Thesis (MPhil (Journalism))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ten spyte daarvan dat die vyf tydskrifte met die hoogste sirkulasiesyfer in Suid-Afrika almal kliëntepublikasies (Engels customer publications) is, skiet advertensie-agentskappe klaarblyklik steeds dié publikasies ten gunste van verbruikerspublikasies af omdat hulle dit waarskynlik nie as geloofwaardig beskou nie. Waar talle verbruikerstydskrifte egter min of geen groei in ’n ál meer mededingende en gefragmenteerde mark toon, ervaar die top-kliëntepublikasies steeds merkwaardige groei. In die verlede is die meeste kliëntepublikasies deur die betrokke maatskappy se bemarkingsbegroting gefinansier. Vandag egter, word finansiering al meer deur adverteerders verskaf. Die vraag wat dog dikwels deur skeptiese advertensie-agentskappe gevra word, is of derdeparty-adverteerders dieselfde waarde geniet as wat die maatskappy se handelsmerk in dié publikasies doen. Hoewel Suid-Afrikaanse kliëntetydskrifte net soos hul eweknieë in die VK en VSA die grootste sirkulasiesyfers het, geniet hulle egter nie dieselfde advertensie-ondersteuning as in dié lande nie. Dit is ’n interessante verskynsel en hierdie studie wil onder meer poog om vas te stel waarom dit so is. Kontrakuitgewers stem in die algemeen saam dat ’n standaard stel riglyne waarop advertensie-agentskappe hul besluitneming kan grond, beslis sal help om ’n gelukkiger stand van sake te bewerkstellig. Hierdie studie poog om binne die teoretiese raamwerk van die politieke ekonomie van die media ’n stel riglyne saam te stel waarop advertensie-agentskappe hul besluitneming oor advertensieplasing kan grond. Die metodologie wat gebruik is, behels veldnavorsing met indiepte-onderhoude as fundamentele navorsingstegniek en gevallestudies met inhoudsanalise as aanvullende tegniek. Om die riglyne te kon saamstel, is advertensie-agentskappe en die kontrakuitgewer New Media Publishing betrek en is vier kliëntetydskrifte – Edgars Club Magazine, Horizons, Skottel en Woolworths TASTE – ontleed. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Despite the fact that the five magazines with the largest circulation figures in South Africa are all customer publications, advertising agencies still seem to shun these publications in favour of consumer magazines because they say they do not deem them credible. Where several consumer magazines showed very little or no growth in an ever increasing and fragmented market, top customer publications continue to experience remarkable growth. In the past, most customer publications were financed by a company’s marketing budget. Today, however, they are often financed by advertisers. The question that sceptical advertising agencies ask is whether third party advertisers benefit from the same value as the company’s own brand. Although South African customer magazines have the same large circulation figures as their counterparts in America and the United Kingdom, they seem not to enjoy the same advertising support as these countries. This is an interesting phenomenon and this study aims to determine why that is the case. In general, contract publishers seem to agree that a standard set of guidelines on which advertising agencies could base their decision-making, would assist in ensuring a happier state of affairs. Within the theoretical framework of the political economy of the media, this study aims to compile a set of guidelines on which advertising agencies could base their decision-making regarding advertisement placements. The methodology includes field research with in-depth interviews as fundamental research technique and case studies with content analysis as supplementary technique. To compile these guidelines, advertising agencies and the contract publisher New Media Publishing are concerned and four customer magazines – Edgars Club Magazine, Horizons, Skottel and Woolworths TASTE – analysed.