Even being a woman, I have become quite endeared to the FHM magazine, which I poach from my husband once he has turned the last page. The publication is male-directed, but it still respects women throughout its raunchy journey every month.
But more and more I have been noticing the increasing number of advertisements in not only this particular magazine, but in others as well, to the point where literally every second page is an advert.
Now I do understand that it is very costly to run and publish these mags on a monthly basis, and that placing advertising is a HUGE contributor to revenue, but this is NOT the reason that we, as loyal consumers, purchase the magazines. It's all about the content and the 'escapism' value that are offered between the gossipy/enlightening/naughty* pages. If we wanted to be bombarded with ads we would buy the junk mail (...interesting pun there...).
So I ask you, has advertising become an autocratic monarch in the Industry, ruling over margins of all other media, or have publications just forgotten what it is that the consumer REALLY wants...???
