Canadian magazines are beginning to feel the effects of the economic downturn, with total ad pages for the country’s largest titles declining for the second straight quarter. Overall run-of-press ad pages for the 81 magazines tracked by Leading National Advertisers (Canada) were down 3.7% in Q2 of 2008, compared to the same period in 2007. This follows a 2% drop in the first quarter.

When inserts and supplements are added to the equation, the picture gets worse—an overall decline of 5.3%. Revenues from ROP pages were up 3.1%, according to LNA, but that figure is generally less reliable since it doesn’t take into account the discounting practiced at most magazines. Only 31 of 81 magazines tracked showed gains in Q2.

A deeper look into the data reveals problems in the Quebec market; of the ten magazines showing the steepest declines, seven are French-language. The top ten gainers come from a hodge-podge of categories, though women’s general interest titles—the strongest area of growth over the last five years or so—do seem underrepresented.

Here's a look at what happened in some of the larger categories from April to June 2008, versus the same period in 2007. All percentage changes relate to ROP ad pages.

Alternative weeklies

• Eye Weekly (7.3%)
• Now (-13.9%)

Business

• Canadian Business (40%)
• Financial Post Business (2,9%)
• Moneysense (57.4%)
• Profit (-7.9%)
• Report on Business (-10.7%)

Celebrity/entertainment

• 7 Jours (10.6%)*
• Hello! Canada (-3%)
• Inside Entertainment (-26.6%)
• Le Lundi (-49.5%)*
• Movie Entertainment (-10.4%)
• Star Inc. (-7.6%)
• Teen Tribute (-25%)**
• Tribute (-81%)***

Greenthumb

• Canadian Gardening (-20.5%)
• Fleures Plantes Jardins (-19.4%)
• Gardening Life (-19%)
• Cote Jardins (-46.7%)

Fashion

• Elle Canada (19.1%)
• Elle Québec (9.4%)
• Fashion Magazine (1.2%)
• Flare (-4.1%)

General Interest

• Canadian Geographic (16.3%)
• EnRoute (19.9%)
• Reader's Digest (1%)
• Sélection du Reader's Digest (-3.3%)

News and current affairs

• Maclean's (-0.1%)
• Time (8.6%)
• L'actualité (1%)

Regional

• Toronto Life (13.6%)
• Vancouver (-4.3%)
• Western Living (-6.2%)

Shelter

• Canadian House & Home (-0.3%)
• Canadian Home & Country (-1.1%)
• Decormag (-20.7%)
• Décoration chez-soi (-11.6%)
• Harrowsmith Country Life (-23.8%)***
• Les idées de ma maison (-25%)
• Style at Home (7.5%)

Shopping

• Glow (144.1%)
• LouLou (English) (-9%)
• LouLou (French) (2.4%)
• Wish (-8.4%)

Special interest

• Canadian Home Workshop (-5.5%)***
• Cottage Life (35.4%)
• Explore (-21.7%)
• Outdoor Canada (34.5%)
• Ontario Out of Doors (-2.4%)

Women's service

• Canadian Family (-12.5%)
• Canadian Living (-12.7%)
• Chatelaine (2.9%)
• Châtelaine (-13.7%)
• Clin d'oeil (10.2%)
• Coup de Pouce  (-2.1%)
• Enfants Québec (-49.1%)****
• Espace Parents (-10.8%)
• Homemakers (-52.8%)
• Madame  (-61.2%)
• More (205.7%)
• Today's Parent (-0.7%)

*Published four issues June 2008 and five issues June 2007

**Did not publish an issue June 2008

*** Published a combined issue May/June 2008

****Published a combined issue May/June 2008, issue published June 2007

For more info on LNA, contact: Danuta Zwicewicz at 416-644-3527 or danuta.zwicewicz [at] imsms.com