Abstract:

With increasingly more media choices, each capturing less time with over-solicited consumers, attention is the new benchmark in advertising. It is no longer enough to reach prospective consumers; advertising must emotionally connect with them. The more deeply a magazine connects with its readers, the better job advertising can do within those pages. With fewer dollars to go around, it is essential to shift from paying only for impressions to paying for true attention with readers. Advertisers and their agencies demand accountability quantitative evidence that their investments are effective. Audience cost-per-thousand (CPM), the current measure of advertising dollar value, cannot tell the entire story. Following the Audit Bureau of Circulation's decision to count all subscriptions regardless of price, there is increased need to provide evidence of a compelling connection between a magazine and its readers. This paper provides a practical, simple recommendation for an 'Involvement Index' measuring the emotional connection or involvement of a magazine with its readers.