Five Reasons Magazines Reach Audiences

The Australian Financial Review recently reported some comments from Kevin Roberts the NYC based boss of Saatchi and Saatchi. The outspoken CEO poured some cold water on the growth prediction of newspapers.

Roberts was in Australia delivering the keynote address at the World Business Forum and said their shift to digital was inevitable.

Roberts was quick to highlight though that his comments were about newspapers, not magazines. The respected advertising leader saw magazines in a very positive light.

“There’s a whole quality and quantity ‘time spent’ editorial and curation thing about magazines.” Roberts said.

Five Reasons Magazines Are A Good Marketing Choice

Magazines Deliver to a Specific Audience

While newspapers, radio and television aim at a broad audience, magazines are focused on niche interests. The majority of a magazine’s content is specifically about the reader’s area of interest. Whether it be the gay and lesbian community, horse lovers, match box car collectors or people who love hair dressing – there’s a specific magazine out there somewhere. Studies have shown that most readers will open 90% of a magazine.

Magazines Love Creativity

Magazines are usually monthly, this gives the creative team a lot of room to flex their muscles. Don’t just ask a magazine team for an advertising space, ask them what the most interesting thing they can deliver is. At OUTinPerth we’ve undertaken interviews on Snapchat and Twitter, we’ve added tiny messages that people have to search for, we’ve made advertisements that are odd and unusual shapes.

Magazines Connect Print and Digital

While magazines’ traditional audiences, people who pick up a print product, continue to grow, they also have huge engagement online. A magazine brand may reach out into social media daily through websites, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, SnapChat, Instagram, Google+ and regular email blasts. Magazines have a great ability to create multi-platform campaigns

Magazines Have a Long Shelf Life

When someone picks up a free magazine in a cafe or local supermarket they might read one of its feature stories while having a coffee or waiting in the checkout, but they won’t have time to go through the whole issue. Magazines get into people’s homes, they sit on the coffee table, get consumed when people are relaxed and able to give their full attention. Most people will hold to an issue for several months.

Magazines Have a Deep Connection with Readers

The stories in a magazine are often in-depth and personal. Readers have a strong sense of engagement and the magazines they read are part of their personal expression of who they are. Great magazine have their own personalities and values that the reader shares.

Graeme Watson

image: Stock image – YayMicro – Moodboard.