A Comparison of AOPA PILOT & FLYING MAGAZINE



                                                        AOPA PILOT                                                                        FLYING

 

Ownership:           Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association                              Hachette Filipacchi Magazines

 

Circulation:                   368,929 ABC (6/04)                                                     275,134 ABC (6/04)

 

 

AOPA PILOT

Flying

Subscriptions: Individual

1,268

221,882

Subscriptions: Association

367,661

-

Subscriptions: Public Place/Sponsored Sales:

-

28,819

Single Copy Sales:

-

24,433

Total Paid Circulation:

368,929

275,134

 

 

Demographics:

         % Male:                                   96%                                                                          98%

         Ave Age:                                     52                                                                           51

         Ave HHI:                        $   189,000                                                                 $   150,530

         Ave Net Worth:               $1,088,000                                                                 $1,116,500

         College Educated:                     89%                                                                          90%

 

Readership among FAA Certificated Pilots:

         Read in last 6 mos:                   80.0%                                                                        61.0%

         Read 3 or 4 of 4 issues:             75.0%                                                                       38.0%

 

Publication Evaluations:

         Highest Credibility?                  56.0%                                                                       11.0%

         Most Useful?                           45.0%                                                                      13.0%

         Most Valuable Reference?        50.0%                                                                        11.0%

         If Could Only Read One?         52.0%                                                                       13.0%

 

Advertising Pages (2002):                AOPA Pilot                                                               Flying

         Pages:                                          969                                                                          755

         Market Share:                               41%                                                                          32%

 

AOPA Pilot Automotive Advertising History:

 

 

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

Corvette

6

8

6

7

 

 

 

Cadillac Eldorado

 

1

 

 

 

 

 

Chrysler Crossfire

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

Jeep Grand Cherokee

6

 

9

 

 

 

 

 

Discussion:

 

While Flying Magazine may be better known to the public at large, among pilots and aircraft owners, AOPA Pilot is the lead publication in the field. It reaches more pilots and aircraft owners than Flying and is better read than any general aviation publication. In terms of ad pages, AOPA Pilot is the market leader by a wide margin.

 

One point to note is the 28,000+ Flying circulation in public places or classified as sponsored sales. While this circulation may help boost the total average paid circulation, it's not the same as subscriptions or single copies sold to specific individuals interested in aviation.

 

If the objective is to reach pilots and associate the brand with aviation, it would seem to make sense to first buy the book that reaches the most pilots and aircraft owners and is the best read. Readers in waiting rooms may be of some value, but not before a program is put in place in the core book in the aviation market. Flying is a fine magazine, but in this field, it's the #2 magazine after AOPA Pilot .

 

As part of a multi-title consumer magazine company, Flying enjoys the benefit of inclusion in HFM corporate contracts with automobile manufacturers. We realize that that makes Flying easier to buy, but we think that AOPA Pilot¹s greater circulation, reach, readership and credibility must be considered.

 

Our conclusion is that AOPA Pilot is the base buy if the objective is to be associated with aviation and to influence pilots favorably toward your car or truck brand.

 



Sources:

         Circulation: June, 2004 ABC Statements

         Demographics: AOPA Pilot Subscriber Study (Erdos & Morgan, 4/03); Flying On-Line Media Kit

         Readership: General Aviation Publication Reader Preference Study Conducted among FAA Certificated Pilots

(Erdos & Morgan, 2/03)

         Publication Evaluations: General Aviation Publication Reader Preference Study Conducted among FAA Certificated Pilots

(Erdos & Morgan, 2/03)

Advertising pages: Specialized Publications and Patterson Advertising Reports