New Research Reveals Power of Magazine Advertising

The study, AdSense, sought to test the effectiveness of magazine advertising and understand its role in the overall media mix. Thirteen brands - including Persil, Clarks, Howdens, Veet, Boots, Corsodyl, Ribena, Vera Wang fragrance, E45 and Batiste - across six categories were included in this collaborative project. AdSense evaluated two different advertisements for each brand and analysed the impact the ads had on consumers.

According to IPC Media, the study found that magazines are highly engaging, with 49% of respondents turning to magazines for ‘me-time’ and 45% to treat themselves. AdSense also discovered that regardless of the age of the consumer magazines are trusted. The study found that:

• 18% of all magazine readers said they trust magazine advertising and amongst heavy magazine readers this rises to 24%

• Overall, magazine adverts are 80% more likely to be trusted than newspaper adverts and 125% more trusted that radio adverts

AdSense also looked at the action that consumers took after seeing a campaign in a magazine. AdSense found that:

• 46% of women were more likely to purchase a product that they’ve seen advertised in a magazine

• 14% actually purchased the brand advertised

• 10% had recommended the brand

• Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) had talked about the brand

The study also found that magazines are an ideal partner for cross-media campaigns, and when magazine advertising is used alongside online or TV, brand recall and understanding is increased. Of those surveyed:

• 56% remembered the brand more after seeing both online and magazine adverts

• 61% were more likely to remember the brand after seeing magazine and TV advertising

Amanda Wigginton (pictured), director, IPC Insight says: “AdSense is the largest study of this kind that IPC has undertaken in over 17 years and proves magazines generate results. As well as driving purchase, our study found that magazines prompt other actions, including encouraging footfall in-store, driving traffic to brand websites, in-store trial and online search. The results confirm that not only is magazine advertising incredibly effective on its own, but also that it is an important element in cross-media campaigns.”

The study was conducted over a four month period amongst a nationally representative sample of over 6500 UK women aged 16-65 years.