New global research: Printed magazine advertising leaves people feeling happier than any other advertising medium
(UPM, Helsinki, October 14, 2026 at 16:00 EEST) - A new global report from global media association FIPP and UPM Communication Papers shows that printed magazine advertising outperforms social media and influencer advertising in trust, relevance and happiness. The underlying study is the most extensive research into print advertising conducted in over five years.
"This report is absolute gold dust for anyone who needs to make the case for print advertising. It brings together fresh evidence of the trust, attention and commercial impact that magazines deliver, giving publishers a stronger foundation for conversations with advertisers. Our goal is to help publishers move beyond defending print and start making a confident case for the value it brings to the media mix. Print has a powerful story to tell, and this report gives our industry the evidence to tell it," said FIPP CEO Alastair Lewis.
Print is the happiest medium
The key findings show that magazine advertising is more trusted, feels more relevant and makes people happier than social media and influencer advertising.
The link between printed magazine consumption and happiness is striking: 66% of magazine readers say that reading magazines leaves them feeling good about themselves. Further, printed magazine advertising has the highest happiness score of any advertising format measured in the study. 63% of regular readers say magazine ads make them happy, compared with 39% for influencer ads.
The research shows that printed magazines are the most trusted medium for advertising, with 52% agreeing that magazine advertising is trustworthy, compared with 33% for social media and 28% for influencers. One driver of this is the human factor: two in three readers say they trust their favorite magazine brands more because they have been created by humans rather than AI.
At the same time, 70% of readers say they pay more attention to an ad when it matches the editorial content around it, and 72% notice ads more when they relate to their own interests. Magazines rank highest of all formats for perceived ad relevance, with 52% net agreement, compared with just 31% for influencer advertising.
These new insights align with an already established strong commercial case for print advertising. According to previous findings from Thinkbox's Profit Ability 2 study, print advertising generates more than 50% higher long-term returns than the industry average.
"The study shows that printed magazines are in a unique position as an advertising channel. A medium which is consumed in a context of happiness creates space for brands to be experienced positively. Combined with an increased sense of relevance and trust, this makes a strong case for print advertising," says Kati Murto, VP, Marketing, Communications and Sustainability at UPM Communication Papers.
The research also shows that magazine readership is increasing among younger readers. Four in ten adults aged 18 to 34 say they are reading magazines more than they used to.
The full report is available at https://go.upmpaper.com/fipp-report-2026
About the research
The FIPP Global Print Impact Study 2026 was commissioned by FIPP and UPM Communication Papers and independently conducted by RAM UK in Q2 2026 among 1,923 adults across Europe, the UK, North America and Australia. The study explores perceptions of print magazines, audience attitudes, trust, attention, advertising effectiveness and purchase influence. The research also includes 100 AI-moderated interviews, conducted by Salomo, and insights from more than 3,400 print magazine advertising case studies.
For further information please contact:
Klaus Kohler, Director, Communications, UPM Communication Papers, klaus.kohler@upm.com
UPM, Media relations
Mon-Fri 9:00-16:00 EEST
tel. +358 40 588 3284
media@upm.com
UPM Communication Papers
UPM Communication Papers offers the industry's widest portfolio of graphic papers for newspaper, magazine, marketing, and book printing, as well as for home and office applications. We drive the value of paper as a unique and sustainable medium of trust, impact, learning and inspiration. We employ around 4,700 people and operate 8 modern paper mills globally. Our annual production capacity is 3.7 million tonnes of graphical paper. More about us and our products at upmpaper.com
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