Total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the month of May 2005 increased 12.4% compared to May of last year, closing at $2,222,534,235 according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB). Ad pages were up 3.9% at 23,169.59 compared to 22,289.8 compared to May 2004. Year-to-date, PIB revenue closed at $8,858,223,529, an increase of 9.7% over the same period in 2004, with ad pages totaling 94,005.76, a 1.6% gain.

May 2005 vs. 2004
Eight of the 12 major advertising categories experienced increases in both PIB revenue and pages over last year. In May, double-digit PIB revenue and page gainers included the Retail; Finance, Insurance & Real Estate; Public Transportation, Hotels & Resorts; and Media & Advertising categories. Financial, Insurance & Real Estate posted its fifteenth consecutive month of PIB revenue and page gains in May. (Twelve categories are the most significant contributors to PIB revenue, comprising more than 85% of total advertising spending.)

January – May 2005 vs. 2004
Year-to-date, seven of the 12 major advertising categories posted increases in PIB revenue and pages. For the year, double-digit PIB revenue and page growth have been recorded by the Food & Food Products; Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; and Media & Advertising.

"Automotive is back as the number one advertising category for magazines in May, bolstered by both American automakers and imports," noted Ellen Oppenheim, Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer, Magazine Publishers of America ( Web Site  Related Articles  Google). "Department stores-both high-end and discount-contributed to the Retail category's robust performance last month."