Study: Web Addresses Used in 58% of Magazine Ads

Fifty-eight percent of magazine advertisements contain an Internet address, according to a new Response Marketing Group study of magazine advertising.

Overall, 78% of advertisements feature either a toll-free number or an Internet address, or both, and 82% of magazine ads use some form of direct response.

“Magazine advertisers know the value of direct response,” said Sandra Murray, president of Burlington, VT-based Response. “Consumers may be ready to learn more or to buy immediately after seeing an ad. Without a direct response mechanism, they have no way of acting on their impulse.”

Thirty-four percent of advertisements with toll-free numbers display the number prominently, the study found. Only 15% with Internet addresses display the address prominently. “URLs in magazine ads are clearly secondary response mechanisms,” said Murray. “Toll-free numbers are still the response device of choice.”

The Response study, Toll-free Numbers in Magazine Advertising, analyzed over 4,000 advertisements. A similar study, Toll-free Numbers in Television Advertising, released in September 1998, found 24% of television commercials containing a toll-free number, and 19% containing an Internet address. Both studies are available for online viewing at www.800response.com.