Magazine readership is on the up amid Australian lockdowns: which categories have seen the greatest increase?
In recent news, print titles see growth as Australians turn to magazines during lockdown, Australian athletes front a new climate change campaign, Instagram integrates advertising into its its e-commerce platform, and TikTok and UNICEF partner to target vaccine misinformation.
Print titles see growth as Australians turn to magazines during lockdowns
Market research company Roy Morgan has released a report that shows Australians have turned to magazines during lockdown despite Are Media’s 2020 financials show decline in advertising revenue. A total of 15.2 million Australians read magazines in print and online either via the web or an app during the 12 months to June 2021, a drop of 4%, or 628,000, on the 2020 results. While this is a drop of 4% from the 2020 results, this is largely due to the closure, or suspension, of many titles during 2020 as the industry grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. The report showed that many magazine titles that have continued, have resonated with new audiences during a tough year and are thriving, with solid readership increases seen across many categories.
Australian Athletes Front New Climate Change Campaign
Some of Australia’s most recognisable athletes have launched a new campaign urging the country to take bold action to stop climate change. ‘The Cool Down’ is fronted by former Wallabies captain David Pocock and supported by over 250 current and former athletes. Then campaign calls for decisive action to not only protect the future of all Australians, but also the future of sport.
Instagram introduces ads in Instagram Shop
Instagram has launched ads in the Instagram Shop tab globally to make it easier for users to discover and shop from brands when they’re already in the mood to browse. These ads will appear as tiles on the Instagram Shop tab home page. Clicking on the ad will bring users to the ‘Product Details’ page where they can learn more about the item, view additional imagery, and browse additional products from the brand.
TikTok and UNICEF get serious about vaccine misinformation
TikTok is helping spread the word about vaccines, launching a new dedicated in-app hub in partnership with UNICEF Australia to address any misinformation that might be circulating. To ensure the authoritative vaccine information has cut-through with TikTok’s audience, UNICEF Australia has started creating TikToks about vaccinations, including this one with celebrity chef Adam Liaw.
LinkedIn to shut down its stories function
LinkedIn tells advertisers it’s shutting down Stories on videos on September 30, 2021, after only launching the feature in June, 2020. The social media platform said any image or video ads that are scheduled to run in between Stories will instead be shared to the LinkedIn feed.