Do magazine awards sell ads?
*[We only observe that, before this item, he last posted on May 7]Even we slippery advertising reps like to share the proud moment so we attend the award show and cheer on our team's nomination(s) as if we had something to do with it (hey, if there were no ads, there wouldn't be any award-winning editorial right?). And if our magazine should win something, the media kits and letters glow with pride. We let it slip on any and all sales calls and emails. We use it to support the notion that our book is "quality". This years big winner and Magazine of the Year was The Walrus and its reps wasted little time in issuing the standard propaganda -- "The like us, they really like us. Buy an ad!"
But at the end of the day, what does winning awards really do for us in the advertising trenches? Will The Walrus's big win send its ad sales soaring? Unlikely based on what we have seen in the past. For example:
- Toro was one of the top winners yet again. Remember Toro?
- Saturday Night was the winningest magazine of all time. Remember Saturday Night?
- Explore is always big winner. But are they making money?
- Maisonneuve was Magazine of the Year in 2005. Great little magazine.
Still, it's always nice to be a winner!
Labels: ad sales
posted by D. B. Scott at
2:01 pm
8 Comments:
Slothful?! I like to think of my little hobby blog as a monthly. With a hiatus in July and February. Like The Walrus.
Ah, a hobby blog. Why didn't I think of that!
Actually, you did. In your own words: "Occasional news, views and reviews of the Canadian magazine industry".
What happened? Did your editorial side take over or did you recognize the incredible advertising revenue potential of your blog?
Regardless, you should probably change "occasional" to "incessant" or "bi-hourly" or something akin.
Fair comment. But, actually, the reason I post so often now is that there is so much to post about the Canadian magazine industry. And, as you say, my editorial side took over. That was the reason I started the darned thing in the first place.
I wish I could agree about the incredible advertising potential. I have two sponsored links and they approached me. I'm certainly not the salesman you are. Too early to say what revenue potential there is from the recently installed Google ad button; probably 68 cents a week or something.
the best award is to see your newstand sales go up
and your subcription also go up , awards is just good for the ego
I don't know what the precise dynamics are but our ad sales in 2007 are much higher than last year. The issue that we're working on right now -- September -- is already double the September 2006 issue. Things take time to develop, but, among other things, the ad department credits general editorial and art excellence: over the past two years (that is, 20 issues in 2005 and 2006) the magazine received 102 nominations, 19 golds, 13 silvers, shared the best new writer award, and has now been named magazine of the year. This averages out to just over 5 nominations and (roughly) two golds and a silver per issue, and Rose Giles (the associate publisher in charge of advertising) says that more and more advertisers are coming to the magazine because of its general excellence. The fall looks terrific.
C'mon Ken who are you kidding?!?! You can't honestly tell people that the awards don't matter as much as the "general excellence" to advertising..
The two go hand in hand. When pitching an advertiser people don't say "Our magazine has a level of general excellence" because without the heaps of awards people wouldn't buy that.
Hey Trevor, you misread Ken Alexander's comments. He is indeed saying there appears to be a correlation between awards and a boost in ad sales, with the awards serving as an indicator of general excellence.
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