Newspapers Favor Donated Health Ads

Newspapers run more public-service advertisements about health than about any other subject, followed by education, “community,” family, and then public safety and poverty, a new study by the Advertising Council has found.

Magazines are most likely to run advertisements on behalf of nonprofit groups promoting environmental causes, followed by health and then public safety and education.

The study on how print publications in the United States make decisions about running public-service advertisements was prepared for the Advertising Council by Strategic Surveys International. The Ad Council produces campaigns for nonprofit groups on a wide variety of issues.The study was based on a survey of 54 daily and weekly newspapers and 100 magazines.

On average, newspapers publish public-service announcements in every other issue. Magazines print an average of 10 public-service announcements a year, appearing in an average of 8 issues. The smaller a newspaper or magazine’s circulation, the more likely a publication is to run such an ad.

A free summary of “Survey of Practices: Public Service Advertising Placement in Newspapers & Magazines” will be available on the Ad Council’s Web site, starting May 27, at http://www.adcouncil.org/research. Full copies of the report can be ordered via the site for $30 each.

For more information, contact the Advertising Council at 261 Madison Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10016; (212) 922-1500.