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Rebecca McPheters
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New Study Finds Reading in Public Places Accounts for 45% of All Magazine Reading
Readers seek out their favorite titles in waiting areas and other public places where magazines are distributed

August 11, 2008. New York, NY. The AudienceLab™ Study of Public Place Engagement, released today by McPheters & Company, has found that 57% of all magazine reading takes place outside the home and that 45% of time spent reading magazines occurs in public places such as waiting areas, airplanes and hotels. Additionally, 86% of those who have read magazines in the last month have done at least some of their reading in a public place. The survey, which was fielded among a nationally representative sample of adults, collected information on attitudes and behaviors in regard to reading in specific venues where publishers typically distribute copies for use by visitors in waiting and reception areas. These included doctors’ and dentists’ offices, barber shops, beauty salons, gyms, automotive outlets, planes, airline clubs, and hotels.

Brenda White, Starcom Senior Vice President, Publishing Activation Group (PAG), said: “The study addresses many of the questions advertisers have had about the quality of public place audiences. While it provides much new information, it also reaffirms results from Starcom’s own work in this area.” According to Condé Nast Senior Vice President Scott McDonald, “This study provides further evidence that public place reading is a fundamental part of the consumption process for the magazine medium. It is one of the key ways that readers engage with magazine brands – and provides substantial value for advertisers.”

The study found that public place readership is characterized by high levels of reader engagement.

• Across public place venues, an average of 87% say they pay as much or more attention than usual to magazines read in these locations
• More than two thirds of public place readers say they look for their favorite magazines when visiting these locations
• More than half say they use this opportunity to try magazines they don’t ordinarily read
• More than a third say they prefer reading in public places to reading at home
  

Steve Aster, President of Consumer Marketing at Source Interlink Media, noted that: “Public place distribution builds advertiser value by expanding advertisers’ ability to reach engaged readers who are prospective purchasers of their products. This study provides important new documentation regarding the quality of this important circulation source.” Ian Lewis, Vice President/Consumer Research & Insights at Time Inc., said: “This new study builds on the 2006 Time Inc. and Mediaedge:cia study of public place reading. The industry now has two major, independent studies that unequivocally demonstrate the value of reading in public places.”

Additional findings included:

• Adults with children, 35-44 year-olds, and students spend a disproportionate share of time spent reading in public places
• Time spent reading magazines, overall and in public places, increases with affluence
• With the exception of magazines read while traveling, almost all public place reading is of copies put out for visitors to read in waiting and reception areas

Rebecca McPheters, CEO of McPheters & Company, said that: “On a title by title basis, we found a high correlation between where copies are distributed and where they are read, indicating that most public place copies are indeed going into appropriate outlets where they find receptive and responsive readers.”

The study was conducted among a nationally representative sample of adults in the U.S. and had more than 2700 respondents. It was supported by Condé Nast, Hachette, MPA, Time Inc., Reader’s Digest, and Source Interlink, as well as by CMS and On-Board Media.

About McPheters & Company
McPheters & Company is a consulting company which specializes in issues related to media and media measurement. Much of the company’s work is focused on assessing and documenting the advertiser value associated with different circulation sources.