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Consumer magazines are failing to capitalise on mobile ad opportunities, says Monotype report

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By Jessica Davies, News Editor

May 7, 2013 | 2 min read

Consumer magazines are failing to provide brand advertisers with effective cross-platform ad opportunities, according to a report from Monotype Imaging.

The company, which surveyed 100 top consumer titles including Grazia, Woman's Own and Hello! in the US, UK and Germany between February and March this year, claimed 93 per cent of the magazines surveyed have failed to offer complete cross-platform digital experiences, often leading to the use of “illegible” or “distorted” ads which it deems “worthless” to brands.

The Adventures In Publishing – The New Dynamics of Advertising report, which comes from Monotype Imaging’s Brand Perfect initiative, claims advertising to publishers' mobile audiences remains an untapped opportunity.

Of the 78 English-language titles surveyed in the report 83 per cent have at least one mobile app, 65 per cent of which are Apple based and 40 per cent on the Android platform, with all 78 publishing an app on the iPad.

However, only 25 per cent of these had websties optimised for any form of tablet display, with most publishers using a scaled-down version of their desktop sites instead. This means nearly half (43 per cent) of the smartphone experiences are unsatisfactory, according to the report.

The research also states publishers are not capitalising on the rise of responsive web design, which optimises viewing experiences across a wide range of devices automatically to cater for the different screen sizes.

“Where device-ready sites are not available, advertisements served are scaled down, often resulting in illegible typography and distorted imagery,” states the report.

Neil Ayres, editor of brandperfect.org, said: “Many brands know that they need to be developing campaigns that work across multiple devices, from the desktop, or even the TV, down to the smartphone. To support this, brands need adaptive media that enable them to reach consumers directly. This will only happen if more publishers invest in websites that satisfy readers regardless of what devices they use to access them.”

Brand Perfect, a platform launched by Monotype to help brands, agencies and developers share knowledge to help improve brand performance and user experience, is calling for brands and technology providers to collaborate to create more a “more effective” cross platform medium aimed at addressing the fragmentation in publishing channels and reducing the number of missed opportunities for brands.

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