Web addresses in magazine ads drive traffic to advertisers

Putting web addresses (urls) in magazine ads makes it more likely that readers will go to advertiser websites, according to new research from Affinity reported by Media Post's Center for Media Research. Based on an analysis of 833 ads in seven different magazines in six different genres, the research reinforces earlier work that showed that, among other media, magazines are most effective building traffic to advertisers' websites.

The Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) have compiled 3rd party surveys from various sources and concluded that

• Offline media perform well in driving web traffic and search, often better than online media, even when URL addresses are missing or not prominently displayed in offline ads
• Media synergy is important, though each medium influences online behavior differently and plays a distinctive role
• Looking at qualified search, those consumers ready to make a purchase, paints a different picture of media usage than total search, which is most often the focus of advertisers
• When looking at the role individual media play in driving web results, magazines most consistently drive web traffic and search

In addition, conclusions from quantitative analysis:

• Magazine ads had a major impact on building web traffic
• Magazine ads generated web traffic at each stage of the purchase funnel, especially purchase intent
• Including a URL in magazine ads significantly increased web visits