• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, September 26, 2024

Magazines are hardly dying, judging by a new report from the News/Media Alliance: Magazine Media: Influential, Engaged & Action-Oriented. 

For one thing, readers do not seem to be turned off by the advertising they see. Of those polled, 57% say ads in magazines fit well with the content, while only 39% feel the same way about ads on ad-supported TV, down from 46% in 2022. And 40% say the same about websites.

Moreover, 78% of readers say they take an action after seeing an ad in a magazine. Some look for information about the product (25%) or visit the advertiser’s website (23%). 

Of course, this does not prove that magazines are able to monetize these trends. Nor does it seem to measure the impact of paywalls on magazine enjoyment or how some readers are turned off by excessive advertising. 

The magazine audience does stand out for its diversity, with these groups reading print or digital media in the last six months:

• Asian Americans—91%
• Members of the LGBT community—90%
• Black/African Americans—88%
• Hispanic Americans—86%
• American Indian or Alaska Native—88%

The News/Media Alliance sees the findings as positive.

 “This latest data on the magazine audience demonstrates magazine readers’ continued appeal as a key target group for advertisers, as well as the wide-ranging benefits of magazines to their readers, reinforcing the value and effectiveness of magazine media for marketers in reaching key purchasing groups,” says Danielle Coffey, president and CEO of the NewsMedia Alliance. 

Coffey adds, “Nowhere else can readers find the quality journalism and content that our members offer. With our members, marketers can feel confident that their ads will always appear alongside trusted and credible content.”

Included in the report are the latest data from MRI-Simmons spring 2024 data set; MRI-Simmons’ Starch Advertising Study (January-December 2023); and MRI- Simmons’ Multi-Media Engagement Study, May 2023.