The report is based on both propriety PPA research conducted in partnership with Tolunaquick and draws from a large selection of international studies to provide publishers and advertisers with one of the most complete overviews of the tablet market and its future potential for magazine media.
The report predicts a surge in digital magazine engagement and identifies a positive correlation between print and tablet readership. 96% of tablet owners have read a printed magazine in the last year, compared to the 80% national average. The findings suggest that while readers are positive about and responsive to digital magazines, they continue to want both formats: digital editions should not be seen as a replacement to print, instead as an addition, providing an enhanced experience for readers.
Findings also suggest tablets reinvigorate owners’ appetite to try different brands with 68% of tablet owners stating that they have read newspapers or magazines on a tablet that they had not previously read in print.
Marius Cloete, Head of Research, PPA, commented: “There is a strong link between tablet owners and magazine readership. A number of studies suggest that digital editions are reinvigorating the appetite for magazine media and this has been confirmed by our own research with Tolunaquick which demonstrates that digital editions are not eroding the market for print editions, instead quite the opposite. Tablet owners are more likely to have read and purchased printed magazines in the previous 3 months than the national average, dispelling the myth that tablet owners are abandoning print in favour or digital. The two platforms instead appear to be working in combination to expand consumers’ reading repertoire.”
The PPA TAP Report also revealed a divergence in the way content is being accessed by tablet and smartphone users. Despite the fact that both mobile devices comprise similar functions, the research shows that tablet users are much more likely to spend time reading content and are also more likely to use the device in the home: 73% of tablet owners use the device whilst in bed and 96% use it on the sofa, mirroring the consumption habits familiar to printed magazines.
Smartphones, in contrast, were more likely to be used for social networking activities, underlining the difference in the engagement experience for users and the range of opportunities available to both publishers and advertisers.
Audited circulation figures from ABC for the six months between July and December 2011 showed a 400% increase in tablet edition reporting and the following ABC period confirmed consumer appetite for digital editions, with 25% of all titles reporting a tablet figure. In the US ABC digital editions have more than doubled since the previous reporting period.
As digital adverts allow readers to immediately interact with a brand, should they choose to, net action scores are even higher through digital advertising. MRI Gfk 2012 research included within the TAP Report shows magazine adverts deliver similar levels of recall across print (53%) and digital (56%). It goes on to highlight that digital advertising further improves on the performance of its traditional counterpart when it comes to generating further interaction with the brand be it via the brand’s website, social media, or other forms of research.
James Papworth, Marketing Director, PPA, added: “As we approach Christmas, increasing tablet sales are expected to continue, fuelling more opportunity and distribution for magazine editions. The PPA expects tablet editions to expand in both the number of titles available and copy sales. This is good news for advertisers as the opportunity to engage with magazine brand content is rapidly growing.”
About PPA
The PPA says: “The PPA promotes and protects the interests of print and online publishers of consumer and business media in the UK. The PPA has around 200 publishing companies in its membership, which collectively produce more than 2,500 consumer and business magazines and journals as well as digital media, data products and events.”
