New York, NY (June 13, 2006)--Total magazine rate-card-reported advertising revenue for the month of May increased 0.9% compared to the same month last year, closing at $2,242,361,940, according to Publishers Information Bureau (PIB).  Ad pages totaled 22,607.75, down 2.3% from May 2005.  Year-to-date, PIB revenue closed at $9,191,746,712, an increase of 3.6% over the same period in 2005, with ad pages totaling 94,357.69, even against the previous year.

May 2006 vs. 2005

Half of the 12 major advertising categories posted both PIB revenue and page increases over May 2005.  The top PIB revenue gainers, showing double-digit growth, were Drugs & Remedies, Toiletries & Cosmetics, Apparel & Accessories, and Direct Response. The top page gains were recorded by Direct Response and Drugs & Remedies.

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January - May 2006 vs. 2005

In the first five months of 2006, seven categories saw PIB revenue and page gains, with Drugs & Remedies and Retail generating double-digit growth.  Apparel & Accessories; Direct Response; Financial, Insurance & Real Estate; Toiletries & Cosmetics; and Technology saw increases in dollars and pages as well.

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Toiletries & Cosmetics was the number one ad category for magazines for the second time this year. In May, advertising for cosmetics, beauty aids and personal hygiene products accounted for part of the growth in the category, said Ellen Oppenheim, EVP/Chief Marketing Officer, Magazine Publishers of America.  Drugs & Remedies has maintained 10 consecutive months of increase, while Retail has been up for the fourth straight month.

Regarding the dip in Automotive, the category data is hard to interpret without the knowing numbers for the other media, she added.  For example, although at the end of first quarter 2006the latest period available for all mediaPIB revenue was down 2.1% for magazines, magazine share in Auto ad dollars was in fact up slightly at 0.4%.  

Expanded PIB information is available at www.magazine.org/PIB.

Publishers Information Bureau (PIB), founded in 1947, is the premier source of consumer magazine advertising spending and related data. TNS Media Intelligence, the leading provider of strategic advertising and marketing information, collects and monitors this data and supplies it to PIB.  PIB is a membership organization, administered by Magazine Publishers of America, consisting of approximately 250 different magazine titles and newspaper-distributed magazines.