Newsweek Media Research Index

Magazine Research: Media Effectiveness Research

1955 - DANIEL STARCH - ANALYSIS OF 12 MILLION INQUIRIES

An analysis of inquiries from comparable ads in terms of ad size, color, position, etc. showing that large space, color and thinner issues all enhance response.(1946-1955 data base.)

1956 - ADVERTISING RESEARCH FOUNDATION - A STUDY OF PRINTED ADVERTISING RATING METHODS (PARM)

A methodological study of different techniques of measuring the readership and remembrance of printed advertisements. This milestone study established that pass-along and out-of-home reading had 85%-90% the value of primary or in-home.

1956 - DANIEL STARCH - HOW DO SIZE AND COLOR AFFECT AD READERSHIP?

A comparison of average noting scores for ads in seven product categories in Saturday Evening Post and Life in terms of page size and color.

1959 - HUGH ZIELSKE, FOOTE, CONE & BELDING - THE REMEMBERING AND FORGETTING OF ADVERTISING - JAR, JAN. 1. 1959

A study to measure the rate at which consumers can be made to remember advertising - and the rate at which they forget it.

1960 - ALFRED POLITZ FOR SATURDAY EVENING POST - THE ROCHESTER STUDY

A measurement of the effects of one and two exposures of the same advertising page in the same issue of a magazine on the same reader. The study shows that the second exposure increases familiarity and believability by 14%-28%

1960 - MARPLAN FOR LIFE - AN EVALUATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF PAGE SIZE ON ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS

An examination of the differences in advertising effectiveness between Life-size and digest-size ads, showing the larger page size outscoring the smaller.

1961 - READER'S DIGEST - A SUMMARY OF NINE STUDIES ON PAGE SIZE, 1956-1960

Indicates that there is no important relationship between the size of a page and the impact, effect and recall value of the advertisement printed on it.

1961 - DANIEL STARCH - MEASURING PRODUCT SALES MADE BY ADVERTISING

The study develops a method of measuring the relative selling effect of different advertisements. Data are for a 16-year period covering 400,000 interviews and 45,000 ads in the Saturday Evening Post and Life.

1962 - AUDITS & SURVEYS FOR LIFE - AD PAGE POSITION EFFECT ON ADVERTISING IMPACT

According to this study, the position of an ad within Life Magazine (front,middle or back) did not affect recall scores appreciably.

1962 - GALLUP & ROBINSON FOR READER'S DIGEST - THE INFLUENCE OF MAGAZINE PAGE SIZE ON ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS

A study to determine if there is a difference in effectiveness between full page ads of digest size and full page ads of Life Magazine size, and, if so, the extent of the differences. The study indicated that there is no difference.

1962 - NOWLAND & CO. FOR LIFE - THE EFFECT OF MEDIA CONTEXT ON ADVERTISING

A measurement of thf the contribution of editorial environment to the effectiveness of ads appearing in Life and Look vs. an ad portfolio.

1962 - ALFRED POLITZ FOR MCCALL'S - A MEASUREMENT OF ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS

A comparison of the effect of one and two exposures of one ad in McCall's with the effect of the same ad exposed in a dual audience weekly magazine. The study suggests that the environment of women's magazines increases the effectiveness of advertising directed to women.

1963 - AUDITS & SURVEYS FOR LOOK - CONSUMER INTEREST AND ADVERTISING RETENTION

A study to determine how long an advertising impression lasts, how it is affected by repeat reading and by winter vs. summer issues.

1964 - VALUE OF POSITION IN BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS - MEDIA/SCOPE, JULY 1964

A summary of research on position of advertisements: front or back of issue, left vs. right-hand pages, adjacent to editorial or other ads, covers, thickness of issue and time of year.

1965 - W.R. SIMMONS FOR THIS WEEK AND PARADE - A STUDY OF THE RETENTION OF ADVERTISING IN FIVE MAGAZINES

A measurement of the number of persons who correctly identified an "average" full page ad in a particular issue of any of the publications measured, during the average day of each of the first six weeks of the issue's life. The supplements delivered a higher level of recall than Life, Look or Saturday Evening Post.

1966 - ALFRED POLITZ FOR READER'S DIGEST - REPEAT EXPOSURE VALUE

This study measures and compares the effects of one- and two-issue exposures of readers to advertising in Reader's Digest. Advertising effects are denoted by changes in audience attitudes toward the advertised brand resulting from these exposures.

1967 - DANIEL YANKELOVICH FOR BETTER HOMES & GARDENS - THE EFFECT OF EDITORIAL ENVIRONMENT ON ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS

BHG concluded that the relevance of their magazine creates an environment for greater advertising effectiveness than is true of magazines having different editorial fare (McCall's and Life).

1968 - THOMAS E. RYAN FOR FORTUNE - A STUDY OF READING ENVIRONMENT AND ADVERTISING MEMORABILITY

To examine the relationships between "degrees of involvement" of readers of five magazines and the percent who remembered specific ads.

1979 - ALICIA DONOVAN - AWARENESS OF TRADE - PRESS ADVERTISING - JAR, APRIL 1979

Study to determine the effectiveness of a one-year advertising schedule (12 insertions) for Abtec Chemical Company in Modern Plastics Magazine. Company awareness increased by 80% among subscribers. Conducted by Feldman Research, for Modern Plastics Magazine.

1979 - SCARBOROUGH FOR PEOPLE MAGAZINE - PEOPLE: A CLOSER LOOK AT A DIFFERENT KIND OF MAGAZINE

Comparison of in-home and out-of-home audience reading time and ad/editorial recognition scores. Study concludes discounting of out-of-home is not appropriate for People.

1980 - CONSUMER DYNAMICS CORPORATION FOR ESQUIRE MAGAZINE AND KETCHUM MACLEOD & GROVE - A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF "CLUTTER" IN MAGAZINE ADVERTISING

Pilot test to examine the effects of advertising clutter in magazines. Test compared recall scores for four test ads in a regular issue of Esquire vs. a test version of the same issue containing substantially more ads. The study showed that each of the four test ads received lower recall in the clutter version vs. the regular version-on average, 26% lower on claimed recall and 22% on unaided proven recall.

1981 - SCARBOROUGH FOR PEOPLE - COMPARATIVE READERSHIP STUDY

Comparison of ad recognition and recall in People vs. Newsweek and McCall's, for common ads and matched ads in 11 issues of the weeklies and three issues of McCall's. Conducted in 15 markets. Study concluded ad impact in People was equal to or better than in two competitors.

1982 - HUGH M. CANNON - A NEW METHOD FOR ESTIMATING THE EFFECT OF MEDIA CONTEXT - JAR, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 1982

Pilot study of new ad rating method for media planners to estimate effect of magazine context on ad impact; tested against Starch scores for 16 ads in one issue of Sports Illustrated.

1982 - LIEBERMAN ASSOCIATES FOR TIME INC. AND SEAGRAM - A STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVERTISING FREQUENCY IN MAGAZINES

Major controlled experiment concerning relationship between magazine advertising frequency and brand awareness, advertising recall, brand rating, willingness to buy, recent product use and purchase. Conducted in two test areas over 48-week period for eight test brands; by mail with 16,500 respondents. Compared four advertising frequency levels -0, 12, 24 and 48 ads during test period. Implemented by test ad inserts in subscriber copies of Sports Illustrated and Time. Study found: significant increases in consumer attitudes beginning with the first opportunity-to-see advertising; favorable effects in brand awareness and attitudes continued to build throughout campaign; more is better-higher ad frequency produced greater effects; changes in behavior were greater than changes in attitudes; awareness of advertising may understate advertising effects.

1982 - PERCEPTION RESEARCH SERVICES FOR PEOPLE - MEASURING THE IMPACT OF YOUR ADVERTISING IN PEOPLE: EYE TRACKING

Comparison of eye-tracking measures among readers of People and Cosmopolitan (100 readers of each magazine). Concluded eye-stopping power of ads is equal in People and Cosmopolitan, but brand identification is greater in People, due to less clutter in People.

1982 - CARROLL J. SWAN - NEXT STEP IN AUDIENCE RESEARCH: PAUL CHOOK'S TIP ON TECHNIQUE - MARKETING & MEDIA DECISIONS, APRIL 1982

Report of Ziff-Davis test to evaluate special interest magazines as advertising vehicles for general market products. Compares ad exposures and ad recall for three general product ads and three generic product ads in Stereo Review. Implemented by use of tipped-in ads; compared three levels of ad insert frequency - 0, 1 and 3 exposures - in one issue for each test ad. Based on telephone interviews with 480 subscribers, in three test markets. Study indicated special interest magazines can be effective vehicle for general as well as generic product ads.

1983 - ELLIOT YOUNG, PERCEPTION RESEARCH SERVICES - EYE TRACKING: ONE APPROACH TO MEASUREMENT OF EDITORIAL ENVIRONMENT. - FROM 1983 ARF MAGAZINE RESEARCH WORKSHOP

Summary of eye-tracking studies for eight magazines, containing a total of 806 ads. Analysis indicated differential effects of editorial environment. For example, on average, a reader is likely to be "involved with" 58% of ads in a publication, but involvement levels ranged from a high of 78% to a low of 2% for the eight magazines. Other data reported: percent of readers who miss average ad and percent of readers who miss the advertiser name in average ad.

1984 - BUSINESS DECISIONS INC. FOR NEWSWEEK - COMPARISON OF TELEVISION AND PRINT ADVERTISING: THE EFFECTS OF SINGLE EXPOSURE

Study to evaluate the relative effects of a single exposure to advertising in print vs. single exposure in television.lso includes comparison with combined effect of print plus television exposure. For four test ads. By mall intercept interviews in eight markets. Concluded that print alone was more effective than TV alone on most message-related criteria, and that print advertising contributes considerably to making the combination of media more powerful.

1985 - PAUL H. CHOOK, ZIFF DAVIS - A CONTINUING STUDY OF MAGAZINE ENVIRONMENT, FREQUENCY, AND ADVERTISING PERFORMANCE - JAR, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1985

Results of three tests to evaluate special interest magazines as vehicles for general product advertising. Conducted among subscribers of Stereo Review, Flying and Boating. In each test, ads for three general and three generic products were tipped into subscriber copies, in three markets. Subscribers received 0, 1 or 3 ads for each product. Telephone interviews were completed with 1,600 subscribers in the three tests combined. Measures included brand awareness, brand salience and ad recall. Results were similar for both types of products. For each type, one exposure provided "measurable" lift over no exposure; three exposures yielded double the effect of one exposure. (Also presented at 1985 ARF Annual Conference.)

1986 - LIEBERMAN RESEARCH FOR PEOPLE - THE IMPACT OF EDITORIAL ENVIRONMENT ON BRAND ACCEPTANCE - A 13 - MAGAZINE ANALYSIS

Study concerning the effect of editorial environment on consumer reactions to magazine advertisements. Conducted in eight markets, by mall intercept interviews with 1,080 adult readers of the test magazines. Ads for 24 products advertised in Canada, Great Britain and Australia (unfamiliar to U.S. readers) were tipped into 13 U.S. magazines. Three measures of brand acceptance were used to evaluate environmental effect. Results are presented for each ad, comparing People with Women's Service, Women's Fashion, Newsweekly and Men's Lifestyle magazine groups.

1987 - VALENTINE APPEL, BACKER, SPIELVOGEL, BATES - EDITORIAL ENVIRONMENT AND ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS - JAR, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1987

Review of major magazine environment research 1959-1986; and discussion of previously unpublished analysis of environment effects in The National Enquirer, based on 1982 study. The analysis indicated the importance of two factors in understanding magazine environmental effects: differences in audience composition and differences in editorial environment.

1987 - WAYNE P. EADIE, NEWSWEEK - MEASURING THE SALES EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVERTISING IN MAGAZINES: A PRIMER ON LANDMARK STUDIES - FROM ARF MEASUREMENT OF ADVERTISING'S PRODUCTIVITY WORKSHOP, JUNE 18, 1987

Summary of 17 landmark studies conducted from 1960 through 1986 demonstrating the effectiveness of magazines in delivering audience, ad exposures, ad communications and brand sales. This paper provides an introduction to and specific findings from these major studies including "The Rochester Study" in 1960 for the Saturday Evening Post, the 1970 General Foods Study, and the 1980 Newsweek "Eyes On" study.

1987- JACOB JACOBY AND WAYNE D. HOYER - THE COMPREHENSION AND MISCOMPREHENSION OF PRINT COMMUNICATIONS - THE ADVERTISING EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

This study investigated reader understanding of magazine advertising and editorial content. Conducted among a national probability sample of adults, personal interviews were completed with 1,347 respondents, who were asked a series of comprehension questions about a sample of ads and editorial material, selected from 18 consumer magazines. Overall, 63% of the comprehension questions were answered correctly; 65% for ad content and 61% for editorial content. This research is an extension of a 1980 study concerning television communications, sponsored by the 4As.

1987 - MICHAEL J. NAPLES, ARF AND ROLF M. WULFSBERG, ABT ASSOCIATES - THE ARF/ABP STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS ADVERTISING AND SALES - JAR, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1987

Landmark study measuring the sales effects of business-to-business advertising for three industrial products. The study compared light, medium and heavy schedules in business publications for each product. Test campaigns ran for 12 months. Sales were monitored during the campaign, and for 13 months after. Other measures included reader inquiries, attitudes and awareness. Key findings: Advertising increased sales (versus pre-campaign levels) for each product; effects were greater at higher weight levels; sales results were first observed at four to six months into each campaign; positive effects were also observed in the other measures.

1988 - INFRATESTESTT-KOMMUNIKATIONS FORSCHUNG FOR AXEL SPRINGER VERLAG ZEITSCHRIFTEN - QUALITY OF EXPOSURE AND ADVERTISING EFFECTIVENESS

Study in Germany to examine the relationship between the quality of magazine exposures and advertising effectiveness. Exposure quality was based on four measures: (1) Amount read in test issue; (2) Affinity for the magazine; (3/4) Two measures of advertising receptiveness (agreement with "advertising is entertaining" and "advertising is helpful"). Advertising effectiveness was measured by brand awareness, brand saliency, advertising awareness, and brand purchasing patterns. Based on 3,000 interviews conducted with persons 14 and over in 1985-1986. Data were analyzed for brands in 18 product categories; survey measures were related to advertising exposure estimates based on brand media schedules. Results showed that high quality exposures were more effective than low quality exposures on all measures.

1989 - THE PRETESTING COMPANY FOR PEOPLE - AN ADVERTISING POSITIONING RESEARCH STUDY

A study to examine the effects of ad positioning in People, comparing: (1) front, middle and back of book; (2) right-hand versus left-hand page; and (3) facing editorial versus facing other ads. Conducted in eight markets, by mall intercept interviews with 400 adult readers of People. Respondents were asked to look at test issues of People containing tipped-in ads for eight products. Results indicated no positioning effects based on competitive imagery, the "key measure"; however, some effects were observed in time spent per ad and in brand name/message recall.

1990 - CITICORP POS FOR FAMILY CIRCLE - MEASUREMENT OF THE EFFECTS ON VOLUME OF PRINT ADVERTISING

Study of the impact of magazine advertising on brand purchases, based on supermarket scanner data (Citicorp POSPOSS system) in three markets, Chicago, Los Angeles and Richmond. Brand purchases were tracked over 28 weeks, before, during and after advertising appeared in Family Circle and other magazines. The analysis compares brand purchases in Family Circle households versus other demographically similar households, indicating positive effects of magazine advertising. The results for six case study brands are presented in the report.

1990 - ARCH C. WOODSIDE AND PRAVEEN A. SONI - PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF ADVERTISING IN COMPETING MEDIA VEHICLES - JAR, FEBRUARY/MARCH 1990

Study of the relative effectiveness of horizontal versus vertical magazine buys for the 1987 Louisiana tourism advertising campaign. Five sets of magazines were compared: (1) Gourmet and Bon Appetit; (2) Family Circle and Ladies Home Journal; (3) Southern Living and Texas Monthly; (4) Travel & Leisure and N.G. Traveler; (5) two life-style publications not identified. Performance was evaluated based on direct response inquiries, and on reported travel activity from a mail survey among a sample of 2,040 inquirers. Results indicated that vertical buys using directly relevant vehicles (the travel related and regional focus books) were the most effective overall.
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