The leaders of five major magazine companies — Charles H. Townsend, Conde Nast; Cathie Black, Hearst Magazines; Jack Griffin, Meredith Corporation; Ann Moore, Time Inc.; and Jann Wenner, Wenner Media — today jointly announced the launch of one of the largest print advertising campaigns ever created to promote the vitality of magazines as a medium. The announcement was made at the opening day of the 2010 4A’s Leadership/Media Conference in San Francisco.

Created by Y&R NY, the “Magazines, The Power of Print” campaign will roll out in the May issues (for weeklies, the issues on sale the week of April 5) of nearly 100 titles and run for seven months in magazines and Web sites from the five publishers, as well as Active Interest Media, American Express Publishing, Bonnier Corporation, Emmis Publications, ESPN, National Geographic, New York Magazine, and third-party sites in the food, shelter, sports, entertainment, fashion and news categories, reaching a combined 112 million readers per month. A complementary digital component will support the print campaign beginning this spring.

With the full support of the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA), the campaign targets advertisers, shareholders and industry influencers, and seeks to reshape the broader conversation about magazines, challenge misperceptions about the medium’s relevancy and longevity, and reinforce magazines’ important cultural role.

To achieve maximum impact, the ads will debut as color spreads, prominently placed in May issues of the publishers’ top titles with headlines such as, “We Surf the Internet. We Swim in Magazines.” And “Will the Internet Kill Magazines? Did Instant Coffee Kill Coffee?” These will be accompanied by iconic images lifted from the pages of America’s best-known magazines.

“This campaign supports the fact that there really is no better medium to advertise in than magazines,” said Cathie Black, president, Hearst Magazines. “Magazines are the most cost effective and consistent medium at both ends of the purchase funnel. They drive consumer attitudes and intended behavior more effectively and efficiently than viewing television advertising alone or when TV is combined with online advertising.”

A second phase, which will start appearing in June issues, will embed multiple cover images from widely recognized publications into the ad’s text to convey key phrases.

Metrics supporting the campaign’s message include:

• Magazine readership has risen 4.3% over the past five years
• Average paid subscriptions reached nearly 300 million in 2009
• Adults 18-34 are avid magazine readers. They read more issues and spend more time per issue than their over-34 counterparts
• During the 12-year life of Google, magazine readership increased 11%
• Magazine effectiveness is growing. Ad recall has increased 13% over the past five years. Action-taking–based on readers recalling specific ads–increased by 10%.
• Magazines outperform other media in driving positive shifts in purchase consideration/intent.
  

“Together, we can change the conversation about magazines and share what we in the business know to be true: magazines are relevant, play an important role in society and have a strong future ahead,” said Ann Moore, chairman & CEO, Time Inc. “This campaign showcases those messages of relevancy and longevity.”

Soure: PR Newswire

Statistics: MRI Fall 2009, Fall 2005 data, MPA estimates based on ABC first half 2009 and second half 2009 data, Affinity’s VISTA Print Effectiveness Rating Service, 2005-2009, Dynamic Logic