Bodybuilding magazine advertising costs.

[Matt C]

I got this from an industry insider!!!!  INSIDER Q:

MUSCLEMAG's price is about $5,000 per page but you can get them cheaper.  It's the same price for MD.  FLEX is about $10,000 per page but you can get them for close to half.  Muscle & Fitness costs $20,000 but you can get them for maybe $12,000.  They are very expensive.  I don't know what to tell you about the ads, it's very tricky.  From what I've gathered the ads are more for the retailers to know about your products than the actual consumer unless you're running ten pages per ad.  If you're going to do it I would for sure do the small ones on the back of the magazine.

I believe the ads which are 1/3 or 1/6 of the page at the back of MD are $700.  Not sure which of those two sizes is that price, but that was in 2007.  I guess more prominent earlier ads cost more while smaller ads towards the end of the magazine cost less.

Peter McGough said that MD's circulation was only around 30,000.  John Romano disputed this but showed no evidence at all to refute it.  Now that he is no longer with MD perhaps he will give us the real figure.  

Is there really any money in magazines or is it an industry just barely staying afloat?  A lot of mainstream magazines like Newsweek are suffering huge losses right now.

[emn1964]

Print is a dying medium.

[tendonitis]

What is FLEX and Muscle & Fitness' circulation per month?

[body88]

I got this from an industry insider!!!!  INSIDER Q:

I believe the ads which are 1/3 or 1/6 of the page at the back of MD are $700.  Not sure which of those two sizes is that price, but that was in 2007.  I guess more prominent earlier ads cost more while smaller ads towards the end of the magazine cost less.

Peter McGough said that MD's circulation was only around 30,000.  John Romano disputed this but showed no evidence at all to refute it.  Now that he is no longer with MD perhaps he will give us the real figure.  

Is there really any money in magazines or is it an industry just barely staying afloat?  A lot of mainstream magazines like Newsweek are suffering huge losses right now.

That's nothing.... You should see what it cost to buy radio and tv nationally.  Btw, do not advertise bb products in print.  The market is over-saturated.

[body88]

Print is a dying medium.

It depends on how you look at it.  I never liked print, because advertising is frequency based.  Imo, print only works for established brands that are trying to stay top of mind, or for special offers that run in the short term.  Print is essential in a branding campaign or for a complete media mix, but I'd never use it for a lesser known company, or to build a brand from the ground up.

[Matt C]

That's nothing.... You should see what it cost to buy radio and tv nationally.  Btw, do not advertise bb products in print.  The market is over-saturated.

Very interesting.  I was thinking of advertising my website in MD to attract people to my forums where they can participate in open source discussions.  Discuss.

[body88]

Very interesting.  I was thinking of advertising my website in MD to attract people to my forums where they can participate in open source discussions.  Discuss.

Don't do it, and here's why: 1.) BB mag's have no credibility, because of the over-saturation (300 pages of ads) and the outlandish claims of 99% of their advertisers.  2.) Advertising works on frequency (especially if you're trying to get consumers to do something) and imo, print is best suited for established companies who want to stay top of mind, or as part of a complete media mix that uses alternative vehicles as the main supports of the campaign.  You might as well light your money on fire if you want to buy real estate in the back of one of those mags.  No one reads that shit, and you're going to devalue your brand by sticking your name next to all those gimmicks and snake oil peddlers who advertise back there.

I assume that you don't have a lot of cash.  PM me and i'll help you structure an advertising plan that will work for you.

[Matt C]

Don't do it, and here's why: 1.) BB mag's have no credibility, because of the over-saturation (300 pages of ads) and the outlandish claims of 99% of their advertisers.  2.) Advertising works on frequency (especially if you're trying to get consumers to do something) and imo, print is best suited for established companies who want to stay top of mind, or as part of a complete media mix that uses alternative vehicles as the main supports of the campaign.  You might as well light your money on fire if you want to buy real estate in the back of one of those mags.  No one reads that shit, and you're going to devalue your brand by sticking your name next to all those gimmicks and snake oil peddlers who advertise back there.

I assume that you don't have a lot of cash.  PM me and i'll help you structure an advertising plan that will work for you.

This is a very well thought out and this explanation makes sense.  It is now totally understandable that MuscleTech puts which ad spreads in each magazine.

The part on my not having a lot of cash is incorrect though.    I am willing to spend whatever it takes to get my forum visitors up.  But the key is that regardless of cost, I want a return on my investment!

[BB]

I'm not sure how it is now, but many of the older magazines never really made huge money, the value was in the ability to pimp associated products that the magazine had a piece of, like supplements, etc.... For instance, York Barbell, who owned Strength & Health and the original Muscular Development ran them for very little money or operated at a loss. But it was the ability to hawk barbells and supplements in them that kept them around.

Peary Rader's Ironman was always on the edge for a lot of years, but Rader was a decent man with a lot of irons in the fire, so he was able to keep it going.

Muscle Media was EAS's propaganda wing.

I always heard the Weider magazines did the best out of bunch.

 

[body88]

This is a very well thought out and this explanation makes sense.  It is now totally understandable that MuscleTech puts which ad spreads in each magazine.

The part on my not having a lot of cash is incorrect though.    I am willing to spend whatever it takes to get my forum visitors up.  But the key is that regardless of cost, I want a return on my investment!

Trust me my man, when I say a lot of cash, I'm talking what the big boys spend in print each year.  It's hundreds of thousands, and that's just print. I'm not saying that you can't create a successful print campaign to grow your business, but imo, there are much better options out there for what you are trying to do. The bigger companies are known and use print as part of a complete media mix.  Print in the big mags is not cost effective for what you are trying to do.  PM me.

[IronMagazine.com]

I got this from an industry insider!!!!  INSIDER Q:

I believe the ads which are 1/3 or 1/6 of the page at the back of MD are $700.  Not sure which of those two sizes is that price, but that was in 2007.  I guess more prominent earlier ads cost more while smaller ads towards the end of the magazine cost less.

Peter McGough said that MD's circulation was only around 30,000.  John Romano disputed this but showed no evidence at all to refute it.  Now that he is no longer with MD perhaps he will give us the real figure.  

Is there really any money in magazines or is it an industry just barely staying afloat?  A lot of mainstream magazines like Newsweek are suffering huge losses right now.

I used to pay $1,000 for a full page remnant ad in MD, and it was towards the very back of the mag, that was 2-3 years ago, I don't advertise in there anymore.

[Special Ed]

Both Jorge Betancourt (Betancourt Nutrition) and Chris Mason (At Large Nutrition) have publicly commented on what a huge waste of money advertising in MD was. Between the two of them, they picked up about three new customers.

[wes]

Who buys these mags these days to even see an ad ?

[Mr Nobody]

Who buys these mags these days to even see an ad ?

Mostly schomes I assume.

[Matt C]

Both Jorge Betancourt (Betancourt Nutrition) and Chris Mason (At Large Nutrition) have publicly commented on what a huge waste of money advertising in MD was. Between the two of them, they picked up about three new customers.

I respect Jorge a lot as he seems to know what he is doing so I won't rule out what he said.  His thread on the subject is here:

http://www.getbig.com/boards/index.php?topic=107421.0

[TRIX]

$10,000 a page? What the hell. You'd have to be a complete idiot to pay that. MD has 200 full page ads + smaller ones on other pages (banners)

[body88]

Both Jorge Betancourt (Betancourt Nutrition) and Chris Mason (At Large Nutrition) have publicly commented on what a huge waste of money advertising in MD was. Between the two of them, they picked up about three new customers.

Of course, how the fuck can you advertise in a magazine saturated by your competition, filled with brands that have been around forever; all while lacking the ability to generate the proper frequency needed to drive people to your product, website, whatever.  Print in large magazines is for established brands who have short term offers or that are trying to execute 360 marketing campaigns (hitting consumers with many different forms of media) and have the budget to drop on multiple forms of media.  Online, TV, print, radio, events - etc.  It's also good for companies who want to stay top of mind with consumers, that already have a large market share in the industry.  Translation, people know who they are and they are constantly reminding them of their presence or showing them new products.  The trust is already there.

To be fair, advertising is an art, and you can have a great vehicle that hits your target demographic, but your message could be shit or your call to action could be weak.  There are so many factors that go into successful advertising campaigns that have nothing to do with the media vehicle.

[timfogarty]

if you're going to advertise in a bb mag, do it in one of the alternates, like Reps or Planet Muscle.  might have lower circulation, but your ad won't be competing with hundreds of others

[Matt C]

Of course, how the fuck can you advertise in a magazine saturated by your competition, filled with brands that have been around forever; all while lacking the ability to generate the proper frequency needed to drive people to your product, website, whatever.  Print in large magazines is for established brands who have short term offers or that are trying to execute 360 marketing campaigns (hitting consumers with many different forms of media) and have the budget to drop on multiple forms of media.  Online, TV, print, radio, events - etc.  It's also good for companies who want to stay top of mind with consumers, that already have a large market share in the industry.  Translation, people know who they are and they are constantly reminding them of their presence or showing them new products.  The trust is already there.

To be fair, advertising is an art, and you can have a great vehicle that hits your target demographic, but your message could be shit or your call to action could be weak.  There are so many factors that go into successful advertising campaigns that have nothing to do with the media vehicle.

^^ This sounds like good advice from someone in the know!

[Ex Coelis]

I bought a copy of MD in Beirut

[body88]

if you're going to advertise in a bb mag, do it in one of the alternates, like Reps or Planet Muscle.  might have lower circulation, but your ad won't be competing with hundreds of others

And make sure you have a compelling offer that focuses on how your product or service will benefit the consumer.  Lastly, the most cirtical thing is to not give up to soon. Advertising takes time.  You should be consistent for a MINIMUM of 24 weeks before forming an opinion on whatever it is that you are doing.  Thats not to say not to tweak things along the way, but it takes time to build frequency and cause a consumer to act.  Staying top of mind is the name of the game.

[Special Ed]

Of course, how the fuck can you advertise in a magazine saturated by your competition, filled with brands that have been around forever; all while lacking the ability to generate the proper frequency needed to drive people to your product, website, whatever.  Print in large magazines is for established brands who have short term offers or that are trying to execute 360 marketing campaigns (hitting consumers with many different forms of media) and have the budget to drop on multiple forms of media.  Online, TV, print, radio, events - etc.  It's also good for companies who want to stay top of mind with consumers, that already have a large market share in the industry.  Translation, people know who they are and they are constantly reminding them of their presence or showing them new products.  The trust is already there.

To be fair, advertising is an art, and you can have a great vehicle that hits your target demographic, but your message could be shit or your call to action could be weak.  There are so many factors that go into successful advertising campaigns that have nothing to do with the media vehicle.

Well said. Cost-effective advertising can be tricky. That's why God invented media planners.

[Mr Nobody]

I bought a copy of MD in Beirut

I Samir Bannout still there?

[body88]

Well said. Cost-effective advertising can be tricky. That's why God invented media planners.

And ad agencies 

[Ex Coelis]

Is Samir Bannout still there?

I did not run into him

odds are I saw some of his cousins, though