Magazines stay in vogue

Websites come and blogs go, but fashion magazines are eternal according to two recent studies completed in the United States and Australia.

American media agency, MediaVest, conducted a study showing that readers trust magazines more than websites in terms of content. The study sowed that the level of trust in information about fashion and beauty was 24 per cent higher for magazines than websites.

MediaVast executive, David Shiffman, concluded that: "Print offers something very, very unique, specifically around trustworthiness and authoritativeness. The personal experience people have with it is very different from what they're looking for and getting in the digital world."

These sentiments were highlighted in a study conducted this year by Media Matchmaker, commissioned by Magazine Publishers of Australia.

This study showed that magazines were the best source of media when it comes to inspiration for ideas and keeping people up to date with the latest styles and trends. 64 per cent pf respondents replied that magazines "Keeps me up-to-date with latest styles and trends" compared to 24 per cent who nominated the internet.

Pat Ingram, group publisher, women's lifestyle at ACP Magazines believes that there is still scope for the two mediums to work together.  "For many readers, the experience of immersing themselves in their favourite magazine is unparalleled: it's a special relationship built on trust and the assurance that visually powerful, entertaining and authoritative content lies between the covers," she said.

"However, the online extensions of our titles ... prove equally popular, for different reasons. Readers love the immediacy these offer. Ultimately, the experience of logging-on for a fashion or beauty fix is very different from the quality, 'me-time' associated with reading a magazine - but the two mediums complement one another perfectly, to provide the reader with inspiration on a number of different levels."