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1. Reasons for popularity of magazines (celebrity culture) Americans obsessed with celebrity due to missing vacuum of not having royalty Few outlets servicing the hunger for news and gossip Exposure was limited to late night television and network shows Few magazines offering stories of the lives of celebrities Tabloids, which cover celebrity were deemed embarrassing to be read Magazines are popular with the core group of women in their 30s/40s.
Research has shown US Weekly’s female readers have median income in excess of $80K ??? higher than that of Vanity Fair/In Style. This has attracted top tier advertisers such as Mercedes Benz In addition, 23% of teen girls surveyed they had read US Weekly in last six months ??? with more girls reading such magazines it would make sense for marketers of products and services to teenagers to advertise more in them. 2. Advantages
Selectivity ??? ability to reach specific target audience, target demographic and geographic targeting excellent reproduction quality ??? printed on high quality paper with illustrations as part of strong visual medium creative flexibility ??? through the use of gatefolds, bleed pages, scented ads, stickers, cd-roms, heavy card stock, pop-ups, singing ads, creative space buys permanence ??? retained in home longer and for future reference, more opportunity to examine ads in more detail and on multiple occasions through the passing along to other readers prestige ??? associated with publication in a well known magazine like GQ/Esquire ??? can help create favorable image and increase confidence in brand readers receptivity and involvement ??? consumers more ok with ads in magazines than in other mediums. Used as primary source of information on products like automobiles, fashion, beauty, financial planning, travel. Ability for ad recall is also greater. services they offer ??? Merchandising and research studies. Others like split run allowing for testing of ads. Selective binding and ink jet imaging allowing for targeted material based on demographic data be sent out effectively. Limitations: costs – limited reach and frequency long lead time clutter and compeition