Why are Magazines a Superior Advertising Medium?
After you have made the decision to advertise, the only question remaining is what medium to use? Advertising mediums include direct mail, internet, newspaper, radio, and television. Direct mail options include magazines, postcards, coupon mailers, and coupon booklets. With such a vast selection, it is important to gather facts comparing magazines to other advertising mediums and comparing magazines to other direct mail options.
Facts Comparing Magazines to Other Advertising Media:
- Comparing purchase intent by comparing cost per impact for magazines, internet, and television advertising campaigns. On average, magazines cost 70% less per impression than television and 10% less per impression than internet advertisements. This is an aggregate of six studies done by Marketing Evolution.
- Marketing Evolution conducted 16 separate studies and recommended that marketers should increase spending on magazine advertising in 11 of the 16 studies in order to increase the marketers return on investment.
- Advertising Media that triggers online search statistics:
Advertising Medium FemaleMaleTotalMagazines 48%44%46%TV 35%43%39%Radio 26%34%30%Internet Ads 20%28%24%Newspapers 39%41%40%Source: BIGsearch, June 2008 - This surprising research shows that magazine advertising leads consumers to begin searching for merchandise online or browsing a website more than any other advertising medium.
- A study from Multi-Media Engagement shows that magazine advertising scores higher on being trustworthy (regardless of age) than all other media sources including TV and Internet. This additional credibility to your product or service is also proven to lead to higher sales volume.
- Personal recommendations are 1.5 times more important now than they were in the 1970's. According to Roper Reports, magazines are the strongest influence on personal recommendations and word-of-mouth marketing over all other media options.
- According to new data from Simmons' Multi-Media Engagement Study, magazines continue to score significantly higher than TV or Internet in being trustworthy, receptivity to ads, life enhancing, and inspirational.
- According to Affinity Research, more than 54% of readers took action on magazine ads or had a more favorable opinion about the advertiser, because of magazine advertising.
Facts Comparing Direct Mail Magazines to Other Direct Mail Options:
Direct mail format options include magazine, postcard, coupon booklets, and coupon envelope mailers. For the most part, direct mail is effective if you mail to the right people, but the format option you choose can effect, not only perceived value of your goods or services, but also your pocket book.
Recent studies show that coupon booklets and coupon envelope mailers, both leave readers with a feeling that the product or service being advertised is cheap. This same study shows that given the option, over 70% of consumers would rather flip through a quality stock magazine as opposed to coupon booklets or coupon envelope mailers. Remember, your direct mail advertising is only useful if people open and read it.
Direct mail postcards can have quality results, but the cost per impact is often between double and sometimes triple the cost of a magazine for the same exposure. In addition, mail readers retain a magazine 45% longer than a direct mail postcard.
