Reality, Not VR: Newspapers Work
Most of us have been immersed in the flurry of CES news, noise and excitement this past week centered on the Internet of Things, virtual reality, robotics, smart objects and other tech-centric innovations. What fascinated me most is the LG prediction that future television screens will be as thin as paper and capable of being rolled up like newspaper (see photo above). As a television and newspaper aficionado, the concept of marrying these legacy media together made sense. Why? Because newspaper has never been as depended upon as it is today.
Check out these highlights from the Triad "2015 Year in Review" ad impact and effectiveness insights and you will see that the key takeaway is that newspapers work. Now, this is not a strange concept to me as I have seen evidence of this time and time again. What's great about newspapers is that they provide mass, targeted reach to advertisers -- just like mobile. In fact, they were the original, portable ad delivery system.
In a world where media usage is changing from moment to moment and the marketer's reliance on data to demonstrate the impact and effectiveness of ad campaigns is growing, we were fortunate that in 2015, Coda Ventures launched Triad Newspaper Ad Effectiveness Service as a new metric. As you will see, the results are newsworthy.
Newspapers Engage Audiences: The Top Engagement Attributes
Newspapers are a great place to get useful information: 86%
I feel like I am part of a community of readers: 78%
I usually notice the ads appearing in newspapers: 74%
Newspapers are one of my most trusted sources: 73%
I often search online for topics that I see in newspapers: 70%
Readers Act: The Top 10 Actions Taken (72% of Total Readers Take Action as a Result of Newspaper Advertising!)
No. 1: Gather more information about the product or service
No. 2: Visit the advertiser's Web site
No. 3: Have a more favorable opinion about the advertiser
No. 4: Save the ad for future reference
No. 5: Recommend the product or service to someone
No. 6: Pass along the ad to someone
No. 7: Ask someone about the product or service
No. 8: Consider purchasing the product or service
No. 9: Visit a store, dealer or other location
No. 10: Search online for the product or service
Source: Triad Newspaper Ad Effectiveness Service (July-Dec 2015)
Base: Issue-specific newspaper readers
These findings are consistent with what we have seen historically with the medium -- but, in-the-moment affirmation of ad effectiveness is a good thing. Triad also reported that 63% of print readers are accessing digital platforms.
2016 is a year in which news content is dominating conversations and a greater share of minds everywhere. Election years encourage heavy consumption of news edit and ads. In a world dominated by fragmentation and delayed TV viewing, the idea of marrying the sight, sound and motion of TV with the trust and portability of print seems to make sense.
Actions matter and the results are in. In the New Year, it's important to be open to new thinking, not only for content producers and consumers but for advertisers as well. It's there that the intersection of technology and content benefit all constituents best -- and cash registers ring.
The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.com / MyersBizNet, Inc. management or associated bloggers.
Mary Ellen Holden
Mary Ellen Holden is Founder and CEO of MEH Solutions, LLC. In this capacity, she provides thought leadership and actionable insights to drive sales, consumer engagement, cultural change and revenue. Holden is a B2B and B2C strategist with strong analytic sk…
