Chapter 12

Evaluation of Media:
Magazines and Newspapers

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 Learning Objectives 1 of 2
LO1 Compare magazines and newspapers in terms of
their value as advertising media.
LO2 Discuss magazine circulation and readership and
audience information and research for
magazines.
LO3 Describe how advertising space is purchased for
magazines.
LO4 Discuss future trends and developments for
magazines and how they influence their use as
an advertising medium.

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 Learning Objectives 2 of 2
LO5 Describe the newspaper audience and audience
information and research for newspapers.
LO6 Discuss how advertising space is purchased for
newspapers and rates are determined.
LO7 Discuss future trends and developments for
newspapers and how they will influence their use
as an advertising medium.

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 The Role and Value of Magazines and Newspapers
Present detailed information that can be processed at
the reader’s own pace
High-involvement media
Vast majority of U.S. adults read a newspaper each
week across multiple platforms
Magazines are the most specialized of all advertising
media

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 Magazines 1 of 16
Classifications of Magazines
– Consumer magazines
– Farm publications
– Business publications

© TransWorld Snowboarding
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 Magazines 2 of 16
Classifications of Magazines continued
– Consumer Magazines
• Bought by the general public for information and/or
entertainment
• Classification by:
– Distribution—Subscription, circulation, and store distribution
– Frequency—Weekly, monthly, and bimonthly
• Special-interest magazines—Help reach target audience with little
wasted coverage or circulation

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 Magazines 3 of 16
Classifications of Magazines continued
– Consumer Magazines continued
• Farm Publications
– Directed to farmers and their
families
– Range from general-interest
magazines to those in specialized
agricultural areas
– Not classified with business
publications

Magazine
© BEEF
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 Magazines 4 of 16
Classifications of Magazines continued
– Business and Health Care Publications
• Major classifications
– Magazines for specific professional groups
– Industrial magazines for businesspeople in manufacturing and
production industries
– Trade magazines for wholesalers, dealers, distributors, and
retailers
– General business magazines for all business executives
– Health care publications for various areas

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 Magazines 5 of 16
Advantages of Magazines
– Selectivity
– Reproduction quality
– Creative flexibility
• Gatefolds: A third page ad that folds out into an extra-large spread
• Bleed pages: Ad extends all the way to the end of the page

– Permanence
– Prestige
– Consumer receptivity and engagement
– Services

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 Exhibit 12-9
The Good Housekeeping seal gives consumers confidence in
products advertised in the magazine. What are the benefits to
including the Good Housekeeping Seal on advertisements?

Source: Hearst Communications, Inc.

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 Magazines 6 of 16
Advantages of Magazines continued
– Consumer Receptivity and Engagement
• Greater in magazines than in any other medium
– With the exception of newspapers
• Magazines are:
– Primary source of information for consumers for a variety of
products
– Capable of engaging the readers and retaining their attention

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 Magazines 7 of 16
Advantages of Magazines continued
– Services
• Merchandising staff
• Research studies conducted on consumers
• Split runs
– Two or more versions of an ad are printed in alternate copies
of a particular issue of a magazine
– Help determine which ad generates the most responses or
inquiries
• Personalized messages

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 Magazines 8 of 16
Disadvantages of Magazines
– Costs
– Limited reach and frequency
– Long lead time
– Clutter and competition

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 Magazines 9 of 16
Magazine Circulation and Readership
– Primary circulation
• Number of copies distributed to the original subscribers or
purchasers
• Determines magazine’s rate structure

– Guaranteed circulation
• Publishers give advertisers a rebate if the number of delivered
magazines falls below the guarantee
• Figures are set safely below the average actual delivered
circulation

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 Magazines 10 of 16
Magazine Circulation and Readership continued
– Circulation Verification
• Alliance for Audited Media (AAM)
– Audits consumer magazines and farm publications
– Provides data and information critical to evaluating and
purchasing media
– Audits digital replica editions of magazines
• Controlled-circulation basis: Sending copies individuals the
publisher believes can influence a company’s purchases

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 Magazines 11 of 16
Magazine Circulation and Readership continued
– Readership and Total Audience
• Pass-along readership: Occurs when:
– Primary subscriber gives a magazine to another person
– Publication is read in doctors’ waiting rooms, on airplanes,
and so forth
• Total audience or readership: Calculated by multiplying the
readers per copy by the circulation of an average issue

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 Magazines 12 of 16
Audience Information and Research for Magazines
– SRDS—Provides complete planning information on
domestic and international consumer, business, and health
care publications
– Publication’s own research studies
– Syndicated research studies
– Business Publication Audits—Provide the titles of people
who receive a publication and the industry they work in

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 Magazines 13 of 16
Purchasing Magazine Advertising Space
– Cost Elements
• Variables to consider
– Magazine’s circulation
– Size of the ad
– Position in the publication
– Particular editions chosen
– Special mechanical or production requirements
– Number and frequency of insertions

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 Magazines 14 of 16
Purchasing Magazine Advertising Space continued
– Cost Elements continued
• Positions available for ads
– First cover: Outside front of a magazine
– Second cover: Inside front of a magazine
– Third cover: Inside back of a magazine
– Fourth cover: Outside back of a magazine, sold at a higher
rate than any other position
• Advertising space is sold on the basis of space units
– Full page, half page, and quarter page

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 Magazines 15 of 16
Purchasing Magazine Advertising Space continued
– Cost Elements continued
• Advertisers save money through:
– Volume discounts—Based on the total space purchased within
a contract year
– Magazine networks: Offer advertisers the opportunity to buy
space in a group of publications as a package deal

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 Magazines 16 of 16
The Future for Magazines
– Publishers are focused on building:
• Stronger editorial platforms
• Better circulation management
• Cross-magazine and media deals
• Database marketing
• Technological advances
• Digital magazines
– Native advertising: Integrates the advertising in online
publications with the environment and editorial content

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 Newspapers 1 of 12
Types of Newspapers
– Daily Newspapers
• Found in cities and larger towns
• Provide detailed coverage of events, issues concerning the local
area
• Classifications: Morning, evening, or Sunday publications

– Weekly Newspapers
• Originate in small towns or suburbs
• Focus on news, sports, and events relevant to the local area
• Appeal primarily to local advertisers

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 Newspapers 2 of 12
Types of Newspapers continued
– National Newspapers
• Have national circulation and editorial content with a nationwide
appeal
• Appeal to:
– Large national advertisers
– Regional advertisers that use specific geographic editions of
these publications
– Special-Audience Newspapers
• Offer specialized editorial content and are published for particular
groups
– Newspaper Supplements
• Included by papers in their Sunday editions
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 Newspapers 3 of 12
Types of Newspaper Advertising
– Display advertising
• Uses visual devices in addition to the copy text

– Classified advertising
• Ads are arranged under subheads according to the product,
service, or offering being advertised
– Special ads and inserts
• Government and financial reports
• Notices and public notices of changes in business and personal
relationships
• Preprinted inserts: Printed by advertiser and taken to the
newspaper to be inserted

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 Newspapers 4 of 12
Advantages of Newspapers
– Market penetration
– Flexibility
– Geographic selectivity
– Reader involvement and acceptance
– Services offered
Limitations of Newspapers
– Poor reproduction
– Short life span
– Lack of selectivity
– Clutter
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 Newspapers 5 of 12
The Newspaper Audience
– City zone
• Composed of the city where the paper is published and contiguous
areas similar in character to the city
– Retail trading zone
• Market outside the city zone whose residents regularly trade with
merchants within the city zone
– All other areas
• Covers all circulation not included in the city or retail trade zone

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 Newspapers 6 of 12
The Newspaper Audience continued
– Audience Information
• Kantar Media SRDS
• Studies conducted by the papers
• Commercial research services
– Provide information on:
» Standardized ad rates and circulation figures
» General requirements
» Contact information
» Lifestyles
» Media behavior
» Product/brand preferences

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 Newspapers 7 of 12
Purchasing Newspaper Space
– General versus Local Rates
• General rates
– Apply to:
» Display advertisers outside the newspaper’s designated
market area (DMA)
» Any classification deemed by the publisher to be general
in nature
» Rates are 75 percent higher than those paid by local
advertisers
• Retail or local rates
– Apply to advertisers that conduct business or sell goods or
services within the DMA

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 Newspapers 8 of 12
Purchasing Newspaper Space continued
– Rate Structures
• Standard advertising units (SAUs)
– Use column widths 2-1/16 inches wide with:
» Tabloid-size papers five columns wide
» Standard or broadcast papers six columns
– Used for national advertising

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 Newspapers 9 of 12
Purchasing Newspaper Space continued
– Rate Structures continued
• Column inch
– One inch deep by one column wide
– Rates are quoted per column inch
– Total space costs is calculated by multiplying the ad’s number
of column inches by the cost per inch
– Used for local advertising

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 Newspapers 10 of 12
Purchasing Newspaper Space continued
– Rate Structure Terminology
• Flat rates
– Offer no discount for quantity or repeated space buys
• Open-rate structure
– Discounts are available based on frequency or bulk purchases
of space
– Depend on the number of column inches purchased in a year
• Run of paper (ROP)
– Paper can place the ad on any page or in any position it
desires

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 Newspapers 11 of 12
Purchasing Newspaper Space continued
– Rate Structure Terminology continued
• Preferred position rate
– Allows advertisers to choose a specific section and/or position
on a page
• Combination rates
– Advertisers get a discount for using several newspapers as a
group

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 Newspapers 12 of 12
The Future for Newspapers
– Challenges
• Competition from other media
• Circulation
• Attracting and retaining readers

– Increased use of online delivery

and multiple platforms

© Newspaper Association of
America
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 Figure 12-2 Decline in Newspaper Classified Advertising Revenue

Source: Newspaper Association of America.

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