Facebook numbers, the evolution of mobile, video ad viewability, scrolling, and more are among the topics covered in this month’s installment of TFP’s Media Metrics roundup.

We compile excerpts from some of the key stories covering issues affecting the publishing and media industries each month to help you keep up with current media industry trends and prepare for changes that are just around the corner. Here are our top picks.

Facebook Monthly Active Users2Q Earnings: Facebook Has 1.32B MAUs, 1.07B Mobile MAUs, 399M Mobile-Only MAUs (AllFacebook)

  • According to its earnings report, Facebook grew to 1.32 billion monthly active users (MAUs) at the end of the second quarter, up from 1.276 billion at the end of the first quarter and 1.115 billion a year ago.
  • Mobile MAUs went up slightly from 1.008 billion in the previous quarter to 1.07 billion, but that reflects a significant increase compared with the 819 million figure the company reported for the second quarter last year. Also, mobile-only MAUs continued on an upward trend: 399 million in the second quarter, compared with 341 million in the first quarter and 219 million in the previous year.
  • In terms of revenue, Facebook reported $2.91 billion for the period, an increase of 61% year over year.

IDG Global Mobile Survey Puts Spotlight on the Mobile Evolution (IDG Global Solutions)

  • An IDG study confirmed that mobile is overtaking traditional media, with 50% of survey respondents using a tablet to get their news. It also reported that 40% have replaced their desktop or laptop with a tablet device.
  • In addition, the number of smartphone users who watch online videos jumped from 61% in 2012 to 75% in the latest study, and an overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) said they do work-related activities on their tablets in the evening.
  • But the survey also indicated that a lack of mobile-enabled websites and security are still big concerns.

Viewability Drives Awareness, Recall, Intent, TubeMogul Study ShowsTubeMogul: Brand Lift by Campaign Viewability
(MediaPost)

  • Research using over a million streamed video ads found that serving ads on sites with higher viewability rates can nearly double purchase intent: 10.4% on sites with higher viewability compared with 5.6% on those with lower viewability.
  • Those sites with higher viewability rates also showed 7% message recall, while sites with lower rates came in at just 1.5%, a 366% difference.
  • In addition, product awareness was 1.9% for the top half of sites, while that figure was only 0.2% for the bottom half, an 850% difference.

Report Identifies Scrolling as a Key Metric for Content and Media Optimization (EContent)

  • According to a quarterly report from AddThis, Mac users are 17% more likely to use a page scrolling feature compared with PC users. And the Northeast represents six out of the seven most active states for scrolling activity.
  • Also, scrolling is 55% more likely to occur on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and 20% more likely during business hours.
  • Some 65% of browsers will bounce after one page visit when the referring URL is through a social network.
  • The report also shows that viewability rates are 85% higher when ads are optimized with content engagement tools, and delivering media to sites with higher engagement rates increases brand awareness by 30%.

Digital Editions Up Slightly at U.S. Magazines (Poynter)

  • The Alliance for Audited Media said in its latest report that circulation of U.S. digital editions rose in the first half of 2014, but digital editions were only 3.8% of total circulation, compared with 3.3% in June 2013.
  • Paid subscriptions showed a decrease of about 2%, and single-copy sales were down 12%.
  • Top magazines in the U.S. were AARP The Magazine and the AARP Bulletin, with circulation increases of 4.1% and 2.2%, respectively.

Starting Salaries at Magazines Fell $5K in Last Year: Study (Poynter)

  • A University of Georgia survey of graduates found that consumer magazines offered the lowest median starting salaries to those graduating with journalism degrees in 2013. That figure is $5,000 less than in the previous year.
  • Magazines based in the Northeast had the highest median salaries for 2013 graduates, offering $35,000 compared with $32,000 in other regions.
  • At daily newspapers, the nominal median starting salary was $29,600 last year.

Study: 69% of Marketers Believe That Native Advertising Is Valuable (Adweek)

  • According to a study by 614 Group, 69% of marketers think native advertising is valuable, and 22% see it as the future of digital advertising.
  • Getting the right level of scale for native advertising and content marketing is a top priority for 52% of study participants.
  • Some other numbers to note: 87% of marketers use their own websites as a means to promote content, 80% use social networks, 76% rely on organic search, and 18% use content discovery/recommendation platforms.
  • Are marketers happy with the results of their content marketing efforts? Some 54% say no. And 29% say they are perplexed by the challenges of getting business results.

Author Earnings Reports Offer Validation to Self-Published Writers (EContent)

  • The latest Authors Earnings Report shows that 66% of the bestselling romance books on Amazon are self-published.
  • It found that market share by indie authors is an accelerating trend, noting that more than 50% of the books on Nook’s genre bestseller lists are now self-published.

Celebrity Magazine Sales Plummet on Newsstands (The New York Times)

  • Numbers from the Alliance for Audited Media show a sharp decline in magazine newsstand sales in the first half of the year. Newsstand sales of People, InStyle, and Us Weekly fell by almost 15% compared with the same period in 2013, and other titles suffered even more: In Touch Weekly newsstand sales fell by 23.5%, Star by 21.8%, Life & Style Weekly by 21.7%, and People StyleWatch by 32.8%. Vanity Fair did a little better with an 11.8% decline.
  • The only magazine to see newsstand sales go up was HGTV Magazine, with a 7.4% increase.
  • The good news is that newsstand sales are a small percentage of total magazine purchases, and the subscription base for many of the celebrity magazines did see some growth. People, InStyle, and Vanity Fair subscriptions increased by 3% in the first half of the year, while Us Weekly went up by 4%, Star by 16%, and Life & Style Weekly  by 8%. Meanwhile, People StyleWatch saw a 23% jump in subscriptions.
  • Other figures to note: Overall total magazine circulation fell 1.9%, total subscriptions dropped 1.8%, and single-copy sales went down by 11.9%.

Media Metrics is a monthly feature from Technology for Publishing, aimed at keeping you armed with the latest industry data. If you’d like to share something you’ve read, drop us a note. And keep up with the latest industry news coverage by signing up for our This Week in Publishing emails or our monthly Publishing Trends newsletter.

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Posted by: Margot Knorr Mancini

Margot Knorr Mancini
A thought leader in the publishing industry, Margot Knorr Mancini has helped numerous publishers redefine their missions to become nimble content generators with the ability to repurpose content easily and efficiently. As Founder & CEO of Technology for Publishing, her analytical mind allows her to remain a step ahead of the industry, recognizing early trends and developing pivotal best practices.
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