2008 magazine advertising reflects economy

Total magazine rate-card-reported ad revenue for FY 2008 closed at $23,652,018,533, posting a 7.8% decline against the previous year, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB).  A total of 220,813 advertising pages were generated throughout the year, a drop of 11.7% compared to 2007.  In the fourth quarter, PIB revenue generated $6,569,577,476, which was a 13.8% decrease compared to 2007’s Q4.  There were 60,814.50 advertising pages counted for the quarter, a decline of 17.1% compared to the same period in 2007. 

In both full-year and fourth quarter 2008, declines were seen across the top 12 magazine advertising categories, in both PIB revenues and pages. (Twelve categories are the most significant contributors to PIB revenue, comprising more than 85% of total advertising spending.)  The most significant decreases were seen in the most beleaguered of sectors: Automotive; Home Furnishings & Supplies; and Financial, Insurance & Real Estate. Drugs & Remedies, which continues to attract government scrutiny, also saw double-digit declines for the year and within Q4.

However, while magazine ad categories were down overall, there were bright spots in some of the more recession-resistant subsectors. For example, ad page and revenue gains were seen within Home Furnishings & Supplies, for its subsector household soaps, cleansers & polishes, and reflecting an increasingly budget-conscious environment, discount department & variety stories within the Retail category. In addition, within the fourth quarter specifically, growth was seen within Food & Food Products, for basics like dairy, produce and meats; within Apparel & Accessories, for clothing accessories like handbags or hats; as well as within Toiletries & Cosmetics, for personal hygiene & health products.

Details: Full Year 2008 vs. 2007

	2008	2007			2008	2007
CLASS NAME	DOLLARS	DOLLARS	CHG	%CHG	PAGES	PAGES	CHG	%CHG
TOILETRIES & COSMETICS	2,476,298,686	2,575,541,213	-99,242,527	-3.9	18,104.86	19,958.99	-1,854.13	-9.3
DRUGS & REMEDIES	2,223,066,800	2,599,844,272	-376,777,472	-14.5	16,706.73	19,954.63	-3,247.90	-16.3
FOOD & FOOD PRODUCTS	2,099,542,708	2,124,215,174	-24,672,466	-1.2	13,573.26	14,672.13	-1,098.87	-7.5
APPAREL & ACCESSORIES	2,035,274,756	2,175,732,680	-140,457,924	-6.5	22,429.39	24,433.32	-2,003.93	-8.2
RETAIL	1,881,949,565	1,897,826,789	-15,877,224	-0.8	17,892.46	19,268.73	-1,376.27	-7.1
MEDIA & ADVERTISING	1,743,892,205	1,781,356,052	-37,463,847	-2.1	14,992.89	15,426.88	-433.99	-2.8
DIRECT RESPONSE COMPANIES	1,670,112,388	1,824,735,774	-154,623,386	-8.5	16,364.13	18,418.29	-2,054.16	-11.2
AUTOMOTIVE	1,602,279,970	2,015,547,632	-413,267,662	-20.5	14,000.83	18,496.29	-4,495.46	-24.3
HOME FURNISHINGS & SUPPLIES	1,384,338,034	1,564,281,317	-179,943,283	-11.5	11,922.41	14,513.03	-2,590.62	-17.9
FINANCIAL, INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE	1,231,277,017	1,383,329,587	-152,052,570	-11.0	11,954.58	14,447.23	-2,492.65	-17.3
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, HOTELS & RESORTS	1,152,174,703	1,170,687,367	-18,512,664	-1.6	14,232.81	15,024.14	-791.33	-5.3
TECHNOLOGY	974,403,735	1,079,264,176	-104,860,441	-9.7	9,084.52	10,652.96	-1,568.44	-14.7
*Data as of January 9th, 2009

Analysis: Fourth Quarter 2008 vs. 2007

	2008	2007			2008	2007
CLASS NAME	DOLLARS	DOLLARS	CHG	%CHG	PAGES	PAGES	CHG	%CHG
TOILETRIES & COSMETICS	730,169,827	742,887,659	-12,717,832	-1.7	5,408.81	5,879.35	-470.54	-8.0
APPAREL & ACCESSORIES	608,439,307	676,276,492	-67,837,185	-10.0	6,403.49	7,295.72	-892.23	-12.2
DRUGS & REMEDIES	563,573,094	694,319,422	-130,746,328	-18.8	4,301.07	5,328.32	-1,027.25	-19.3
RETAIL	543,299,935	625,849,778	-82,549,843	-13.2	5,075.20	6,045.70	-970.50	-16.1
FOOD & FOOD PRODUCTS	498,841,110	576,329,452	-77,488,342	-13.4	3,300.90	4,005.40	-704.50	-17.6
MEDIA & ADVERTISING	497,708,642	524,282,820	-26,574,178	-5.1	4,345.32	4,683.52	-338.20	-7.2
DIRECT RESPONSE COMPANIES	439,891,206	500,603,357	-60,712,151	-12.1	4,310.62	4,954.46	-643.84	-13.0
AUTOMOTIVE	439,748,768	561,307,404	-121,558,636	-21.7	3,814.14	5,142.20	-1,328.06	-25.8
HOME FURNISHINGS & SUPPLIES	438,285,079	534,551,788	-96,266,709	-18.0	3,710.25	4,806.26	-1,096.01	-22.8
FINANCIAL, INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE	324,020,824	482,060,660	-158,039,836	-32.8	3,071.99	4,839.08	-1,767.09	-36.5
TECHNOLOGY	317,409,924	335,092,556	-17,682,632	-5.3	2,788.14	3,269.00	-480.86	-14.7
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, HOTELS & RESORTS	294,687,827	338,335,573	-43,647,746	-12.9	3,911.28	4,523.00	-611.72	-13.5
*Data as of January 9th, 2009

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