April 6, 2011—Total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the first quarter of 2011 closed at $4.293 billion, posting a +6.1 percent increase vs. the same period in 2010, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Ad pages during the first quarter totaled 35,755, a +2.5 percent gain compared to January through March, 2010. (See chart for details.)

　　Magazine ad revenue and pages have increased for four quarters in row, ever since the second quarter of 2010.

　　First Quarter 2011 vs. 2010

　　PIB saw magazine ad revenue and page growth in seven of 12 major advertising categories during the first quarter of 2011—toiletries and cosmetics; drugs and remedies; apparel and accessories; media and advertising; automotive; financial, insurance and real estate; and technology. (Twelve categories are the most significant contributors to PIB revenue, comprising more than 85 percent of total advertising spending.)

　　Four of those categories exhibited double-digit increases, driven by the following subsectors:

　　• Apparel and accessories: luxury brands; ready-to-wear garments; footwear; jewelry/watches
      
　　• Automotive: vehicles both domestic and import, driven by new hybrid and other fuel-efficient models; also auto accessories and equipment
      
　　• Financial, insurance and real estate: banks; financial consultancies and software;  insurance firms
      
　　• Technology: telecommunications, in particular ads for mobile devices; digital products, such as apps

　　“Magazines continue to gain momentum into 2011, posting an increase in both pages and PIB ad revenue for the fourth consecutive quarter,” said Andrew Jung, MPA’s Chief Marketing Officer. “Growth in the Technology sector indicates that those marketers consider print advertising a vital element in branding campaigns for digital products and services, especially as that sector becomes increasingly competitive.”