The Future of Newspaper Advertising: Part 2

Last week we talked about the demise of the newspaper industry as predicted by a “futurist” in Australia and commented on by Adweek contributor Jeff Mascott. So now we’re sure you’re wondering: What does this mean in terms of marketing, moving forward?

Well, no matter how fast it seems time’s a-tickin’ by these days, especially at the end of the year as we are apt to recount the past, 2017 (the year named as the end of the newspaper industry) is still a long ways away—and it’s not yet outdated or useless to continue advertising in newspapers.

Mascott believes there’s a chance that unforeseen creative solutions and technological advancements may preserve newspapers in coming years. And he cites Forbes columnist Dirk Smilie as saying that newspapers may make drastic production changes and staffing reductions, but ultimately come back with a strong uptick thereafter. Likely, it will be as much Darwinian and Dawsonian; survival of the fittest. Perhaps the Web will be the meteor that takes out the dinosaurs, but we’ll still have birds—those few organizations that manage to fly out above the chaos and preserve their entities in a much narrower and lonelier, albeit loftier, landscape.

Furthermore, newspapers remain a viable source of credibility. Most newspapers retain a high level of regard when it comes to reputation and reliability that isn’t matched by general content on the ‘net. If not in quality and popularity, the sheer proliferation—the growing magnitude of competition on Web—may indeed be enough to shut down the newspaper industry—at least the incarnation as we know it.

Newspapers still allow you to measurably reach a niche local market of dependable, daily viewers. As with any advertising endeavor, you just want to be sure to have your marketing representative confirm the circulation and audience of a media outlet before deciding if it’s the right match for you.

As always, Mad 4 Marketing recommends pairing any marketing endeavor with a full-fledged campaign to target your prospective clientele from as many suitable angles as possible. After all, why choose between newsprint and virtual print when no one says can’t have both? – Yet.

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