In-house ad customization a growing trend at magazines

Chasing the elusive and wary advertiser, magazine companies are doing more and more ad work in-house, which allows them to customize ads for various titles. According to a story in Women's Wear Daily, Hearst has gone on the road to agencies and advertisers with a one-hour presentation about the kind of customization they are willing and eager to do. The initiative started two years ago and now is showing results in various Hearst titles.

Dior Beauty, for example, recently selected five Hearst titles to advertise in, including Marie Claire, Seventeen and O, The Oprah Magazine. All three are read by different audiences so the brand’s ad design, from text to images, varies in each. The variations can be dealt with in-house at Hearst since everything is processed digitally. “There have been iterations of this before, but it’s never been done to this extent before,” Michael Clinton [of Hearst] claimed, declining to discuss pricing.

The story said in 2007, Hearst produced 415 pages of advertising in-house, and in 2008, almost 600 pages, or 22 programs, were published. This year, 16 programs have been completed, with three more about to close.