The demise of printed newspapers has been well publicised over the last couple of years. With online (and, mostly, free) access many of our major regional and national papers are struggling to maintain readers and subscribers.
But, does this trend to online flow across to magazines? The answer is “sometimes, and sometimes not”. Many of the major publishers have seen a drop in copy sales, particularly for magazines which are seen as an indulgence buy (ie. something you don’t really need – like a gossip mag – so you do without if money is tight).
The trend doesn’t necessarily translate to more niche titles, such as the magazine I used to edit – Kitchens & Bathrooms Quarterly. Many magazines in the home renovation sector – including both niche and more mainstream publications – saw a slight dip in copy sales around the time of the GFC but figures show most have seen a consistent trend upwards to not only reverse the dip but continue on an upwards trajectory. This is even with the addition of more online content in the home renovation sector than most of us could possibly read in a lifetime.
And here’s why…
A 2011 Print Works Study revealed that, on average, people spend 91 minutes reading a magazine. That’s just over an hour-and-a-half (and a similar length of time to many movies). In anyone’s language, that’s a pretty significant investment of time when we are living in an age where most of us are time-poor.
The same study revealed that media magazines have the lowest rate of multitasking – that is, doing other tasks while reading. Only 13% of study respondents engaged in another activity while reading a magazine. This compares to 20% of internet users, 51% of television watchers and 87% of radio listeners.*
I personally think that printed material also works really well in the home renovation sector as a way to communicate with readers. Online can be really useful for research and will be many consumers’ first port of call when considering a project. But for real ideas, presented in a way that most homeowners can relate to and engage with, magazines still haven’t lost their magic touch. There is something about seeing a gorgeous kitchen or inviting bathroom printed on a glossy page that an on-screen presentation just can’t match.
What is your experience with print media? Do you use it and why or why not? Would be very interested to hear your thoughts.
*Thanks very much to Universal Magazines for passing on the information and figures.
