Fortune 500 Issue Reflects B2B Advertising Trends

The 2017 edition of the Fortune 500 is, as in other years, a rough indicator of B2B advertising trends.

Judging by the total number of printed pages and the multiple sponsored advertising sections, ad support is clearly strong. Prestige advertisers like Rolex are represented. Well-known brands like Stihl and General Motors have special ad sections. This issue gets high readership, and advertisers want to be there.

As digital advertising comes to the forefront of many marketers' priorities, seeing a 2017 issue with 340 printed pages (slightly fewer than in 2016) actually represents a strong advertising market.

So many magazines are appearing thinner and thinner, yet this Fortune issue is full of ads. True, the number of pages is down from 2016 and earlier years, yet having 340 pages filled with valuable editorial content and repeat advertisers makes a statement about the health of B2B magazine advertising.

2017: 340
2016: 346
2015: 392
2014: 390
2013: 352
2012: 312
2011: 316
2010: 308
2009: 276
2008: 356
2007: 386
2006: 384
2005: 410
2004: 478
2003: 410
2002: 402
2001: 474
2000: 630 - Peak of dot-com boom!
1999: 510
1998: 506

Background on Brands

 B R A N D  R E S E A R C H

Researching a brand for your marketing plan? Search the Web for research about that brand and its main competitors.

As you click through the results of your search, pay attention to where/when/how each research study was conducted. Also look at research results over time--how has the brand's ranking changed? What issues affect the brand's standing year by year? These clues can help you better analyze the brand as you continue your marketing planning.

Here are just a few resources focusing on brands, branding, and public perceptions:

• YouGov BrandIndex. "Tracking public perceptions of thousands of brands across the world every day." That's how YouGov describes this site, which covers many brands in many markets through ongoing interviews with millions of consumers.
• InterBrand Best Brands. Interbrand ranks brands within and across countries, with both global and national lists of the best brands.
• Fortune's rankings. In addition to the Fortune 500, the magazine presents rankings of "most admired" companies, fastest-growing companies, and other key lists to consult.
• Gallup research on brand engagement. Research examines multiple aspects of brands and customer involvement, including reactions of Millennials.

Fortune 500 Issue Has Fewer Pages Than in Past 3 Years

This is the time of year when Fortune publishes its door-stop-sized issue listing America's 500 largest corporations. Since 1998, I've tracked the number of pages per issue, which is suggestive of the economic situation because of the number of ads and, therefore, the size of the issue. 

The 2016 issue, alas, is not as fat as 2015, 2014, or 2013, going by the numbered pages. It's only 10 pages bigger than the 2008 issue, which came out in the year of the financial crisis. But then again, this is an election year, which may affect advertising decisions and budgets. 

Another major factor is the increase in digital advertising, which is partly responsible for the plateau (at best) or decline in print advertising overall.
 
2016: 346
2015: 392
2014: 390
2013: 352
2012: 312
2011: 316
2010: 308
2009: 276
2008: 356
2007: 386
2006: 384
2005: 410
2004: 478
2003: 410
2002: 402
2001: 474
2000: 630 - Peak of dot-com boom!
1999: 510
1998: 506

Fortune 500 Issue Shows Economy Higher Again

It's time for the annual Fortune 500 magazine issue page count, which I use as an informal measure of economic strength in the business environment. This year, the page count is again higher than the previous year--in fact, it's the best page count in a decade for this important annual issue of the magazine. So more advertisers are buying pages to reach business readers, a good sign. 

2015: 392
2014: 390
2013: 352
2012: 312
2011: 316
2010: 308
2009: 276
2008: 356
2007: 386
2006: 384
2005: 410
2004: 478
2003: 410
2002: 402
2001: 474
2000: 630 - Peak of dot-com boom!
1999: 510
1998: 506

The top 5 largest U.S. corporations, according to Fortune's list, are:

5. Apple (electronics)
4. Berkshire Hathaway (conglomerate)
3. Chevron (energy)
2. Exxon Mobil (energy)
1. Walmart (retailing) - nearly half a trillion dollars in annual revenues!

Fortune 500 Issue Page Count: Economy Is Way UP!

Time for the annual check of Fortune magazine's page count for its "Fortune 500" issue.

Not since 2005 has this issue had so many pages (meaning so much advertising and so many advertorial sections). The economy is clearly much improved, judging by the heft of this annual issue. Will the 2015 issue break the 400-page barrier?

2014: 390
2013: 352
2012: 312
2011: 316
2010: 308
2009: 276
2008: 356
2007: 386
2006: 384
2005: 410
2004: 478
2003: 410
2002: 402
2001: 474
2000: 630 - Peak of dot-com boom!
1999: 510
1998: 506

And for the record, the top 5 in the Fortune 500 listing are: (1) Walmart, (2) Exxon Mobile, (3) Chevron, (4) Berkshire Hathaway, (5) Apple.

Fortune 500 Page Count, 1998-2013 (Hint: The Economy Is Improving!)

Using the annual Fortune 500 issue as a bellweather, it's clear the US economy is not only on the rise, it's doing much better than it has since 2009. The higher the page count, the more ads this Fortune magazine edition is carrying. This year represents a 40-page increase from last year's size, the most significant increase in some years.

The biggest year of the dot-com boom was also by far the peak for this issue's page count, at least for the period 1998-2013.

2013: 352
2012: 312
2011: 316
2010: 308
2009: 276
2008: 356
2007: 386
2006: 384
2005: 410
2004: 478
2003: 410
2002: 402
2001: 474
2000: 630 - Pinnacle of dot-com boom!
1999: 510
1998: 506

And just for the record, here are the top 5 companies in the top 500 for 2013:

1. Walmart
2. Exxon-Mobil
3. Chevron
4. Phillips 66
5. Berkshire-Hathaway (yes, Warren Buffett's outfit)

Fortune 500 Page Count, 1998-2011

Once again, this year's Fortune 500 printed issue is fatter than the previous year's issue, loaded with many more ads and articles than in 2010. I have the annual 500 issues going back to 1998 so I can compare the lists over time. Below is the page count, year by year.

2011: 316
2010: 308
2009: 276
2008: 356
2007: 386
2006: 384
2005: 410
2004: 478
2003: 410
2002: 402
2001: 474
2000: 630
1999: 510
1998: 506

Clearly, the size of the issue reflects the economic situation and, to some extent, the fortunes of the magazine business. Note that the peak for this period was 2000, when the issue had a whopping 630 pages.

Fortune now offers a Fortune 500 app, downloadable from its Web site.

If you need corporate statistics stat, look up this app!

Fortune 500 Page Count, 1998-2010

This year's Fortune 500 printed issue is definitely fatter than last year's, loaded with many more ads and articles than in 2009. I have the annual 500 issues going back to 1998. Below is the page count, year by year.

Does the size of the issue mirror the economic situation or does it reflect the fortunes of the magazine business? Note that the peak for this period was 2000, when the issue had a whopping 630 pages.

2010: 308
2009: 276
2008: 356
2007: 386
2006: 384
2005: 410
2004: 478
2003: 410
2002: 402
2001: 474
2000: 630
1999: 510
1998: 506

Fortune 500 Time

The latest Fortune 500 list is out, and Wal-Mart has slipped to #2, with Exxon-Mobil now #1 among US businesses. GM is #6 but will it be in the top 10 next year? Here's the current top 10 list:

Exxon-Mobil (1)
Wal-Mart (2)
Chevron (3)
ConocoPhillips (4)
GE (5)
GM (6)
Ford (7)
AT&T (8)
Hewlett-Packard (9)
Valero Energy (10)

Another sobering observation: Fortune says that "128 of the U.S.'s 500 largest companies were in the red" in 2008. Ouch.