The Publishers Information Bureau said magazine advertising generated $23.7 billion in 2008, a decline of 7.8% over the previous year. Ad pages were also down by 11.7%.
Signaling the way forward, the most significant declines of both revenue and pages—13.8% and 17.1%, respectively—took place in the fourth quarter.
The most significant decreases were in the top economically challenged sectors: automotive, home furnishings, financial, insurance, real estate and pharmaceuticals.
Some recession-resistant areas saw growth. Household cleaning products and discount or variety retail outlets increased both ad revenues and pages. The fourth quarter also brought advertising growth for food and related products, accessories and some personal hygiene products.