Total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the month of April increased 5.1% compared to the same month last year, closing at $2,022,477,324, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Ad pages totaled 20,348.69, up 1.4% from April 2005. Year-to-date, PIB revenue closed at $6,946,064,469, an increase of 4.5% over the same period in 2005, with ad pages totaling 71,717.80, a 0.7% gain.

April 2006 vs. 2005
Drugs & Remedies, Retail and Technology recorded double-digit increases in PIB revenue and pages over April 2005. Drugs & Remedies saw robust activity on the direct-to-consumer front. In addition, Retail was boosted by advertising for department stores, supercenters and specialty stores, while Technology was aided by ads for Internet-based companies, telecom, and computer products. Other categories that posted dollar and page gains were Toiletries & Cosmetics and Public Transportation, Hotels & Resort.

January - April 2006 vs. 2005
In the first four months of 2006, the Drugs & Remedies and Retail categories generated double-digit increases in PIB revenue and pages. Toiletries & Cosmetics; Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; and Technology likewise saw page increases, with Toiletries & Cosmetics and Technology recording double-digit gains in PIB revenue.

"Toiletries & Cosmetics, Technology, Drugs & Remedies and Retail drove magazine ad growth for the first four months of 2006-quite a diverse array of categories," said Ellen Oppenheim, EVP/Chief Marketing Officer, Magazine Publishers of America. "Within these categories some interesting trends emerged. For example, web-based companies are increasingly advertising in magazines."