The Effect of Magazine Web Site Usage on Print Magazine Loyalty

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of magazine Web site usage on print magazine loyalty and word-of-mouth intentions. Thus, the key question is whether active Web site visitors are more likely to buy the magazine in the future. The research framework builds on the literature on relationship marketing and brand relationships, and is tested on a sample of the online users (n = 2,351) of 24 Finnish consumer magazines. This study uses structural equation modeling (LISREL 8.50) and simultaneously tests the hypotheses on 2 sub-samples: current subscribers of the magazine (n = 1,068) and non-subscribers (n = 1,283). Significant differences were found between the 2 samples. Most important, the impact of Web site usage on print magazine loyalty was found to differ. There was a negative effect in the non-subscriber sample, whereas there was no evidence of such an effect in the subscriber sample. Thus, it seems that magazine Web site usage may substitute the print magazine for non-subscribers.

The Economics of Word of Mouth: Designing Effective Social Media Marketing for Magazines

“…These findings (Ellonen et al, 2010;Kaiser & Kongsted, 2012;Simon & Kadiyali, 2007) suggest that magazines should use online marketing to target non-readers or casual readers who might be convinced to subscribe. Magazines should reduce the risk of cannibalization by limiting overlap between print and online content.…”

“…Other magazines specialize by both content and geography, such as national and regional business magazines. Effective marketing can help differentiate a magazine by creating a brand identity valued by audiences and advertisers (Ellonen et al, 2010;Nienstedt, Huber, & Seelmann, 2012).…”

“…Furthermore, magazines risk a reduction in printed circulation when they offer free access online to the content from the printed magazine (Kaiser & Kongsted, 2012;Simon & Kadiyali, 2007;Stahl et al, 2004). Online marketing can fail to attract new readers (Ellonen et al, 2010) if marketing efforts are not carefully designed. Simon and Kadiyali (2007) studied 522 U.S. magazines and found "a negative relationship between the demand for digital and print magazine content" (p. 360).…”

“…For example, magazines can use websites to complement print editions by giving subscribers special access to restricted content online. Ellonen et al (2010) surveyed visitors to Finnish magazine websites and found that nonsubscribers were less likely than subscribers to report that they planned to buy the magazines. The study concluded that non-subscribers either used the websites as a substitute for the printed magazine or were interested in other website features, such as chat rooms.…”

Effects of a Magazine’s Move to Online-only: Post-print Audience Attention and Readership Retention Revisited

“…Kaiser (2006) also found that the degree of cannibalization varied with audience characteristics, such as age. The effects of audience characteristics were also explored in a study by Ellonen, Tarkiainen, and Kuivalainen (2010), who found that amongst subscribers to (although not casual purchasers of) 24 consumer magazines in Finland, increases in usage of a magazine's website did not affect self-reported loyalty to its print edition. In a similar vein, although a study by Kaiser and Kongsted (2012) of 67 German magazines found a "weakly significant" 3 correlation between increases in traffic to a magazine's website and decreases in its print circulation, this was driven by the effects on kiosk sales.…”