The latest Magazine Media 360 shows average audiences for media brands are up 9.3% this year. And increases in digital readership are not taking anything away from print.
On the heels of a report that shows that magazine media outperforms other platforms when it comes to key marketing metrics, we note this bit of news:
“The latest Magazine Media 360° Brand Audience Report reveals the average audience for magazine brands is up 9.3% versus a year ago,” writes Sara Guaglione in MediaPost.
“Most new unique users come from the mobile Web, which is also the largest source of monthly magazine media growth (+28.5%), as audiences shift from viewing on desktops and laptops to mobile devices,” Guaglione continues.
Those increase in digital views are not taking anything away from print, it seems, a prospect that often worries the traditional print magazine industry. Print views showed growth as well, up slightly by 1.2%.
Of the 133 brands covered in the report, two-thirds had higher audience averages than a year ago, and a higher overall audience is a good thing for print: As consumers engage across a wide range of platforms, magazine brands see their value rise overall, exactly what we want in an audience-first environment.
Smart magazine media brands recognize those readers for what they are: their primary source of future subscriptions and newsstand sales. They give them a choice, keeping in mind that with content ubiquitous everywhere on every channel, it’s inherent on the publisher to create content that’s worth choosing.
So who are the big gainers this time around?
“The brands that had the highest percentage growth compared to August of last year are W (131.5%), Marie Claire (82.1%), New Yorker (69.2%), Esquire (61.6%) and Runner’s World (50%),” she continues.
“The top five participating brands with the highest total audience — across print, Web, mobile Web and video — for August 2016 are ESPN The Magazine, People, Forbes, WebMD and Allrecipes,” Guaglione concludes.
Magazine media continues to thrive, as brands recognize the powerhouse ability of the medium to drive engagement and brand growth.
And a brand that can do that is a brand with a future – print, digital and whatever comes next.