New global research: Print magazine advertising leaves people feeling happier than any other medium

Print Solutions

A new global report from media association FIPP and UPM Communication Papers shows that printed magazine advertising outperforms social media and influencer advertising in trust, relevance and happiness. The underlying study is the most extensive research into print advertising conducted in over five years.

‘This report is absolute gold dust for anyone who needs to make the case for print advertising. It brings together fresh evidence of the trust, attention and commercial impact that magazines deliver, giving publishers a stronger foundation for conversations with advertisers. Our goal is to help publishers move beyond defending print and start making a confident case for the value it brings to the media mix. Print has a powerful story to tell, and this report gives our industry the evidence to tell it,’ said FIPP CEO Alastair Lewis.

 The key findings show that magazine advertising is more trusted, feels more relevant and makes people happier than social media and influencer advertising.

The link between printed magazine consumption and happiness is striking: 66% of magazine readers say that reading magazines leaves them feeling good about themselves. Further, printed magazine advertising has the highest happiness score of any advertising format measured in the study. Some 63% of regular readers say magazine ads make them happy, compared with 39% for influencer ads.

The research shows that printed magazines are the most trusted medium for advertising, with 52% agreeing that magazine advertising is trustworthy, compared with 33% for social media and 28% for influencers. One driver of this is the human factor: two in three readers say they trust their favourite magazine brands more because they have been created by humans rather than AI.

At the same time, 70% of readers say they pay more attention to an ad when it matches the editorial content around it, and 72% notice ads more when they relate to their own interests. Magazines rank highest of all formats for perceived ad relevance, with 52% net agreement, compared with just 31% for influencer advertising.

These new insights align with an already established strong commercial case for print advertising. According to previous findings from Thinkbox's Profit Ability 2 study, print advertising generates more than 50% higher long term returns than the industry average.

‘The study shows that printed magazines are in a unique position as an advertising channel. A medium which is consumed in a context of happiness creates space for brands to be experienced positively. Combined with an increased sense of relevance and trust, this makes a strong case for print advertising,’ said Kati Murto, vice president, marketing, communications and sustainability at UPM Communication Papers.

The research also shows that magazine readership is increasing among younger readers. Four in ten adults aged 18 to 34 say they are reading magazines more than they used to.

The full report is available at https://go.upmpaper.com/fipp-report-2026