It seems the uptake of digital magazines and newspapers is in full swing. Recent research by digital newsstand Lekiosk shows that more than one in two Brits have bought digital magazines in 2013, which is up from one in three in 2012.
The report, which surveyed over 2,000 consumers nationwide, found that one in twenty Brits have purchased digital magazines this year.
The number of people accessing magazines on a single issue basis is slightly greater than those actively taking out subscriptions – 14 per cent and six per cent, respectively - and one in five is more likely to subscribe to a digital magazine on a buy-one-get-one-free basis.
An interesting component of this survey asked where improvements could be made to current digital offerings. The outtake – more than one in ten Brits want adverts within digital copies to be interactive and offer something more. In addition to this, almost a fifth would like to see more video content, while 15 per cent care about having the ability to share digital magazine articles with friends.
Overall, the study found that 40 per cent of Brits prefer to consume digital magazines that are ‘exact replicas’ of their print counterparts.
MEC Opinion
A key component of the future of print is undoubtedly tablet, but it’s important not to get carried away just yet.
The recent performance figures, while exciting, don’t hide the fact that the tablet ‘revolution’ is still very much in its infancy. Yes, undoubtedly the tablet market will continue to develop and grow over the coming years, which is invigorating to the print landscape, but there are areas of uncertainty. For instance, there is yet to be a unified methodology of performance measurement and charging structure; e.g. some publishers charge for a URL, others do not. Should this not be included as par for the course? After all, what is the value in having a tablet advert which doesn’t take the reader to branded content?
It’s these inconsistencies that, quite possibly, may put many of the smaller-budgeted advertisers off really embracing tablet. For now at least.
But once a uniformed approach is achieved, and both publishers and agencies learn from the experience, we’re sure more clients will put serious thought behind tablet. And not just from a simple display ad perspective, but in using creative and engaging formats, rich media, video content, and interactive content
One key point to make however from a monetary perspective is the majority of consumer publishers’ revenue still comes from print products. In other words, innovations might be plentiful, but they are not yet cash cows. The fact is, in financial terms, print remains the heartbeat of the operation for most consumer titles.