Video: using and measuring magazine brands across platforms

With so much media commentary focussed on the future of advertising, it’s easy to forget about the present. Yes, programmatic is transforming media buying. Yes, viewability is causing creative change. But data alone is not enough to uncover consumer insight. It needs to be analysed, too, and in a way that sheds light on current consumer trends as well as reflecting the future of where media is heading. In short, it’s all well and good for is as an industry to sit around and predict future trends. But what are the consumers telling us? What do they want? 

In this exclusive video interview for FIPP, we asked Guy Consterdine to reveal some key consumer trends about current consumer habits. We began by asking him whether there was still is place for print advertising in the multi-platform mix. Below are some key highlights from the interview.

In this digital age, there is still a place for printed advertising (0:07)

It’s still the same as ever that consumers will choose magazines that match their own interests and personalities. And it develops a very close relationship, trust, and this rubs off onto not only the Editorial but also the advertising. And the advertising in magazines has been shown many times to be a very relevant and important part of the total content. 

When people see advertising in both print and digital, the impact is stronger (0:46)

Yes they do. Print and digital complement each other. They have different functions, but what is transferred across is the brand values. Research shows that the trust and relationships built up by the printed magazine carries across onto the website. There is even neuroscience research which shows that when people see advertising in both print and on websites, the impact is stronger if they see it in the same brand on both platforms. 

More and more consumers are using magazine brands across multiple platforms (1:37) 

Print, digital editions, mobile websites… They’re using them in combination. Very often, different platforms at different times of day, and in different places – so whether commuting, at home, or at work, they might be using a different platform. 

Mobile content from magazine publishers is very important (2:10)

Mobile is growing in importance as one of the platforms, and we’re finding it’s used in almost all circumstances – so at home, while commuting, at work, just generally going out and about. Mobile content from magazine publishers is very important. 

Digital editions of magazines are just as effective for advertisers as printed editions (2:32)

There’s a lot of research, across a number of countries, which shows that digital editions are read just as thoroughly and for at least as long as the printed magazines. 

If there’s an interactive element in the ads, or in the content, digital reading is actually a little longer than the printed magazine (2:47)

With advertisements for instance, if there’s some interactive thing like bringing up more pictures and so forth, or playing a video, within the ad in the digital edition it means people are getting even more engaged and spending longer time than the print edition. And there’s research that shows that sales are increased by using ads in digital editions.   

Analysis

With much focus on the numbers, it’s easy to forget that publishing is still a consumer-driven trade. Even in the B2B sector, those are still consumer eyeballs. There is a wealth of research available across the globe, but in order to extract true insight from this data we must first approach it through consumer eyes.

Where are we as an industry and where are we going next? Well, we are in the very privileged position of being able to serve consumers across multiple platforms, and the answer to the second part of that question is: wherever they want to go.

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