We live in an era where we want everything at our fingertips. Digital advertising that reaches people whenever and wherever they are has only bolstered this need for immediacy. Recently, advertisers have been steering away from print ads and towards digital ads. However, a study conducted by effectiveness consultancy Benchmarking for Newsworks claims that advertisers are making the wrong decision by cutting back. The study, which covered over 500 econometric models to produce valuable and accurate information, seems to prove that placing ads in newspapers increases overall ROI by three times. The study’s results show that advertising with newspapers increases overall campaign effectiveness and even helps other media become more effective. Newspaper advertising made online display campaigns four times more effective and television campaigns two times more effective.
Newspaper ads affect industries’ campaign effectiveness differently than other types of advertising:
- Finance is affected 5.7 times more.
- Travel is affected 3 times more.
- Retail is affected 2.8 times more.
- Automotive is affected 1.7 times more.
Researchers of the study suggest the optimal level of investment in newspaper advertising that is most effective was 11.4%. In 2015, the average investment was only at 7.6%.
Print isn’t going away. If you are from Cleveland, then you were probably one of the thousands who wanted a print copy of the Plain Dealer that was released the day after the Cavaliers won the NBA Championship. As bad as people wanted those copies, companies wanted to put an ad in that paper even more. Placing an ad was like having the golden ticket to tour the chocolate factory. Monday’s average print distribution for the Plain Dealer is around 35,000 single-copy papers, but the Monday after the Cavs won, more than 500,000 copies were distributed. This means all the companies that bought ad space or paid for inserts had more than fourteen times more people viewing their ad than normal. While people did not buy the paper specifically to see the ads, 66% of newspaper readers either always or regularly look at inserts. While having the digital version was nice, print copies were all the hype. So why in the digital era would people from all over want the print version? Nostalgia. The print newspaper is memorabilia people can keep forever.
So what’s the takeaway from the Plain Dealer’s success that week? Your digital ad may get more views, but your print ads could get more attention – especially when something big is happening. Those who have a printed newspaper hold on to the paper longer, leave it somewhere for others to read or keep the inserts relevant to them and their family so they can look through them to see if there is something they need or want on sale somewhere. In addition to getting more attention, when there is a large event like the Cavs championship, your ad will be seen for years to come.
Joe Pulizzi, Founder of Content Marketing Institute, says, “Now may be the best time in history to invest in print, as it is getting increasingly more difficult to break through the clutter online.” Advertising in newspapers is not a thing of the past. Those who want their brands to get attention and see a large ROI should invest in an integrated marketing plan that includes both print and digital marketing. Advance Ohio has the strategies and solutions to develop a specialized strategy just for you. Contact us today to learn more!
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