Total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the month of July increased 10.1% compared to July of last year, closing at $1,513,895,866, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Ad pages totaled 16,236, up 3.1% from July 2004. It marked the sixth straight month that PIB revenue and pages have posted gains. Year-to-date, PIB revenue closed at $12,301,544,784, an increase of 9.4% from the same period last year, with ad pages totaling 130,732, a 1.9% gain.

July 2005 vs. 2004
Seven of the 12 major advertising categories increased their PIB revenue and pages over last year. In July, top gainers included the Automotive; Toiletries & Cosmetics; Direct Response; Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; and Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts categories. Financial, Insurance & Real Estate posted its seventeenth consecutive month of PIB revenue and page gains in July. (Twelve categories are the most significant contributors to PIB revenue, comprising more than 85% of total advertising spending.) Toiletries & Cosmetic spending, particularly in Hair Products and Personal Hygiene & Health, helped drive magazine advertising revenue and page gains for the month of July. Ads for confectionery and beverages once again contributed to the strong performance in Food & Food Products category last month.

January - July 2005 vs. 2004
Year-to-date, nine of the 12 major advertising categories posted increased in PIB revenue and pages: Automotive; Toiletries & Cosmetics; Food & Food Products; Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; Apparel & Accessories; Direct Response Companies; Media & Advertising; Retail; and Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts. Double-digit PIB revenue and page growth were recorded by Food & Food Products; and Financial, Insurance & Real Estate.