Do excuse Vogue, Vanity Fair, In Style, Lucky, and Marie Claire for looking a little blue these days, because they’re taking a beating in the ad market. Ad sales across luxury and fashion titles are down 10 percent in the third quarter, according to WWD. Let’s break down the cold hard numbers: Vogue’s ad pages are down 9.6 percent since 2007; Vanity Fair’s are down 15.3 percent; In Style’s are down 14.9 percent; Lucky’s are down 11.3 percent; and Marie Claire’s are down 7.7 percent. Elle’s pages, on the other hand, are up 3.2 percent, we’d guess due to their recently ended Project Runway sponsorship.
We wonder if the readerships of fashion magazines are growing less attractive to advertisers. A new report shows the average household income of women who read these magazines is largely down. The largest decline (18.4 percent) goes to Harper’s Bazaar, whose average reader makes $62,465; Lucky’s readers are down 7.7 percent for an average of $80,778; and Vogue’s are down 2.3 percent to $64,429. Ironic considering the price tags of the stuff in these magazines. Fifteen handbags in Vogue could equal one reader’s entire yearly salary. Is it any wonder newsstand sales are down, too?
Suffering Fashion Mags [WWD]
Richer Readers [WWD]
