Magazine media: The key to positive brand association
While there are obvious challenges, magazine media still has a valuable and unique role to play in the media mix, writes Hearst’s Jane Wolfson.
You can’t have failed to notice the recent increased level of noise about the need for quality content from both clients and agencies. The growth of programmatic and response-driven mass ‘spray and pray’ digital campaigns has led to a lot of discussions about advertisers needing to up their game.
Millward Brown’s Sue Elms recently raised concerns about the long-term damage being done to brands who have moved their budgets online, without doing their homework first, and making sure their ads are in the right environment or context.
She put forward the case that many brands are being hindered, rather than helped, by the scramble to engage with consumers. Elms went on to accuse advertisers of pumping out their own version of CO2 into the advertising space – turning consumers off in the process.
In order to achieve cut-through, she argued that brands need positive emotional connections with consumers, whereby advertising content needs to be memorable, compelling and delivered to a receptive audience.
Moments that matter
Naturally, as someone who works for a magazine publisher, I am inclined to agree with her. I believe that the trust a magazine brand has with its audience is invaluable to an advertiser. And you don’t need to take what I say on trust either, because we have the science to prove it.
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Magnetic Media, the marketing body for the industry, recently explored the role of media and how it contributes to both happiness and wellbeing in its study, Moments That Matter.
The results revealed that magazines occupy a unique position amongst consumers, offering ‘moments’ that make them feel good and increase their overall wellbeing by 6%. This figure was even higher amongst Millennials, with the research capturing a 12% increase in positivity after Millennials read their chosen magazine brand.
Online trust
The same is also true online. Last year, InSkin Media and RAPP Media conducted a study that showed the quality of a site had a significant impact on how advertising was perceived with consumers 37% more likely to click on an ad if it appeared on a site they trusted. It acknowledged that a beauty advert being served on the website of a quality magazine brand was 88% more likely to be rated positively than on a lesser-known site.
With the onset of ad-blocking, it has become increasingly important to get it right from an advertising perspective. The last thing the industry needs is consumers turning away from digital.
If we get it right, everyone wins. Our editors across our brands like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, ELLE and Harper’s Bazaar know their audiences inside out and back to front.
Combine this with our proprietorial technology which provides accurate audience insight and feedback to our advertising partners, and we can develop commercial content which works for consumers and advertisers alike.
Magazine media
Magazine media has influence, trust and engagement. It drives social conversation, it changes brand perceptions and it does so through multiple touchpoints. It has a valuable and unique role to play.
Emma Cranston, Manning Gottlieb OMD
I completely agree with Jane that people are more likely to click on an advert from a reliable, trusted environment and when it is within the right context. However, to ensure this trust is not lost and engagement with the advert is kept, publishers need to work closely with creative agencies to ensure the right messages are being deployed in the relevant environment.
Collaboration between advertisers, publishers and agencies is key. If advertising is more relevant then there will be less desire for ad-blocking. As ad-blocking continues to grow publishers need to work together to educate people on what an ad-free internet would look like; there wouldn’t be funding to produce the high end engaging content that everyone currently enjoys (and mostly for free!).
Jane Wolfson is head of commercial operations at Hearst Magazines UK