Making Paid Content Work

Matt Skibinski, Vice President of Affiliate relations, Press+ (USA), about how subscriptions to digital content can work @ Digital Innovators' Summit in Berlin

When magazines innovate

John Wilpers, Innovation Media Consulting Group (UK) and editor from Innovation Media Consulting presents the latest innovations in the magazine media world @ the Digital Innovation Summit in Berlin

Magazines still favorite for inspiration about deco

Some 77% of Belgian women are looking for some kind of inspiration about (interior) decoration. Despite the rise of Pinterest and TV 'makeover' programs, it seems like Belgian women still rely on 'traditional' information sources with magazines on top (29%). They were asked to mention their favorite information source when they intend to buy (interior) decoration items:

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It's particularly true for trendformers (women that are seen as expert, can give advice on the topic and can convince others - a small minority). 

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If I can give one tip to advertisers active in the sector: don't put all your eggs in digital and continue to work on great 'printed' inspirational campaigns to market your products to Belgian women. It's definitely worth the investment as magazines are (still) top of mind. 

This blog post was made possible thanks to the information researched in the survey #Femininsight, part of the Belgian project I'm every WOMAN by Sanoma Media. Some 3.000 Belgian women, aged between 15 and 75 years, were surveyed about their daily life and media consumption behavior (February - May 2011).

Tablet vs e-Reader Owners

Now that the iPad has revolutionized the world of portable devices, what about the Kindle and Nook owners? What are tablet vs e-reader users doing on their digital device? A review of the evidence from several GfK MRI studies (US !), shared by Kathi Love, President and CEO of GfK MRI, on the last FIPP Research Forum.

A meteoric growth of portable digital devices 

Tablet and e-reader Ownership has increased like never seen before with 7.1 million iPads and some 11.7 million e-readers in circulation (January - April '11). e-Reader users tend to be more female. Tablet ownership is more gender-balanced. "Users of tablets are younger than e-reader users, whose age profile has grown old since they were released". Both kind of users are highly educated in comparison with the average US-population.

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News Addicted vs Bookworm?

Book reading seems still more common than periodical reading. Both kind of owners have read a book on their device during the last 6 month. But tablet owners are more likely to read magazines (38%)  and newspapers (37%) than e-reader users (magazines: 18% ; newspapers: 12%).

Most digital devices are used daily. Compared to e-reader owners, tablet owners use their device slightly more on average weekdays than weekend days. 47% of tablet users share their device with (an) other family member(s). e-reader owners tend to be more the sole user of their device (69%).

Tablets make the difference when it comes to 'online' activities such as reading or sending an e-mail, social networking, play games,... e-readers seem to be dedicated to... reading books. Some 62% of tablet owners say they have 10 or more apps on their device but a limited amount is regularly used.

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Of course, tablet owners prefer free apps. And yet, approximately 66% of the apps downloaded were free (last 30 days before analysis). Problem, knowing that 66% of the apps available in the Apple AppStore are not for free.

Are Digital Readers Confused?

Digital is convenient but tablet readers are still in love with printed magazine copies, praising the format and the ability to rip out any articles or ad that they find interesting. Kathi Love admitted that there is still some confusion over whether users prefer the digital version to the print one. Understandable, knowing that 65% of tablet readers say it's more satisfying to read a magazine in the traditional way while 67% declare that if available, they would prefer the electronic version.

When it comes to digital reading, 72% of tablet users want all magazines to be formatted in the same way. Nearly the same amount would like to be able to buy items by clicking on the magazine ad. In short: the benefits seem to be a richer experience with digital and a more tactile one with print - read on the FIPP website where you can find other informations about this review.

Source: GfK MRI iPanel, GfK MRI Survey of the American Consumer, GfK MRI Starch Digital 

Print - Enjoy the Journey

A spoken poem, in sound and picture, captivates the power of print. Released by InkGlobal in the United Kingdom The Journey is a must see. Enjoy the spoken poem; print is not dying. Produced by Ink, written and directed by David Bowden @ The Garden Studios. Spotted via @magazinespuntnl

Taking Advantage of Editorial Credibility

During the FIPP Research Forum 2012, my Dutch colleague Ingrid van der Werf (Sanoma Media Netherlands) has shared interesting facts & figures on branded content in women's magazines. Thanks to recent quantitative and qualitative research (December 2011 - January 2012). There were three main purposes behind this initiative:
   - evaluate the effects of branded content on communication objectives
   - identify the conditions for effectiveness
   - determine criteria for successful branded content


She started with a definition that everyone can find on Wikipedia:

Branded content is a relatively new form of advertising medium (? euh) that blurs conventional distinctions between what constitutes advertising and what constitutes entertainment (true). Branded content is essentially a fusion of the two into one product intended to be distributed as entertainment content, albeit with a highly branded quality. 

And it works: advertorials in women's magazines are highly valued. According to readers, branded content "tells a different story than standard advertising" (quote qualitative research among 72 women aged 25-45). Therefore, it's not surprising that advertorials obtain a higher 'entertaining' score than classic ads (50% vs 36% - agree to: This page is made to entertain me - quantitative online research with dummy among 1200 women aged 25-45). 


When it comes to brand recall, advertorials obtain lower scores but that is compensate by higher scores for message recall: 44% for advertorials vs 33% for ads. The main objective(s) for using branded content in a nutshell: 
   - creating credibility
   - give more detailed product information
   - engaging readers


Challenge achieved for advertorials! As brand consideration scores are higher for branded content (50%) than for traditional ads (45%). Of course, both kind of advertising messages are mutually reinforcing each other. I'd like to end this summary by sharing 7 criteria for successful branded content in (women's) magazines:
    1. offer inspiration & tips
    2. give something to talk about
    3. complement editorial content (decode the codes of the magazine)
    4. be relevant (!)
    5. provide a fitting link with sender/brand (see point 3)
    6. be subtle about the benefits of the brand (readers know it's an ad)
    7. find a good balance between text and image


P.S.: Although branded content is not a new phenomenon in magazine advertising, the article on Wikipedia doesn't mention print at all! While there are great examples of successful advertorials in magazines. Print is definitely undervalued. But that was not the point of this blog post. However, if you want to know more about the do's and don'ts of branded pages in magazines, look at this great presentation with a lot of inspiration - by my colleagues at the Advertising Resource Centre (redirection on slideshare). 

Publishers' Reality Check and Call for Collaboration

Last Tuesday (29th May)  I went to London for my first  FIPP Research Forum (special thanks to my boss!). A two-day event for publishers, researchers and marketing executives in the magazine business. It's a huge opportunity to help improve magazine research around the world, to debate and compare learnings from each other's experience(s), to the benefit of all the industry. 

Unlike other conferences, the Research Forum encourages discussion and contributions from the floor with special sessions in breakout groups for delegate to debate the papers given in the previous session. Therefore, the number of delegates is set at a maximum of 50 in order to have restricted discussion groups with 12 to 14 delegates. Most of us agree this aspect of the Forum is/was the most valuable of the programme. 

The morning sessions of Day 2 (Wednesday) were dedicated to the digital and mobile developments in 'magazine land' with the focus on metrics and measurement techniques:

- The efficacy of Print + Web - Nicolas Cour (France)

- Consumers' use of talets, mobiles & other digital devices - Kathi Love (USA)

- Usage of and attitudes towards iPads: results from an iPad panel and How tablet in- advertising works - Anja Manouchehri (Germany)

- Measuring magazines' social media engagement, and building an overall engagement index John Carroll (UK)

When it was time to discuss these different studies in my breakout group, we looked at each other without enthusiasm. Because we felt there was more, an underlying question… Digital reading is (still) too small and publishers are losing feathers in the printed business model. The decline is not 'picked up' in digital reading. We have to face that we are becoming an industry in crisis. Without solutions in a short future, except trying new things and developments based (or not) on insights.  Don't get me wrong, we don't like short-termism but facts are facts. I can summarize our conversations in 3 key discussion points:

1. Do we really want the 'move' of our readers to digital? And more important: How do we 'keep' them in paper?

Duplication between print and digital is still very low. For magazines, it seems that digital is not (yet) the holy grail. We all agree it's necessary to create strong communities around our media brands. I have shared the example of the women weekly Libelle (Belgium) with a paid app dedicated to recipes called Libelle Lekker! together with the launch of a monthly about cooking with the same name. With some success.

My French colleague of Prisma Media, Nicolas Cour, cited the example of the TV guide Télé-Loisirs, that recently has launched an app - both on tablet and mobile - that makes it possible to program recordings with your device and out of home. Some services are paid and are satisfactory in term of profits. 

Egbert De Waal from South-Africa (Media 24) cited some nice examples of successfull cooking/fashion/specialized travel apps/mobile site with paid access to locally and 'internally' produced video content. 

But still, one big conclusion was: it's not enough to make profit, despite some successfull initiatives. In-app advertising and shopping can make a difference but we have not much understanding yet about this specific part of the business. It could mean an important charge for the short-term future in terms of development and the search of the right (commercial) partners.

2. To bundle or not to bundle? As magazine players tend to diversify in digital but also audiovisual media, it seems difficult to offer an advertising bundle that fits all the players of our industry.

To bundle or not to?

Are we sending the right signals to the market by acquiring other 'traditional' media active in the audiovisual sector or by investing a lot of money in digital companies and not in editorial? Where are these investments in print? 

Magazines are 'Pinteresting' avant la lettre, building strong readers' communities about specific AND general topics. We can show the market the engagement with traditional printed media is very high. But not seen as powerful enough. So, how can we convince readers and advertisers? 

Innovation is one key aspect. Flair Fashion Tag (Belgium) is a nice example: with this application readers can tag cloths and accessories in their Facebook friends’ photos. The tagged items are posted on the Fashion Tag wall and editors pick the best ones to publish in the magazine. Nice idea that improves the interactivity between the magazine brand and the readers and can result in commercial opportunities.


Finally, we ended this specific discussion topic with another important question: is bundling not dangerous in financial terms? Big (FMCG) companies are already claiming huge discounts when planning long-term campaigns. Is there a risk bundling will lead to discounts like never seen before? 

So, again the same conclusion: cross media strategies are not helping us at the moment. Soon, digital will become the next must-have in the media strategy together with TV. If the print industry don't act fast, it will lose the battle and will become 'nice to have but only when enough budget' for marketeers in charge of media strategies. 

3. Knowledge problem: digital people seem not interested in print. Therefore it's not a surprise they can't integrate print in a smart manner in the media plan.

People working in print and people in favor of printed media - dedicated planners and buyers in agencies included - seem to be better 'educated'. Digital players have little understanding of print in comparison to the digital knowledge of print players.


Conclusion:

So yes, we ended a little bit depressed. But not for long. Because we were able to face the truth and I'm sure it will lead to action and more collaboration. 

I would like to thank all the persons of breakout group B (see the list below) and Nancy Detrixhe in particular. Our dear chairman and reporter that has lent me her notes for this specific blog post. She's also doing a great job at the Dutch Publishers Association. Always posting new and relevant information about the power of print.

FIPP Research Forum 2012 - Breakout Group B delegates:

Anja Manoucherhi (Axel Springer), Henriette Mittag (Benjamin Media), Jean Faulkner (Conde Nast), Nancy Detrixhe (Dutch Publishers Association), Saara Itävuo (FPPA), Kathi Love (GfK MRI), Jane Farmery (Hearst Magazines UK), Georgy Mikaberidze (Hearst Shkulev Media), Egbert De Waal (Media 24), Nicolas Cour (Prisma Media), Peter Callius (TNS-Sifo) and myself (Sanoma Media)

Belgian Beauty Secrets

What makes women beautiful? Some say make-up, most agree it’s linked to the inner beauty. Belgium is no exception: 70% of Belgian women agree that beauty comes from within. Definitions of beauty from the study #Femininsight by Sanoma Media (see previous posts): having charisma (63%), being intelligent (72%), being self-confident (68%) or feeling good (69%). So, happy? Yes, 88% is (very) happy. But only 50% is satisfied with her appearance. Nearly 60% is convinced that good looking people are more successful in their social life.

So, it's not a surprise that she - the Belgian women- thinks there's no harm in helping the inner beauty. It seems that beauty products are also essential to feel good - boosting self-confidence (48% agrees) - and part of the daily routine (54% seldom leaves the house without make-up on). Fortunately, she likes being occupied with her appearance (56%). Beauty, a pleasant necessity?

40% of Belgian women are occasional users of make-up (less than once a week). The ones who like using make-up tend to be the same women that use make-up on a daily basis (41%). It's well-known that the eyes are the ultimate weapon of seduction.What else? Long, thick, black lashes seems to be the lethal accessories as 24% of Belgian women could not live without mascara. Eyeliners and kohl pencils are other essential accessories in Belgian make-up beauty cases.

For inspiration about beauty and make-up, women turn to traditional channels with magazines on top of the list (23%). The point-of-sales (22%) and brochures (21%) are next in the top 3.  Women's magazines are the best information source about new beauty trends (42%) and advertisements featuring beauty products clearly add value to the content: 35% thinks beauty ads in women's magazines are the best information sources about new beauty products.

With 67% of Belgian women looking for some kind of information about beauty products, magazines could be used in different ways to put your make-up accessories in the spotlight: classic ads or advertorials with testimonials/beauty tips/scientific explanations, sample for liquids, coupons for free testers or discount, leaflets, ... Women welcome smart advertising in the right context. Women's magazines are (still!) the right context.

Find additional information about the different types of beauty consumers and the link between (women's) magazines and beauty ads in the presentation below. This presentation and blog post were made possible thanks to the information researched in the survey #Femininsight, part of the Belgian project I'm every WOMAN by Sanoma Media. Some 3.000 Belgian women, aged between 15 and 75 years, were surveyed about their daily life and media consumption behavior (in February - May 2011). Feel free to share and download.

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She's a Reader

Yesterday was the yearly World Book Day. Time to celebrate the written word and to encourage our closed ones to discover/to share the pleasure of reading. I've found my own way to celebrate this day and I took the time yesterday to analyze the reading behavior of Belgian women. Because reading - books or other media - is a great way to escape our daily life!

Belgian women loves reading

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Source: research study #Femininsight - part of the project I'm every WOMAN-  some 3.000 Belgian women, aged between 15 and 75 years, were surveyed about their daily life (in February - May 2011)

#Femininsight for Best Media Research

Discover how to use #Femininsight when planning a campaign or launching a new product. Besides general insights about women's daily life and their consumption behavior, this research makes it possible to target on lifestyle(s) and specific interests.

On March 15th, I’ve exposed this indispensable research in the first round for the Best Media Research at the Annual Masters of Media Awards(AMMA). In this round, the 5 best cases have been shortlisted by an audience of professionals. This shortlist will be examined by a special jury who will finally identify THE Best Media Research for Belgium.

The most difficult thing when you only have 12 minutes to defend your case, is to focus on the practical use of this research without neglecting the variety of topics and items it contains. If I made the choice to put the most important results in the spotlight, more than half of the audience (in need of practical information) would’ve been bored. So, instead of a theoretical presentation about methodology and the flow of the #Femininsight survey, I have compiled a case, in line with the reality of my business to illustrate how it can be used at its best. Find this case below and don't hesitate to ask questions about it.

#Femininsight on the AMMA Shortlist

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20 Tweetable Truths about Belgian Women, Food and Media

Almost every day I fear this one question: what will I cook/eat this evening? First thing, I always ask my boyfriend. Most of the times, he struggles with the same lack of inspiration as I do. We both love food but not the preparation of the daily meal. So, I have to admit that I often turn to women's magazines to inspire me about recipes, and the French-written Belgian weekly Femmes d'Aujourd'hui in particular. And that's what inspire me to write this blog post:  What about Belgian women? How do they find inspiration? According to the research survey #Femininsight, 67% of the Belgian women mostly rely on magazines for (inspiration about) cooking recipes. The second preferred  information channel is very 'classic' too: culinary books (47%).

When it comes to food, drinks, restaurants or recipes, Belgian women turn to traditional information sources: brochures, the point of sales, magazines, TV,... I don't underestimate the power of digital media. As you will discover in the presentation below, e-newsletters and (traditional) websites are still powerful tools to inform  women. Social Media (Facebook, etc) are not very top of mind as preferred channel. Unfortunately, apps were not (yet) included in this edition.

In the presentation below, available for download on SlideShare, I've tried to compile information that can help marketeers in charge of food brands about the use of magazines in their media mix. Advertorials with recipes are great tools to integrate your brand in a non-intrusive way. Inspire women: 50% often tries a recipe after having seen it in a magazine and 48% follow tips read in culi editorials. Despite the huge amount of information available online, women cited magazines as the n°1 information sources about cooking recipes. Play that asset.

Belgian Women, Food and Media

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Belgians Still in Love with Magazines

Personal message to marketeers and media specialists: as you may have seen in specialized shops, printed media are still alive. That's because they are still relevant to a lot of different people. Not only to the old grumpy retiree or the discount hunter in search of good deals in local free sheets.

With 9 out of 10 reading one I dare to say Belgians are still in love with magazines. Take a look at the presentation below. It contains the latest audience figures of printed media in Belgium (based on annual CIM Audience Study - release 15th September 2011). 

Belgians in Love with Magazines

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Which Media Diet for Light TV Viewers?

(FMCG) Advertisers continue to spend large amounts on expensive TV campaigns. The (long time ago) announced death of the TV-spot is still not a reality. On the contrary! Honestly I'm wondering why, knowing that 4 out of 10 Belgians are light TV viewers. My gut feeling says that these people don't like pushy TV ads. Unfortunately, the CIM-PMPA*-study - which contains data about media audiences and frequency of usage - doesn't measure advertising likeability. But it defintely can help you in your media choice with specific analysis on light and non TV viewers.

Why would advertisers be interested in reaching light and non TV viewers? According to an analysis I've made on the CIM-PMPA, this category represents 3.700.000 people in Belgium (over 12 years old). Not a minority. More than half are the ones in charge of picking up the groceries (the so-called Main Responsible for Purchases). My 'investigations' also demonstrate that light viewers have a more attractive demographic profile: 37% of them are classified in the highest socio-economic groups (1-2)  and 36% are highly educated. It's also a very gender-balanced profile with 51% women. So don't make the wrong match:

LIGHT or NON TV USER =  

MAN or CHILD PLAYING with a MOBILE/COMPUTERLIKE THING

Talking about segmentation, it seems that cultural differences don't play a big role in the media behavior. But gender does. It was really not a surprise to me that women tend to be more print-minded and heavy users of magazines (both weeklies and monthlies). Men seem to appreciate internet and the seats (or popcorn?) of movie theatres more.

Female light viewers represent 20% of the Belgian population. As an employee of Sanoma Media Belgium, with a women-oriented portfolio, I have a strong interest in the media behavior of this target.The CIM-PMPA study gives me insight into the reach and the coverage of magazines in general and of our titles specifically. The most important findings are summarized in a presentation below. As usual, you can download this material for free on SlideShare, with speaker notes for the most difficult slides :-) If you like it, feel free to share.

Not a Minority: Light TV Viewers in Belgium

 

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Even with its limitations, the CIM-PMPA survey is a wonderful tool. All the (most important) media brands with a 'Belgian' ratecard are taken into account. It has one handicap: it doesn't measure (big) foreign channels/titles and of course, non-subscribers. That could be a little bit tricky, especially when 'measuring' the 'real' impact (reach) of TV and some radio channels in the south of the country. Why? It's commonly known that a lot of French-speaking Belgians turn to French TV-shows for entertainment. Each survey has limitations. This is one of them. It's not the Holy Grail. But even if it only gives us an indication of each medium, it's still a valuable tool with a qualitative and quantitative sample. 

*CIM- Center for Information about Media in Belgium
  PMPA: Pluri-Media/Products/Attitudes

Overview: Magazines in Belgium

With 9 Belgians out of 10 reading magazines and 7 out of 10 buying (at least) one each week, I cannot understand why advertisers, creatives and media planners don't use this powerful medium more often. Perhaps this video will help them to understand the added value of my favorite medium.

5 Must-Read about Magazines

I like to think that my blog is a kind of logbook where I can post my thoughts on things I have read. An open archive. This week I've read a lot of interesting stuff about magazines - printed and digital - and I thought it would be a nice idea to make a selection. I can't promise this post is the start of a serie. It will depend on what I've spotted online. This week: a healthy mix of research and creativity.

Print is NOT dead - Marketing Mag
Recent proof that magazines can optimise advertising effects. Or when neuroscience proves that placing an ad in a magazine not only helps consumers gain brand retention, but also adds positive brand salience for your brand.

Digital Subscriptions Will Lift Magazines But Not Newspapers - Jeff Bercovici's blog on Forbes.com
Over the next five years, both magazines and newspapers will enjoy large gains in paid digital circulation, PwC forecasts. But the revenue generated will grow far faster for magazines than it will for newspapers.

25 Creative Use of Magazines - Magazinespunt.nl on SlideShare
Magazinespunt.nl has made several ppt with examples of creative advertising in magazines. Each presentation focuses on another sense. This one contains treats for the eyes (Sight is the sense in the picture in this chapter). Enjoy!

Apple iPad usage habits {INFOGRAPHIC} - The Telegraph
In May 2011, app specialist imano conducted a survey among 2008 iPad users in the UK. The findings were highlighted in an infographic. Some 69% use their device to read newspapers and/or magazines. Learn more about their usage and behavior.

Shieldtox: Natural Protection - CreativeCriminals

Click to see greater format

An insecticide is not a very sexy product to advertise. But creativity is the most important key. Euro RSCG Bangkok has done a great job for Shieldtox, a natural insecticide. The central idea: natural predators. Spotted by the CreativeCriminals, 3 guys of the advertising world that present each day a selection of the most creative ads from around the globe. Click on link for another campaign visual.

Updated: Magazines are 'Home_Pages'

Almost two years ago the media sales house of Sanoma in Belgium launched MAGSCAN. A one-shot publication (pdf) devoted to magazines. Print publishers are crazy people: they actually believe in the power of this odd and misunderstood medium as no one else can. And you know why? Because of the strong emotional bond between readers and magazines. Take the place of reading: magazine readers can read everywhere but because they love being immersed in their experience, they prefer to read at home. Where they feel at ease, safe in their bubble.

(Click on icon full screen to see larger view)

 

Take a look at our latest campaign to promote magazines                     

What's a Magazine, Mommy?

Spring edition - latest issue

There are still some passionate people who thinks 'print' when pursuing true originality. Cathy Olmedillas is one of them. She is founder and editor of Anorak (UK), a quarterly children's magazine launched in 2006 and now sold in 22 countries around the world. Obviously, she is a magazine lover. In an interview published in the latest issue of WHAT'S NEXT? she explains the need she felt to share her passion for magazines with her son.

Excerpt:

"I had this nightmarish vision of my son, 20 years down the line, saying 'What's a magazine, Mommy?' And I felt, that can't possibly happen. I was brought up with magazines and they meant a lot to me because you found yourself reading things in them that made it feel like they were talking to you."

Magazines are 'Homepages'

Our Creative Marketing Inspirator Mark Struyf is a kinda jack-of-all-trades - and Master of many. Discover some of his latest work below: repositioning magazines and affirming the value of this particular medium. This campaign is aimed at media professionals of agencies and advertisers (still running in some business publications). Too bad I cannot translate the copy literally but I have done my best to do so below the picture (click on the image for a better view).

Even the most attractive homepage could never give the pampering feeling a (women's) magazine offers its readers. A unique and personal moment. She longs for it. She recognizes herself in it. She feels at home. Making authentic homepages is our craftmanship since ever.

De magie van lezer-bladbinding

Vorige donderdag sleepte het neuro-onderzoek Het Mediabrein van mijn collega's uit Nederland een FIPP Research Award in de wacht. De toekenning van deze felbegeerde prijs uit onze sector werd bekend gemaakt op het FIPP Research Forum in Parijs. 

MRi staat voor Magnetic Resonance imaging

De middelen die ingezet werden om dit onderzoek in goede banen te leiden zijn best wel indrukwekkend. Niet minder dan 36 dames hebben in een MRi-scanner gelegen, waarbij ze onder andere tijdschrift- en tv-beelden te zien kregen. 


Doel? Een antwoord bieden op 3 belangrijke vragen waarmee magazine-uitgevers heel vaak mee worstelen:

• wat is lezer-bladbinding?
• welk effect heeft deze binding op advertenties in dat blad?
• hoe verhouden advertenties in bladen zich tot tv-commercials?

Het bestaan van lezer-bladbinding is namelijk moeilijk te achterhalen, aangezien deze (ook) door onbewuste processen wordt gecreëerd. Dat de relatie tussen een lezer en zijn blad niet enkel gebaseerd is op interesse in een bepaalde categorie/thema is altijd al duidelijk geweest. Waarom zouden er anders zoveel (verschillende) modebladen bestaan? Om maar één voorbeeld te geven. Maar hoe toon je aan dat een magazine een perfecte omgeving biedt voor advertenties? 


Tal van andere onderzoeken bewijzen de meerwaarde van magazines in een (multi) mediaplan: methodologieën à la media mix cases (pdf), onderzoek rond het halo-effect, cases waar traffic of sales gegenereerd werden, ... Toegegeven: deze tools bieden een antwoord op: hebben magazinelezers mijn advertentie wél gezien? En/of: heb ik een veilige investering gemaakt door mijn budget in magazines te steken (ROI-studie)? 


Het Mediabrein daarentegen geeft meer inzicht in de verwerking en de geheugenopslag van printuitingen vs tv-spots. En in tegenstelling tot mijn collega's, ben ik niet verrast door de conclusies: programma-onderbrekingen worden duidelijk als irritant ervaren. Een tv-commercial is weliswaar ‘sexier’ en wekt iets meer begeerte op dan een printadvertentie, maar roept ook meer irritatie op. Denk maar aan je eigen reactie wanneer één en dezelfde spotje 2 à 3 keer je tv-avond onderbreekt. 


"Waar traditioneel onderzoek liet zien dat de eerste TV commercial in een reclameblok de meeste impact heeft, blijkt uit bovengenoemd hersenonderzoek het tegendeel: de eerste TV commercial in een reclameblok is het irritantst" aldus collega David De Boer op het Researchblog.  


Het onderzoek bewijst ook dat lezer-bladbinding gebaseerd is op vertrouwen. Dit vertrouwen straalt af op de inhoud van het blad, inclusief de advertenties, mits deze passen binnen de bladformule (niet zo'n onbelangrijk detail). Doordat printadvertenties vaker aansluiten aan het blad en aan de belevingswereld van (trouwe) lezeressen, worden deze ook beter door het brein verwerkt en opgeslagen. In dat opzicht kan men dus besluiten dat magazines een 'reclamevriendelijke' omgeving bieden aan adverterteerders. 

The Mediabrain - the impact of the reader-magazine relationship proven by brain research

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Magazine Readers'Expectations

"Readers expect much more from publishers on tablets than two-dimensional content. They expect digital narratives; along with content they can read, watch, touch and share. It means we need to learn to design for eyes and for fingers simultaneously. It means we must change workflows in our newsrooms. It means we must rethink subscription and advertising models. It means we must innovate as never before."

Juan Senor and John Wilpers, editors of 2nd Innovations in Magazines 2011 World Report
(Source: FIPP)