely heavily on other resources (QR codes, web addresses, etc) to complete the message.

Working with other forms of media:

Magazine advertisements are a great form of behavioral style advertising.   If you are a travel agent, you should consider leveraging magazines that cater to the travel industry.  If you are an aircraft manufacture or broker,  you would looks to magazines like private pilot, AOPA, etc.  It’s generally best to craft your advertisement with eye catching imagery & a strong value proposition with some way of allowing the potential client to investigate your business more.     Looking at a complete ZMOT marketing program prior to the placement of your magazine advertising would be a great suggestion.