Prove that Print Still Works

Engagement with print publications isn’t eroding.

Minutes Spent with an Issue

Readers devote an hour to reading issues of printed magazines. On average, respondents of surveys conducted in 2008 reported spending 60 minutes with an issue. That’s a little more than what they reported in 2007 (60 minutes in 2008 vs. 54 minutes in 2007). Show your advertisers that, in general, print publications still provide an audience for a significant amount of time.

Read Half or More of an Issue

Not only are readers spending time with printed publications, they're also still engaged with them. In 2008, 67% of respondents reported reading half or more of a typical issue; up 4 percentage points from 2007, when 63% said they read half or more.

Read Four of Last Four Issues

Furthermore, readers are still picking up each issue of the publication. Of the past four issues, 61% of 2008 respondents said they read all four. In 2007, this figure was 59%. So, not only have readers maintained the amount of time and depth of engagement with a publication, they're also consistently picking up the issue to read.

There's a Place for Print Publications

Despite the turbulence in the market, these readership measures indicate there's still a coveted place for printed publications in the spectrum of information delivery. This information supports other reports that while online content is changing the way media is consumed, it has not replaced print.

and a Place for Print Advertising

Use this information to illustrate to advertisers that print can be a successful part of a comprehensive advertising and sponsorship program. Diversifying among channels can increase the exposure of a message. Since it can take a number of contacts before a marketing message starts to resonate with the market, providing companies a variety of venues for their ads is a sure way to get their message across quickly.

About the Data

Questionnaire design for Readex Research's customized surveys starts from scratch; however, we have standard ways of asking common questions, including those for which we've reported the results here.

These surveys were conducted in 2007 and 2008 using samples taken from a magazine’s circulation file, and collected data regarding the readership measures reported here.