Why readers still prefer magazines in print – and how brands can benefit
Preference for print magazines remains high among consumers, as shown by two recent reports. A poll by market research company YouGov last autumn revealed that 58% of readers in the UK and 47% in the US got “more enjoyment” from reading magazines in print than in digital formats.
Ads in print magazines are effective, also among those in younger demographics
Meanwhile, the Magazine Media Factbook 2022, published in the US by the News/Media Alliance, found that even those in younger demographics who have grown up in the digital age like spending time with magazines: 58% of 18–34-year-olds polled in the US said they enjoyed the experience of print magazines.
The Factbook also found that 57% of respondents aged 18-49 thought that ads in magazines fitted in well with the content – and more than in other media. And more than 90% in the 18-34 age group took action after seeing an ad in both a magazine and its website.
This enthusiasm for print media has implications for brands. “Magazines provide an ideal environment for advertising that inspires action,” says Alliance President and CEO, David Chavern.
“[Magazines] are trusted sources of information that readers want and need, with thoughtful, relevant and interesting ads that make readers feel heard and understood. That translates to more sales and a greater return on investment for marketers.”
Print magazines are trustworthy in times of fake news
The Alliance report found that one reason readers like magazines so much is that they think they can be trusted – something that borne out by other research. With fake news prevalent (a Statista study found that more than 70% of print magazine subscribers are wary of increasing levels of fake news), and trust in social media plummeting (measured in an Edelman global survey as falling from 43% to 35% from 2019 to 2021), people are turning to traditional forms of media.
A study by the Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany found that 56% of readers saw national newspapers as trustworthy, rising to 63% for regional papers. The same goes for print advertising: 42% of respondents in a 2022 UK survey believed print ads to be ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ trustworthy. That compares to 29% for search-engine ads and a measly 18% for ads on websites.
Readers enjoy time awa from staring at screens
Consumers are also turning to print to help cut through the digital clutter in their lives. According to one 2022 study, UK adults spend on average 34 years of their lives staring at screens – so it’s no wonder that people want to disconnect from digital communications. Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute, points to a trend towards what he calls “lean-back technology”, where people enjoy having an ‘analogue’ item, such as a magazine, in their hands that they can interact with.
Up-to-the-minute research from Keypoint Intelligence shows that consumers of all ages (even digital-native Gen Zers) are more likely to engage with a print communication as opposed to a digital one. No wonder that the Harvard Business Review, in a paper discussing a return to traditional advertising, believes that, “It simply makes good economic sense to rebalance spending away from digital clutter.”
