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Magazine vs. Social Media for Branding – Advantages and Disadvantages

Posted December 17th, 2012 in Articles by Eko S

What do you know for the first? Magazine or Social Media? Of course magazine is the answer, is that’s right? 🙂
Besides TV, magazine is a popular entertainment in the 20th century, with the growth era at this time we have come to know social media from friendster, facebook, twitter, youtube, linkedin, etc.

Well, what about the difference between Magazine and Social Media in Branding, what are the advantages and disadvantage of the two. Previously we have discussed about Moving car vs. Mobile app/web in advertising, and today we will discuss the magazine vs social media for branding. Here they are the different:

#Magazine for Branding

“Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications that are printed with ink on paper, generally published on a regular schedule and contain a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazinesubscriptions, or all three. At its root the word magazine refers to a collection or storage location. In the case of written publication it is a collection of written articles.” (Source: wikipedia)

Magazine advertising that has been long we known, but is still circulating in the community despite social media, there are a few things why people are still faithful to read and do the branding in the magazine, here are the advantages and disadvantages of branding in magazine.

magazine vs social media for branding


  1. Wide audience, many people will easily read magazines rather than looking at social media, because before seeing an ad in the social media people must have an account on social media.
  2. Creativity, you can see the arrangement of an ad in a magazine quite interesting by showing photographs of attractive models.
  3. More information in one page, magazine not only offers advertising but also usually we offer interesting info about the lifestyle, finances, or family.


  1. Magazine use a lot of paper, of course this is not appropriate with the program save our earth, because after a long time not read the paper stack magazine would be a waste.
  2. Needs a lot of costs in the news updates, because each week or each month should produce a magazine that could cost a lot. That Such costs can include paper, photographer services, services editor and reporter in gathering news services.
  3. magazine vs social media for branding

#Social Media for Branding

Mr. Tony fannin said One sign that the social media industry and online community is maturing is the pressure to make money, to be more than just a free service. (Source).

Social media offers us the facility is free to use, there are some people who use social media just to socialize or meet up with old friends, but there are also some people who use social media to do the branding there. As a businessman, of course social media is a great opportunity to make money. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of doing branding in social media:

magazine vs social media for branding


  1. Of course Less paper if branding with social media, we did not use paper at all in doing branding and of course this saves production costs also reduce the waste of paper to be wasted.
  2. Advertised brand in social media would seem to follow the growth era. The perpetrators branding will easily create and change the display layout change according to market trends and demands.
  3. Interactive and real time for branding, if we want to make changes in the conduct of branding in social media will be instantly delivered to the consumers, because it is an online business we can do the branding for the real time.
  4. Longevity, 1 page can be used to update a sustainable branding and attract viewers to come back to the same page and of course it will not be boring. Because one page or one account may be used for branding within the infinite.
  5. Can be targeting, in social media, we can measure the number of fans in our social media pages such as twitter can be seen from the number of followers, the number of facebook fans, google plus the number of people who follow us. And we can also see active followers who always comment on each of our status updates or promote on social media.


  1. Requires internet connection to see these ads, that in certain areas the internet signal trouble would be troublesome in delivering ads.
  2. When he wanted advertising in social media must first have an account on social media, this would be a little exasperated the viewers.

magazine vs social media for branding

magazine vs social media for branding


changing times require us to be open-minded, branding is usually done by offline in the real world such as the magazine evolved into branding is done in the virtual world through social media. All these things can not be separated from the advantages and disadvantages of doing branding and social media in a magazine.

Magazines are usually used by some people to do comparasion shopping (catalog value) that is related to consumer habits have the magazine as a reference to select items in the shop, while the social media habits of consumers in the use of branding is advertising your visitor is a person who has been targeted and do require products or services that you are advertising that you are prepared right on target. With the concept of a closer relationship to the lifestyle of the present social media provide more and different shades of magazine advertising services.

How about you, between the advantages and disadvantages of media advertising magazine and social media Which you like better? Please comment below.

– Written by Ratih –

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