Printed magazine ads leave people happiest, global report finds

A new global report from global media association, FIPP, and UPM Communication Papers shows that printed magazine advertising is outperforming social media and influencer advertising in trust, relevance, and happiness.

The study, which UPM cites as “the most extensive research into print advertising conducted in over five years”, found that printed magazine advertising has the highest happiness score of any advertising format measured in the study.

63% of regular readers in the study say that magazine ads make them happy, compared with only 39% for influencer ads. 66% of magazine readers also say that reading magazines leaves them feeling good about themselves.

The research shows that printed magazines are the most trusted medium for advertising, with 52% agreeing that magazine advertising is trustworthy compared with 33% for social media and 28% for influencers.

According to the study, one driver of this is the human factor – two in three readers say they trust their favourite magazine brands more because they have been created by humans rather than AI.

At the same time, 70% of readers say they pay more attention to an ad when it matches the editorial content around it, with 72% noticing ads more when they relate to their own interests. Magazines rank highest of all formats for perceived ad relevance with 52% net agreement, compared with just 31% for influencer advertising.

FIPP’s chief executive officer, Alastair Lewis, says: “This report is absolute gold dust for anyone who needs to make the case for print advertising. It brings together fresh evidence of the trust, attention, and commercial impact that magazines deliver, giving publishers a stronger foundation for conversations with advertisers.

“Our goal is to help publishers move beyond defending print and start making a confident case for the value it brings to the media mix. Print has a powerful story to tell, and this report gives our industry the evidence to tell it.”

The study was released for the launch of National Magazine Day on October 14^th, a UK campaign designed to help children discover the joy of reading.

In its inaugural year, the initiative saw more than 10,000 families across the UK entering a nationwide schools competition.

The competition, which ran from July to September this year, invited parents and carers to nominate their child’s school to receive a range of children’s magazines.

As part of National Magazine Day celebrations, 20 winning schools have now been selected from towns and cities across the country, each receiving 250 magazines to support reading for pleasure in classrooms and libraries. Families who nominated a winning school will also receive a £100 Amazon voucher.

PR firm Immediate, which organised the event, notes that the popularity of the event showcases “a clear sign of how strongly magazines resonate as an accessible, confidence‑building route into reading.”

One school was also awarded a ‘golden ticket’ prize, receiving an additional £1,000 to spend on books, magazines, and reading resources for its library.

Eight-year-old student Poppy, whose entry was selected from more than 10,000 submissions, says: “I’m really proud that I’ve won it for my school and that we can share it throughout the classrooms. I think we’re a really lucky school to have won!”

Ali Foster-Grose, director of community and events at Immediate, adds: “Our ambition is for National Magazine Day to grow year on year, reaching even more children and helping to make reading accessible, enjoyable, and part of everyday life.”