AD-focus is Bauer’s bespoke research project to uncover the value of its
specialist audiences.
The project outlines our audience’s key characteristics and behaviours and
offers an invaluable insight for our commercial partners.
We hope our commercial partners can use these insights to focus their
marketing communications to our audience’s needs and so maximise the
returns from their advertising.
Who will see your
adverts? (Part 1)
Discerning men with high
disposable incomes
Age
31%
21%
Average age: 55
24%
97% are male.
12%
3%
5%
97% live in the UK.
4%
15-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+
27%
Social Grade
30%
23%
70% have careers as board directors, senior
management, highly qualified professionals
or junior managers.
13%
5%
They have an average household income of
£40k.
They have an average personal income of
£29k.
a
b
c1
c2
d
2%
e
Who will see your
adverts? (Part 2)
Absolutely engaged
railway modelling
They have been interested in model railways for
an average of 28 years.
Time spent on modelling
They’re indulging in their love of modelling for an
average of 8 hours a week, spending 3 hours a
week using their model railway, and 5 hours a
week working on their model railway.
Total hrs. per week
Using it
Working on it.
Frequency of modelling
Use your model railway
Work on your model railway
Weekly or
more often
45%
53%
Several times a month /
once a month
24%
24%
Less often
Never
18%
14%
12%
7%
Who will see your
adverts? (Part 3)
They’re into a wide
range of modelling
Type of set up they have
Gauge of Model Rail readers’ set ups
Gauge
OO gauge
N gauge
O gauge
HO gauge
P4/S4
EM gauge
Other
% who own
80%
22%
7%
5%
1%
1%
6%
32%
48%
20%
Modern
Steam
Types of modelling Model Rail readers are involved in
92%
63%
45%
Ready to run
Kit building
Detailing
29%
Scratch Building
Both
How valuable are our
consumers to you? (Pt. 1)
Combined, Model Rail consumers
spent more than £19m on gear and
equipment in the last 12 months
Average spends on modelling-related gear in the last 12 months
Category
Locomotives
Rolling stock
Power and control
Track
Buildings and lineside
Tools
Entry to model shows/exhibitions
Scenery
Paint
% who spent
88%
86%
47%
61%
75%
74%
77%
66%
68%
Average
spend
£291
£146
£143
£95
£78
£35
£26
£30
£20
Total Spend
Total spend
£7,811,299
£3,826,055
£2,040,974
£1,767,228
£1,760,002
£785,784
£607,425
£605,300
£405,687
£19,609,754
How valuable are our
consumers to you? (Pt. 2)
They’re in the market for all the best
gear and equipment – and they are
looking to buy soon
93% agree that modelling magazines
are most influential when thinking
about buying gear & equipment.
Readers say the most important
factors when thinking about buying
gear and equipment are:
Quality
Price
Reliability
Looks
Brand
Features
Intention to buy in the next 12 months
% who plan to buy in
next 12 months
76%
75%
64%
63%
56%
41%
31%
30%
Item
Locomotives
Rolling stock
Scenery
Buildings and lineside
Paint
Track
Tools
Power and control
Where they buy from
Locomotives and Rolling stock
Scenery and buildings
Power and controls
Actual
shop
Online
shop
55%
57%
38%
69%
44%
43%
Catalogue eBay - new
4%
4%
2%
21%
14%
7%
eBay Other
secondhand secondhand
33%
12%
7%
15%
7%
4%
Why choose Model Rail?
(Part 1)
Positively engaged in modelling, they seek, talk about,
and buy the gear & equipment they see in the mag
Most influential:
93% agree that modelling magazines are most influential
when thinking about buying gear & equipment.
Engaged with the mag:
They’ll pick up each issue of Model Rail an average of 10 times.
Engaged with advertising:
96% look at the adverts in magazines.
Driving online traffic:
99 % have visited a website as a result of seeing it in a magazine in the
last 12 months.
Driving purchase:
97% have bought something for their modelling interests after
seeing an advert in a magazine.
Opinion-forming:
45% of Model Rail readers state that other people ask them for
model-related advice.
They talk to an average of 4 other people about
model-related activities.
Why choose Model Rail?
(Part 2)
You’ll struggle to reach our
readers anywhere else!
How often they buy walking-related magazines
13%
87%
35%
36%
50%
36% don’t read
Hornby Magazine
28%
34%
26%
31%
36%
24%
Model Rail
Railway
Modeller
Regularly
Hornby
Magazine
Occasionally
35% don’t read
Railway Modeller
British Railway
Modelling
Never
50% don’t read British
Railway Modelling
AD-focus was conducted via self-completion questionnaires sent via email
to Bauer databases.
The sample size for Model Rail AD-focus was 1,786.