What's on Tap... A brew of marketing and advertising news for your insatiable knowledge palette

The Top Four Benefits of Magazine Advertising

Scott Olson — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:49:00 GMT

Much has been written and talked about regarding magazines. Whether it is titles launching to reach a new audience or long-standing magazines going the all-digital route (see Newsweek) or shuttering their doors completely, it’s hard to tell which direction magazine publishing is headed. Last week we told you about one promotion from Meredith that was developed with the goal of increasing advertising and filling the non-content pages of all Meredith’s titles. We won’t revisit that as you can go to that post and get the full update or at least our point of view on it. Today let’s focus on why advertisers need to be including magazines, whether in print or digital, as part of their advertising campaigns.

Recently The Association of Magazine Media published their 2012/2013 Magazine Media Factbook, outlining how readers interact with magazine publications in print and online forms. The Factbook has more than 100 pages of in-depth magazine data to help advertisers understand why they should consider magazines. Taking a step further, there are four main takeaways advertisers should understand regarding reaching target markets with magazines.

1. The first thing to understand is that people are reading magazines. Take whatever you’re hearing about print dying and the imminent closure of all publishing houses and throw it out the window. Here’s why: 92% of adults (95% of those younger than 35 and 96% of those younger than 25) have read magazines in the last six months. Now to be fair some of this is happening in digital platforms, we can’t deny that. But not all, as only 38% of 18- to 34-year-olds read magazines on electronic devices. Now I’m no math wiz, but that leaves about 58% who are still holding the printed version of Sports Illustrated or Shape as they read. The audience is huge, and it can be sliced and diced however you want, with titles specializing in content and hitting very specific demographics. So find the magazine right for your product or service, and buy some pages.

2. You have friends right? Oh, sorry, I didn’t know that was a sore subject. OK, think about your family or co-workers, they have friends right? And I’m guessing they talk to their friends and tell them all about their new vacuum, favorite whiskey, or the car they just drove off the lot. That ‘telling’ and ‘sharing’ happens in a number of ways in addition to word of mouth. It also happens in social media, and magazine readers are trusted influencers. So get your brand in front of them (with great creative), convince them to buy your product, and they’ll tell all their friends. No really, they will.

3. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: We want consumers to see our ad, go to our website to get more information, do some more research and eventually make a purchase, either now or next time they’re in the market for our product. Guess what? No medium triggers online search more than magazines. The numbers range by specific age group and sex, but of adults 18+, magazines and broadcast trigger searches in 36% of consumers. Any major league hitter would be pretty happy with that batting average.

4. It is really this simple: Magazine advertising increases sales. Download the Factbook and check out slide 30. Brands advertising in magazines experienced a sales lift of 3% to 36% compared to the control group. If you’re a successful marketer maybe you see the 3% and think, ‘No biggie.’ But tell me anyone in your organization wouldn’t be interested in a 36% sales lift and I’ll tell you about some oceanfront property in Arizona I have for sale.

So there you have it, the data is real, and in case you missed it at the beginning, you can download the entire Factbook here. There is a ton of information in there and we’ll be back next week with some more details about magazine advertising and what you should be doing to create effective campaigns. In the meantime, if you’re ready to get some ads placed and want to stay out of the contracts magazines want you to sign, check out our eBook on the benefits of making your buys independent of contracts.

Scott Olson is the director of marketing at Mediaspace Solutions. His career has spanned marketing positions in the non-profit, software and utility sectors providing various marketing experiences. You can connect with Scott on Facebook, Google+, Twitter or LinkedIn.

What We Can Learn from JCPenney’s Advertising Flop

Hannah Hill — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:50:00 GMT

I have a bit of a soft spot for JCPenney. My grandma worked there for more than 40 years, so every trip to grandma’s also meant a trip to JCPenney. (Gotta love those employee discounts.) I remember sifting through the JCPenney catalog each August marking all the back-to-school clothing I just had to have. There were a lot of dog-eared pages in that catalog when I was done with it. From ‘JCPenney, doing it right’ to ‘JCPenney, I love your style’ I knew the melody of each advertising jingle. That was until Ron Johnson stepped up to the plate.

Unless you’ve been living in the dark for the past 17 months, you know Apple’s Ron Johnson took the reins at JCPenney in late 2011, implemented a new strategy in 2012 and then things went terribly wrong. JCPenney reported a 25.7% decrease in net sales (sales minus returns and discounts) in the fiscal year most recently ended. Shortly thereafter, the board of directors gave Johnson the boot. Outlined below are a few lessons we can learn from JCPenney’s missteps under the direction of former CEO Ron Johnson.

Lesson #1: Do your research before implementing a new advertising strategy

Ellis Verdi of advertising agency DeVito/Verdi had this to say of Johnson’s strategy at JCPenney, “Johnson misunderstood the role of advertising in retail. He tried to use advertising to change a behavior that had been ingrained for years. You can’t reeducate consumers that way. Consumers control their perception of value, not retailers. They need to feel like they are getting a deal, and they’re not just going to take the store’s word for it. Consumers just aren’t that loyal.” Johnson may have had a great idea, but it wasn’t an idea that appealed to JCPenney’s target consumers which was an ultimate fail. A few focus groups with JCPenney’s target consumers, along with other qualitative research, would have helped the company realize this at much less cost.

Lesson #2: Organizational change should be a marathon, not a sprint

In January 2012, JCPenney came out guns a-blazin’ with revamped circulars (absent of coupons), new store layouts with boutique shops and much more. They had a new pricing strategy focused on offering everyday low prices which meant the retailer wouldn’t need to have sales every other day of the week because they offered products at a single low price all the time. This upset a lot of loyal JCPenney shoppers who had become accustomed to seeing “buy one, get one for $0.99” deals and $15 off $75 coupons in the newspaper. Johnson said JCPenney customers were addicted to coupons as if they were drugs. Needless to say, the cold turkey approach didn’t go over well with consumers. Sales decreased immediately after the new pricing strategy was implemented. When you pair that with the additional expenses needed to remodel hundreds of stores, you can see why JCPenney is in the red. They expended a lot of resources across a variety of initiatives much too quickly.

Lesson #3: Admit your mistakes and learn from them

In an effort to win back customers and save the sinking ship that is JCPenney, new creative agency Young & Rubicam created an apologetic TV commercial with the central theme being “We screwed up.” The ad features women dressed in their JCPenney best and concludes with a pretty strong call to action: “Come back to JCPenney. We heard you. Now, we’d love to see you.” I give JCPenney a lot of credit for admitting their mistakes so publicly and wanting to make things right with their previously loyal fans. I hope this campaign gives the company a much needed step forward, even if it’s just a baby step. What are your thoughts?

While JCPenney tried a new advertising approach and failed, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider alternative methods to your advertising. The key is to do your research and make sure you don’t lose your target audience when you adopt a new strategy. Take a look at our new eBook to learn why moving away from traditional contract advertising increasingly makes sense. Download ‘The CMO’s Guide to Non-Contractual Advertising’ and take the first step toward getting out of advertising contracts and discovering new savings.

Hannah Hill is a marketing specialist at Mediaspace Solutions. Her marketing experience includes writing, inbound marketing, social media and event management. You can connect with Hannah on LinkedIn, Facebook or Google+.

Meredith attempts to manage advertising costs with guaranteed ROI

Scott Olson — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:41:00 GMT

In an effort to entice advertisers to their publications and fill their pages, Meredith Corporation is extending their Sales Guarantee program, to help manage advertising budgets. The program began in July 2011 and was limited to certain categories of advertisers and carried frequency and budget stipulations. In return, Meredith guaranteed to deliver a return on the advertisers’ investment in their publishing properties.

Budgets now more than ever are being segmented and fragmented into a variety of media. This isn’t news, you know this and have heard about it for some time. With dollars flying around faster than your local casino’s cash tornado, media outlets are scrambling for ways to ensure those dollars still fall in their pockets. This is Meredith’s attempt to keep their advertising dollars, and according to the report it’s working, at least for the advertisers.

The thing is, it needs to work for the publication, too. Meredith is reporting participants are seeing a $7.81 return on each dollar spent in the campaign. What they’re not reporting, is how many free ads they have to provide advertisers to get them that level of return. The model needs to be sustainable for both advertisers and the publication, or it’s completely one-sided. If Meredith is providing free frequency in order to get the return advertisers need, they could be giving up valuable publication space they could be selling to other advertisers.

Ad pages have been declining, so this could be a moot argument. Frequency works, but sometimes advertising costs are prohibitive when it comes to purchasing the frequency required to see the return. By guaranteeing returns and giving advertisers the frequency they need to get the returns, the risk is reduced for advertisers. In the long run, however, Meredith may be shooting themselves in the foot. The return on advertising costs is one thing, but the timeframe to get that return is another.

As advertisers continue to look to put big data to work, and as marketers get better at analyzing and understanding what’s happening with their different campaigns, the ‘what have you done for me lately,’ mentality will continue to run rampant. This might be Meredith’s current response to that argument, but I don’t think it can last. Advertisers who know magazines work, and Meredith’s titles work for their products or services will, and should, continue to use them. And this might entice some categories or advertisers to give Meredith a shot. But in the long run, if the results aren’t there (in the timeframe the advertiser desires, not just ‘at some later date’), advertisers will move to a channel they can measure and test according to their schedule.

The Harvard Business Review recently published a story about how some traditional marketers are having a hard time with digital. That’s somewhat attributed to their lack of understanding, and in the end, fear of the medium. But that can’t last. As the story states, as today’s associates turn into tomorrow’s CMOs, they’ll bring with them experiences in multiple media and the ability to test and measure each different vehicle. And that day is closer than we might think, if it’s not already upon us.

In order for this guarantee to be sustainable and make money for the publication long-term, Meredith needs to understand how to deliver integrated campaigns to its advertisers, not just free print frequency in the hopes of keeping them in Better Homes and Gardens and Country Life.

If you’re interested in learning how to take advantage of integrated campaigns, check out our eBook titled the CMO’s Guide to Integrating Print and Digital Media. And before you pull the trigger on your next campaign, be sure to understand why the RFP process hurts your media buying process by reading our eBook on the subject. The one-voice method has proven much more effective.

When it Comes to Effective Advertising Campaigns, Mother Knows Best

Hannah Hill — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:22:00 GMT

With less than a week until Mother’s Day, get ready for the uptick in ads geared toward mothers and their loved ones. According to Experian Marketing Services, Mother’s Day email campaigns sent within two weeks of the holiday receive 80% of the transactions and 75% of the revenue. If you’re an advertiser for products Mom is sure to love, then it’s not too late to create an email campaign and cash in on the business of the last-minute shoppers. Experian Marketing Services also discovered that advertisers who build urgency into their subject lines using phrases like “last day” or “final hours” achieve more than double the transactions of other Mother’s Day mailings. You shouldn’t need further convincing to amend your subject lines. In honor of Mother’s Day, let’s take a look at some brands that have relied on moms to help sell their products for years.

Campbell's Chunky Soup

Campbell’s Chunky Soup first aired its Mama’s Boy campaign in 1997 with the late NFL defensive end Reggie White and his mother. Actually, it was a paid actress pretending to be his mother. With the help of the Mama’s Boy ad campaign and NFL football players Reggie White, Jerome Bettis and Donovan McNabb, to name a few, Chunky Soup revenue doubled from 1997 to 2002. Talk about effective advertising. This television advertising campaign was enjoyed by mothers and sons throughout the sporting community and beyond for more than a decade with many a household familiar with the slogan “Did you eat your Chunky Soup?” What made this ad campaign successful was the company’s use of celebrities. When celebrities take the forefront in commercials or other advertising vehicles, they influence consumer purchases while building awareness for the brand. Additionally, the Mama’s Boy campaign spoke to mothers and had them thinking if Chunky Soup was approved by professional athletes and their mothers, then they should buy it for their families, too.

Jif

Since this cheesy commercial was created in 1977, choosy mothers have been choosing Jif. I remember begging my mom to buy Jif peanut butter and using the infamous slogan on her a few times so we could try it, but my mom was (and still is) a pretty big fan of Skippy. Was my mom a bad mom for not choosing Jif? No. But that advertising campaign planted a seed and I’m willing to bet a handful of mothers never bought Skippy or Peter Pan again. When you are able to influence consumers to the extent that they start throwing dollars in your direction or become brand loyal to your product over that of your competitors, then you’re doing something right with your advertising. Way to go, Jif.

Hallmark

Since Mother’s Day is the third largest card sending holiday in the United States, Hallmark deserves to be mentioned as they have been creating Mother’s Day cards for nearly a century. With a slogan like “when you care enough to send the very best,” it’s no surprise Hallmark has created some great advertising campaigns through the years; and the best ones seem to be geared toward moms and Mother’s Day. Television ads like this one pull at our heartstrings and make us cry, usually happy tears, and ultimately get us to buy Hallmark cards. Hallmark’s use of emotional advertising has been their ticket to success.

When it comes to creating a successful advertising campaign, mother knows best. Whether you are currently running a Mother’s Day email campaign, television commercial or print ad, remember that an integrated advertising campaign is the way to go. Download our eBook ‘The CMO’s Guide to Integrating Print and Digital Media’ and learn how you can reap the benefits of multi-channel advertising for next year’s campaign. To my mom and other mothers who happen to read this post in its entirety, I wish you the happiest of Mother’s Days.

Hannah Hill is a marketing specialist at Mediaspace Solutions. Her marketing experience includes writing, social media and event management. You can connect with Hannah on LinkedIn, Facebook or Google+.

What if all mobile consumers opt-out of targeting?

Scott Olson — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:47:00 GMT

As the adoption of smartphones continues to grow, advertisers are looking for ways to target mobile consumers with their advertising. As with any media advertisers are looking for a proven return on their investment and the ability to track who is seeing their message and the impact it is having on those consumers. Mobile advertising hit a record $3.4 billion in 2012, representing 9 percent of online dollars spent. However, as advertisers look to present mobile consumers with coupons and offers as they walk down the street, another facet of mobile programming is on the rise offering mobile consumers the opportunity to opt-out of behavioral targeting.

One of the most recent companies to develop and release an opt-out app is Evidon, a privacy compliance company. The app works with mobile ad networks Jumptap and Tapad and there are 14 other companies who have said they will get on board with Evidon to offer opt-outs. The opt-out option is extending beyond just the ad networks themselves, as agencies such as GroupM, VivaKi and IPG Mediabrands are now requiring their mobile network partners to offer opt-outs according to the MediaPost Story.

The question is how many mobile users truly understand what’s being tracked on their mobile devices and how open or closed they are to the idea of being targeted based on their behavior? Surfers on the web have had the option for an extended period to turn off their cookies and increase privacy options in an effort to inhibit advertisers and sites to track their activity and determine what waves they are catching on the World Wide Web. The thing is, most of us don’t take these opportunities, although available. General users don’t go into the settings in their browsers and modify the defaults, which most of the time leave them subject to tracking and in turn, behavioral targeting. And I don’t see it happening on mobile devices either.

Some of us actually look forward to being targeted; in an effort to increase the relevancy of the ads we are being served. As a 30-something active father of two, I’m more interested in ads from REI than the local model train store. Although my personal likelihood of clicking on most display ads is slim, I’d rather see things that are based on my searches and sites I’m visiting. Plus, the opportunities to receive ads based on my geo-location bring new options for me to take advantage of. This is in stark contrast to the opt-out options Evidon and the ad networks will offer mobile consumers.

So while opt-out options grow, Valassis announced targeting capabilities through Brand.net, called Geo Commerce Retail Zone. Brand.net uses retail zones to put together “local stores with transactional data, behavioral data, and data from larger retail trade areas where relevant advertising can be delivered to high-potential consumers via mobile devices and other advertising channels.” This seems like a better route to take, both for advertisers and mobile consumers.

We’re all going to be subject to advertising, as companies continue to try to get our attention and in turn our dollars in return for their products and services. Do you want to be hit with ads that mean nothing to you and aren’t based on anything you’ve looked at or purchased, or would you prefer to see ads you might actually take action on? Personally, I prefer the latter. While the mobile opt-outs may be easy to set up and a requirement for those overly concerned with being tracked, for the majority of the mobile consumer population, we prefer targeted advertising. And from my experience with advertisers and agencies, they like going after consumers like me much more than those trying to shut out the world around them.

Digital advertising will continue to grow on standard display as well as tablet and mobile devices, and hopefully your company is taking advantage of the opportunities available, especially at the local level. If you want to learn more about integrating your digital efforts with print campaigns to extend your reach and effectiveness, check out our eBook on integrating print and digital media. You can also check out the benefits of local advertising to be sure you’re up to speed on the ‘how and why’ of hitting local targets.

April Showers Bring Mud and Dirty Advertising Campaigns

Hannah Hill — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:24:00 GMT

As the rain and snow continue to fall this April I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll ever see those May flowers the seasonal rhyme promises. Advertisers across multiple industries are getting down and dirty in their advertising campaigns this spring, doing almost anything to capture the consumers’ attention. Below are a few examples of irreverent, racy and suggestive advertising campaigns released throughout the month of April. Parental discretion is advised.

“I just shipped my pants.”

Kmart’s new commercial has been flying across the interwebs since it was released earlier this month. Replace “shipped” with a naughty four letter word and you’ll understand why this ad is getting so much attention. The commercial was created to market Kmart’s new Shop Your Way rewards program which allows customers to have products shipped to their homes at no cost. Throughout the commercial customers of all ages tell the salesman they’ve just shipped their pants, their nightgown, even their bed. Yes, some are saying Kmart’s new ad is immature and irreverent, but even still, it has generated buzz which is a success in itself. Plus, everyone can relate to the ad in some way because everyone poops, though maybe not in or on their Kmart goodies. Take a look at the commercial if you haven’t already seen it. But be warned. You might laugh so hard you ship your pants.

“I want to show off my new ass.”

Weight loss company SlimFast has embraced a new, provocative style to advertising. Their new “Get What You Really Want” campaign shows socially acceptable reasons for losing weight in speech bubbles while revealing the real reasons women have for losing weight in thought clouds. For example, one ad variation has the woman saying, “I want to show off my new confidence,” while she’s really thinking “I want to show off my new ass.” A second variation depicts the spoken motive “I want to get into my new pants,” but the woman is really thinking, “I want to get into someone else’s pants.” While bawdy, these ads are getting attention among consumers and the media. Who knows? They may even provoke promiscuous women to start using the SlimFast product line if it means they’ll be more apt to get some action.

“With pulled pork on a cheeseburger, it’s barbecue’s best pair.”

Well, it’s obvious this Carl’s Jr. TV commercial is geared toward BBQ-lovin’ men as it features two bikini babes who get hot and steamy while cooking up a burger and some BBQ. It’s cheeky, to say the least, portraying more than your average hamburger buns. New Zealand officials were so repulsed by the ad that they banned the TV commercial saying it was sexually explicit and degrading while using unnecessary sex appeal to advertise an unrelated product. But that didn’t stop Carl’s Jr. from advertising to their New Zealand fans. They simply took a different approach: radio. Carl’s Jr. created a radio ad, leaving the visuals up to the imagination, which is arguably even more suggestive than the original commercial when you consider even just this line: "It's just attractive bikini-top-wearing women and flying meat ... and they want each other — oh hold on a minute, they want the burger." Needless to say, Carl’s Jr. got the final word in this argument and probably a little extra business.

Even if racy, provocative advertising is your style, you still need to make sure you are taking advantage of the benefits of integrating both print and digital media into your advertising campaigns. Download our eBook “The CMO’s Guide to Integrating Print and Digital Media” to learn more.

Hannah Hill is a marketing specialist at Mediaspace Solutions. Her marketing experience includes writing, inbound marketing, social media and event management. You can connect with Hannah on LinkedIn, Facebook or Google+.

Social media’s role in botching the Boston Marathon Bombing reporting

Scott Olson — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 05:13:00 GMT

Just 10 days ago the city of Boston woke up to one of its most exciting days of the year: Patriot’s Day and the celebration of The Boston Marathon. Runners woke up, ate their pre-race breakfast and got ready to run in one of the most celebrated races on the circuit. Volunteers prepared water cups, orange slices and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The frat boys stocked their coolers and solidified the rules around their Boston Marathon drinking games. Everyone was ready. Twelve hours later everything had changed, and the news was flying so fast it was hard to keep up.

Just 10 days ago I was in a hotel in Florida at the Newspaper Association of America’s annual mediaXchange conference. Typically during conferences it’s difficult to keep up with the outside world. There’s so much happening right where I am that snippets of SportsCenter and the front page of USA Today, courtesy of the hotel, is mostly what I get. However, with accessibility of social media, and the selection of individuals and media outlets pushing tweets to my phone, I’m better able to stay connected. On this day, I learned of the bombings as my colleagues were having a meeting with the Boston Globe, and undoubtedly heard about it before anyone at that table. I can be so confident in that because the mood didn’t change. The meeting wasn’t interrupted, and everyone left the discussion without bringing up the latest attack on our country.

As soon as the explosions were reported, a number of ‘reporters’ were born. These were people just like you and me, who were watching Twitter and Facebook and getting their news and updates from people in Boston, then sharing with their followers and friends. And these reporters, no different than CNN, jumped to some conclusions:

A couple things to notice in this exchange: First, social media allows the conversation and corrections to be made in real time. The distinction between three hours into the race and 4:09 is that the latter is one of the most popular finish times for the ‘every (wo)man,’ running the marathon. At this time the finish line would be more crowded with cheering fans, supporters, and runners. Second, as stated in the top tweet, while a lot of people assumed the explosions were bombs, the confirmation of that was not immediate.

Once the initial news broke and the world had heard of the events, social’s role continued to be important, but traditional media got in the game and was able to start actually verifying what was happening:

The trouble is, even traditional media sometimes has problems with verification, and some outlets are so eager to be first, and beat social, they report false or inaccurate information.

The CNN Breaking News Blog reported this Wednesday, April 17: [Updated at 1:46 p.m.] An arrest has been made in connection with Monday's Boston Marathon bombings, sources tell CNN's John King and CNN contributor Fran Townsend. King's source is with Boston law enforcement, he said; Townsend's source is with federal law enforcement.

That’s more than 24 hours before the shootout in Watertown resulted in the killing of Suspect 1 and the fleeing of Suspect 2. Oops. Turns out even those making a living reporting the news don’t always get it right.

Now you’re thinking, ‘So what’s the point? If even CNN’s going to give me inaccurate information, why wouldn’t I just trust my twitter feed?’ Here’s why: social is taking over as the outlet for breaking the news, but the Associated Press and other media organizations are the ones doing the digging, filling the 24-hour news cycle with repeated information while they wait to break the next step. And sometimes that causes an over-eagerness and inaccuracies, but more often than not, traditional media are the ones getting it right.

I woke up Friday morning, nearly a full five days after the blasts, to a tweet pushing me to this video:

Much has been discussed about this video, and the outcry about it was so much that the family actually had to remove it for a period Friday to let everything calm down, and get everyone to understand Sunil wasn’t actually one of the bombing suspects. That tweet, which started conversations with my wife and co-workers, has been removed. Social media allows erasures of our mistakes, while CNN and other traditional outlets continue to display their mishaps. We’re all after accurate, timely and breaking news, and with more sources than ever at our fingertips, it’s up to us to determine how much weight we put in each outlet. Traditional media is still the most trusted, regardless of some of the recent mistakes, meaning it’s still a good place for advertisers to be putting their dollars to reach their audiences.

If you’re looking for ways to maximize your dollars while staying out of hindering contracts with traditional media, take a look at our recent eBook on the benefits of non-contractual advertising.

Is Crowdsourcing Your Advertising A Good Idea?

Hannah Hill — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:55:00 GMT

Crowdsourcing (noun): The practice of obtaining needed services, ideas or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, especially from the online community, rather than from traditional employees or supplies. Not to be confused with crowdsurfing.

Okay, so now that we’re all on the same page, is it a good idea for your company’s next advertising campaign? The answer is: it depends. For some brands, crowdsourcing is easier to incorporate into ad campaigns than others. If Ben & Jerry’s were ever interested in crowdsourcing new ice cream flavors or campaigns, I’d be the first one to jump on board. What a delicious project that would be! (Note: Less than an hour after drafting this blog post Twitter told me Ben & Jerry’s was currently running a “Design a T-Shirt for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream” campaign. It looks like I missed the boat on that one.) Other brands with strong followership and loyalty, such as Apple, would probably have a large response if ever they decided to embark on the journey of crowdsourcing. About 20 percent of the advertisers who had spots in this year’s Super Bowl integrated it into their campaigns including Doritos, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, and Audi, to name a few. Even Jimmy Fallon got involved in the crowdsourcing effort for Ford’s Lincoln campaign when he used his Twitter followers to #steerthescript of the ad. Which Super Bowl XLVII advertiser did it best and why? Tell us in the comment section below.

Let’s consider the benefits of this advertising tool. Crowdsourcing isn’t new to advertising, but social networks have brought it to the forefront once again. Because of their social nature, crowdsourced ads can spread like wildfire while further increasing brand visibility and word of mouth marketing. This advertising practice can lead to fresh ideas and ingenuity from contributors that propel the brand forward. Companies such as Zooppa and Tongal have built their business around the idea of crowdsourcing and would be a great place to start if you are interested in learning more about this growing advertising solution. The key to crowdsourcing success, according to Zooppa, is creating clear direction in your creative brief. With this guidance you can steer your campaign in the direction you want it to go while at the same time opening the opportunity for creativity.

Now, let’s take a look at the other side of the coin and consider the potential drawbacks of utilizing crowdsourcing as a means to advertise to your customers and prospects. Of course, you run the risk of losing brand positioning when relying on strangers to take your concept and run with it. Also, it will take time and energy to sift through the creative submissions you receive, but if you are a well-known company with a great reputation, chances are you’ll get some pretty good ideas from your fans. For example, Nabisco’s “Daily Twist” campaign for Oreo was right on the money. To commemorate Oreo’s 100^th anniversary, the company released one new cookie design each day for 100 days. Oreo lovers were involved in selecting the theme for each day’s design, as well as crowning the winner.

What are your thoughts when it comes to crowdsourcing your advertising? For those of you who have experimented with it, what has been your experience? Let’s start a dialogue in the comments section below. Also, if your brand isn’t Oreo or Pepsi, but more focused on local markets, how can you efficiently use crowdsourcing? Often local advertisers have smaller budgets and resources, but the importance of reaching local audiences is becoming clearer every day. If you’re interested in learning about the benefits of local advertising, download our research report titled “Ten Benefits of Local Advertising.”

Are Online, Tablet and Mobile Really the Newspaper’s Saviors?

Scott Olson — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:18:00 GMT

I’m asking that question seriously, and hope you have or are as well. Following the 2013 mediaXchange conference organized by the Newspaper Association of America, there’s a lot going on to process all the conversations had and how some of them have changed but many are staying the same.

Here’s what I mean by that: I just spent three days talking with publications who are saying things that are making me think twice about some of the ideas I had when I went to bed Saturday night. Thoughts like:

We need to move to all digital platforms
Paywalls and page-view meters are the best way to monetize digital content
The print newspaper is falling off in terms of ROI (aka the golden goose) for advertisers
Expanded reach, whether free or paid, is what advertisers are looking for

Let’s start with that last one. This is where publications seem to be singing the same song in terms of stating the benefits of their TMC and Sunday Select programs. To be honest, we don’t see it. As counter-intuitive as that might sound, advertisers are most interested in where their advertising is going, and knowing who’s receiving it. This is where that whole idea about big data comes in. Targeting and picking the people you want to target, then sending them the message you want them to receive, and determining how effectively you did it. When agencies and advertisers don’t know who’s receiving their ads it’s harder for them to determine the effectiveness of their campaign, and how to modify it to produce the ROI they need.

Continuing to work our way back up the list we move to ROI. Now we all know and read about the imminent (?) death of print and there are those picking dates on when it’ll come. Based on my conversations during the last few days it’s time to tell the grim reaper to hold his horses. Newspapers aren’t ready for death, and advertisers who know how to create good campaigns, products or services, still look for ways to use newspaper more. I heard similar messages from more than one publisher during my time in Orlando, and that message was that they are continually finding advertisers increasing print budgets and campaigns. Reasons vary, and we can speculate as much as we’d like, but the reality is advertisers don’t typically continue to spend money on things that don’t work and aren’t providing them returns on their investment.

The whole paywall and page-view meter thing is still working itself out. Some publishers are using them, others not so much. Last week, Media Life Magazine published a story titled “Surprise: Newspaper paywalls are working.” The idea behind the story is that as time goes on, people adopt and adapt to paying for their content. It happened with cable TV as news moved to a subscription-based model, and the same will hold true for newspapers. While this might be true, the ‘right’ method for administering the paywalls and meters is still being worked out. What we all should have confidence in is that because of all the testing and variations happening, there will be a clear winner.

OK, now we’re up to the top of the list of my pre-conceived notions as I laid my head on the pillow Saturday night. This is a pretty short discussion. The answer is a resounding NO. Advertisers still use print, and use it effectively. People still read print, and want to have a tangible, printed newspaper in their hand, either daily or on Sundays. It’s just that simple.

At this point it should be clear print continues to be a media those who understand it have confidence in. At the same time we all understand changes are happening and as we work together to solve some of the difficulties, the future is still as bright as an incandescent, if not the latest LED. If you’re interested in learning more about print advertising, whether it’s the benefits of staying out of contracts or integrating print and digital, we have some resources you can download now.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go If You Advertise by Way of Dr. Seuss

Hannah Hill — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:40:00 GMT

You’ve all heard of Theodor Seuss Geisel, though you probably recognize him by his pen name: Dr. Seuss. From “Horton Hears a Who” to “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” he wrote in such a way that he kept his readers entertained from start to finish and that’s no easy feat. We owe Dr. Seuss a lot of credit as he taught most of us how to read, rhyme and use our imagination. But we ought to give him credit for teaching us how to be better advertisers because he did that, too. Outlined below are just a few lessons we can learn from his Seussical stories.

The Cat in the Hat

The Cat in the Hat is by far one of his most popular works. In fact, every book written by Dr. Seuss is branded with an image of that darn cat, so brand awareness is one of his strong suits. This just reinforces the importance of putting your mark on your messaging. You put a lot of time and money into your company logo and tagline, so use them. The Cat in the Hat introduces Sally and her unnamed brother to their imagination one rainy day. Does he need to pay you a visit? Using your imagination is a must when creating ads and striving to reach your advertising goals; however, don’t let it get out of control to the point where it creates a mess, similar to what happened in this story. Long story short: Keep Thing 1 and Thing 2 at bay.

Green Eggs and Ham

In this tale, Sam-I-Am struggles to get the narrator to eat green eggs and ham. He refuses them repeatedly saying, “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them Sam-I-Am.” Now, just change “ham” to a more processed form of meat and you’ve got a story to which we all can relate: Green Eggs and Spam. Now we all know spam is bad; it’s formally defined as “unsolicited usually commercial email sent to a large number of addresses.” To be successful advertisers and marketers, we cannot be spammers. When you target your audience you increase the effectiveness of your ads while at the same time refrain from spamming the masses. Remember, the Dr. prescribed ham, not spam, so advertise accordingly. Put yourself in your prospects’ shoes: You would not like spam here or there. You would not like spam anywhere.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

There’s no false advertising in the title of this book. With a quick glance you know exactly what the book is going to be about. (Note: I’m not advocating that you judge a book by its cover.) Don’t be misleading. Use your ad messaging to tell your audience exactly what benefits they will receive if they start using your product or service and how soon they can expect results. Failure to do so is unethical and oftentimes illegal. Use Seuss’s example and tell your customers exactly how many fish they will receive and the color of said fish, if applicable.

Oh! The places you'll go if you adopt these advertising best practices. “You’ll be on your way up. You’ll be seeing great sights. You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.” So pick up your tattered copy of “The Lorax” or “Yertle the Turtle” for inspiration and modify your advertising practices with Seuss in mind. If anything, his stories will get your creative juices flowing once again. Speaking of new ideas, you should consider avoiding advertising contracts altogether. Take a look at our eBook “The CMO’s Guide to Non-Contractual Advertising” to learn about the benefits of this non-traditional advertising approach. Otherwise "The CMO's Guide to Integrating Print and Digital Media" is another good read.

Integrated Marketing the Mixed Martial Arts Champ Cain Velasquez Style

Scott Olson — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:49:00 GMT

Whether or not you actually know who Cain Velasquez is, you’ve certainly heard about mixed martial arts fighting and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Either that or you’ve only been watching PBS and reading The Economist for the past 10 years. Believe it or not, mixed martial arts and integrated marketing have a lot in common when it comes to training and implementing techniques to beat your opponent and achieve your desired result. Let me demonstrate.

In mixed martial arts fighting, most fighters begin with one specialty, whether it’s boxing, jiu jitsu, karate or wrestling. In similar fashion, most marketers or marketing agencies have a specialty. Some are best at creative, others public relations and still others buying, planning and placing. In Velasquez’s case, he started out as a wrestler at the collegiate level before entering the octagon. What Velasquez had to do, and what good marketers also have to do, is learn to diversify. Regardless of your specialty, whether it’s grappling or a ground game (think print creative or event planning), that alone won’t get you where you need to be. Reason being: someone with a different specialty or someone who’s stronger, faster or better at your specialty is bound to come along. Without the ability to adapt or modify your approach, you’re a one-trick pony.

Knowing he needed to add elements to his game, Velasquez became a striker, an aggressor, with premiere cardiovascular skills and staying power. That’s what marketers need to do to keep themselves in the game as well. If you’re best at getting press attention for your client or your brand, what do you do when there’s nothing new to tell, no story to share? If you’re good, you come with the next great campaign that gets people talking and create your news. Then you can go back to your bread and butter and bring the focus back to your brand or client’s initiative.

The thing to remember is that you can’t just jump right into doing something you’ve never done before and expect to have immediate success. In anything, mixed martial arts and integrated marketing, there’s going to be a learning curve, and a process you’ll need to follow to get yourself up to speed. Do your research, learn what you don’t know and practice it before you take on the heavyweight champion. Velasquez didn’t go from a college wrestler to a title fight against the current reigning champion. He fought lesser opponents, on smaller circuits, and got to put into play what he had worked so hard to practice.

The same goes for your integrated campaigns and your skill set as you expand it. Start with your current client base, the people who know you and the ones who you have the most deposits with. The reason is, you need to build your expertise in order to arrive at a point where you can sell those services, and you might need a little forgiveness along the way. Velasquez uses inferior opponents so when he misses a bunch or when he shoots and misses, he doesn’t get hurt too badly. You need that same opportunity to learn from your mistakes.

The world of marketing continues to change on a daily basis, and the only way to stay relevant is to get better at what you’re already doing, and find ways to expand your repertoire. If you follow the tactics of MMA champ Cain Velasquez and diversify, practice and then dominate, your success will be imminent.

If you need help getting started with integrating your print and digital efforts, take a look at our eBook on integrating print and digital media. And if you want to learn from a leader in creating integrated marketing campaigns, download our interview with Wealth Enhancement Group’s CMO and Executive Vice President, John Wernz.

How to Take Full Advantage of LinkedIn’s Advertising Capabilities

Hannah Hill — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:00:00 GMT

With more than 200 million members in just as many countries and territories, LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world. Want to increase your reach by 200 million and have the potential to reach consumers in up to 200 different countries? Yea, I thought so. Make sure your company is represented on LinkedIn with a complete company profile page, including the products/services tab and a link to your homepage, so the professional online community can see what your business is all about. But before you rush off to create or tweak your company profile, take a look at the tips below to ensure your company is set up to realize all the benefits of advertising via LinkedIn. Download the “8 Steps to Increase Advertising Success via LinkedIn” after you finish reading and keep it handy for future reference.

Post Content During the Noon Hour and Early Evening

Researchers have analyzed engagement through shares and click through rates to determine the best times to publish content on LinkedIn. According to the data, businesses and individuals should aim to post content during the noon hour and early evening for the best visibility. Now I don’t know about you, but if I know when our content is most likely to get in front of our target personas, then that’s when I’m going to publish. It just makes sense to take full advantage of the reach available through LinkedIn.

Use Targeted Status Updates

LinkedIn’s Targeted Status Updates allow you to tailor your messaging to specific company followers which increases engagement. Utilize these status updates to start conversations with your followers and build relationships. The follower insights page allows you to track the effectiveness of your updates.

Join Relevant LinkedIn Groups

When you join industry-related LinkedIn groups you increase your company’s presence while positioning yourself as a thought leader within your niche. Make sure to abide by the rules of the group. In short, that means don’t spam your fellow group members. Share appropriate content. And remember the golden rule: share unto others as you would have others share unto you. It’s that simple.

Use the LinkedIn Ads Program

In a prior post, I talked about the LinkedIn Ads program and how it allows you to target
members based on job title and function, industry, company name and a variety of other factors. This program provides you the opportunity to strategically reach your targets based on your budget, allowing you to place ads in a variety of locations.

Here are a few advertising tips from LinkedIn:

Use images. Ads with images are clicked up to 20% more times than those without graphics.
Experiment with different messaging or headlines to determine what works. In fact, LinkedIn lets you create up to 15 variations for each campaign.
Be honest. Make sure your ad copy matches up to whatever it is you are advertising.

Adobe, CNBC, HubSpot and the Walt Disney Company are a few of the companies who LinkedIn recognized on their Best Company Pages of 2012 list. Visit their LinkedIn pages and copy a thing or two. Remember, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

If you’d like to download the complete checklist, click here. Hopefully the “8 Steps to Increase Advertising Success via LinkedIn” will increase the effectiveness of your advertising on this social media platform. If you missed the Facebook checklist we released earlier this year, download it now. Also, download a free copy of our eBook “The CMO’s Guide to Integrating Print and Digital Media” to learn how you can start taking advantage of advertising across multiple media channels.

Applying the Amazon Principles to Online Publishing

Scott Olson — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:48:00 GMT

We’ve all been there, Amazon.com, and we’re out there searching for the latest thing we need that Amazon sells, which today is pretty much everything. As we’re scrolling down to read the ‘Customer Reviews’ we pass through what others bought and looked at, and we wonder how Amazon knows to put all that together. Then we leave the site, head to our Gmail accounts, and see an ad for the very item we just looked at, or one of those associated items, and our brain starts digging into the ‘hows.’ For most of us this doesn’t last long because we realize Amazon is smarter than us, and we’ll just get frustrated if we think too hard about how they’re putting it all together.

As amazing as Amazon is, and continues to be, the rest of the digital world is catching up, including publishers who are determining how to take the Amazon principles of ‘context’ and letting that trump the old virtue of ‘Content as King.’ The first time I heard this concept I was sitting in the audience at HubSpot’s Inbound 2012 conference. ‘Content as King’ had been the catch phrase. It’s what everyone was using to guide their marketing and what everyone was talking about. However, ‘context’ is way better than ‘content.’ And according to Gary V., ‘if content is king, context if God.’ Content is a one-way street, from me to you, like this blog. But context takes into consideration what you really care about, what you’re looking for, looking at, reading, watching, following, tweeting, sharing and liking.

According to paidContent.org, publishers are getting on board and understanding the value in not only tracking, but connecting content and the page views of readers. This is being done for two main purposes: the first is to serve more appropriate sidebars and additional articles readers would be interested in; the second, and more important for advertisers, is to serve the ads most relevant to the demographics of the readers reading particular stories. Now the rabbit hole can get pretty deep, and to not completely turn you off with my nerd-dom I’ll stay near the surface.

The short of it is that ‘[t]he algorithm will be the new editor,’ as the paidContent.org article states. What that means is we can put Google and Amazon on the shelf (figuratively of course, we’ll always need them for searching and shopping), and have confidence that what we’re being served by publishers is the content we are actually looking for. The kicker is that what we’re going to be served on a regular basis will not just be based on what we’re looking at on any particular website. The ‘algorithm as the editor’ concept means our web history will determine what we’re being served regardless of the sites we’re visiting.

This is only going to get bigger and more expansive. Have you heard of Twitter? Of course you have. Did you know Twitter is projected to generate $1B in revenue in 2014? That’s a lot of cash. And it’s based on the idea that contextual advertising can include who you’re following, what you’re following, when you’re following it, and how it ties into the rest of your web history and activity.

Regardless of what you’re being served, whether ads or content, what matters in the end is the quality. If it’s garbage, you won’t pay attention to it. You’re going to ignore it, for the most part. According to a quote from Adam Kleinberg, CEO of Traction in a Digiday.com story, “All this shit about advertising not working anymore is a load of crap.” And I agree. If you have good messaging and creative, and you know who you’re after and how to reach them, your advertising will work. If you are missing any of those elements, you’re just sending your dollars up in smoke.

If you want to put your advertising dollars to work, instead of into the fire, check out our eBook on putting digital and print media together, so you can take advantage of both media and reach your target consumers.

Mobile Advertising: As told by Pandora and Tumblr

Hannah Hill — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:36:00 GMT

Mobile advertising is really starting to take off and a recent poll determined one in two mobile users is okay with receiving ads on their mobile device, so long as they are relevant and beneficial. Let’s take a look at mobile advertising through the eyes of Pandora and Tumblr and learn why it’s a thriving ad form.

Pandora Continues to Profit from Mobile Advertising

As advertisers increasingly embrace Pandora and monetize mobile, profits continue to rise. I’m actually listening to “Missy Higgins Radio” on Pandora as I pump out this post. No ads yet, but I know they’re coming. Joseph Kennedy, chairman, CEO and president of Pandora said, "We remain focused on our mobile product as hours and ad revenue continue their shift toward mobile.” I might go so far as to classify Pandora’s “shift” as more of a leap. According to a recent financial report, their growth from mobile revenue outperformed mobile listener growth for the second consecutive year, growing 111 percent in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013. Kennedy went on to say that “mobile provides national, regional and in particular local advertisers, the ability to reach listeners on their most personal and portable device, in their cars or on the go, wherever they may be.” That’s what so powerful about mobile advertising. Because we are so connected to everyone, everything, every second of every day, advertisers using Pandora, among other outlets, have it made in the shade if they can figure out how to reach us on our mobile devices.

Tumblr Prepares to Enter Mobile Ad Space

Blog network Tumblr plans to roll out mobile ads within the next couple months similar to the ad component they added to their web version a couple months ago. Companies can pay to promote their Tumblr blogs to increase their visibility among users. This could prove to be profitable for both Tumblr and the companies willing to invest ad dollars in the new feature, especially since Tumblr’s mobile users have quadrupled over the last six months. Tumblr VP of Sales Lee Brown says this of the new capability, "we're not really selling ads, we're promoting their content," but with the average advertising purchase being “just under six figures,” I think they are doing a little of both. By early 2014 most of Tumblr’s traffic will be generated by mobile, according to CEO David Karp, so they are taking strategic steps to create mobile advertising opportunities in an effort to capitalize on that front in the near future.

But the question remains, will mobile advertising kill digital advertising? That’s a question Stephanie Hospital, executive vice president of Orange Digital, posed on CNN earlier this year. Mobile continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and it’s not showing signs of slowing down any time soon. In fact, mobile advertising is forecasted to exceed traditional digital advertising by the year 2016. The rate at which mobile is growing leaves one to believe that it’s pretty easy to execute a mobile campaign and get the desired result; however, it’s not as easy as it looks to be successful in the mobile realm. For one thing, advertisers have a much smaller canvas to work with, about 10 times smaller than computer screens. That means they have to be even more strategic when determining messaging and graphical elements. Another potential obstacle relates to the personal nature of most mobile devices. Advertisers need to create timely, targeted messages that reach mobile users at the right time. Failing to do so could result in being perceived as an annoyance rather than a value provider and nobody wants that.

As the mobile empire continues to conquer, advertisers need to continually adapt and evolve with the industry. In other words, they need to shatter the status quo, something we take very seriously at Mediaspace Solutions. Take a look at our “Shatter the Status Quo” interview with Justin Kaufenberg, a hockey player turned market leader, to learn how he is making the rules rather than just abiding by them. Download the interview now.

Five in Five: Interview with Advertising Leader Eric van den Heuvel

Hannah Hill — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:30:00 GMT

Mediaspace Solutions’ Five in Five interview series highlights individuals in the advertising and marketing field and their path to success. Interviewees answer five questions, varying in scope, and it is our hope that you are able to take something away from each interview in the series. So far, we have interviewed Jessica Birk (ID Media), Steve Wendling (Riley Hayes) and Mary Pocsik (G2 Worldwide). Be sure to check out all of the interviews that are currently published and come back in a couple weeks for the next one.

We conducted our most recent Five in Five interview with Eric van den Heuvel. Eric is the director of channel planning at The Gate Worldwide in New York City. He creates and manages integrated channel communication programs across many business categories. Prior to joining The Gate Worldwide, Eric worked with Margeotes/Fertitta + Partners and started one of the first full-service interactive media groups in the advertising business. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in communications and marketing. Read the interview below to get the inside scoop on Eric van den Heuvel.

1. What's the one mobile app you can't live without?

Email apps, mostly my work email. In my position at The Gate Worldwide I'm basically connected 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MobileDay is an app that pulls together calendars and conference calls and allows me to stay connected via wireless networks and also when I need a remote connection.

2. How do you get your news?

I get my news through a combination of my Facebook social feed and Taptu RSS feed aggregator. I have to stay up to date on what's happening in the advertising and marketing field, especially what's being published by Ad Age, MediaPost, Adweek and other industry publications. At the same time, it's beneficial to know what's happening in the industries my clients are in, which are currently finance, insurance, association/education and the utility industry. RSS feeds help me stay apprised at a high level.

3. What is the toughest lesson you've learned in your career?

That your boss is not right all the time. The reality is that at the senior level things are happening at a crazy pace, so it is difficult for one person to know everything. The other thing I've learned is to never judge professionalism or the ability for people to contribute based on their status. In the agency world there are a lot of really smart young people who are up-and-comers and sometimes they have the best ideas.

4. What's your favorite guilty pleasure?

I’m a big fan of English football (soccer). I've been a fan of Arsenal since I was about 8- or 10-years-old, before the days of cable broadcasting European League games. I played soccer growing up and into adulthood, before the pace of life made it tough to find the time.

5. How do you spend the first hour of your day?

The first hour of my day is spent drinking coffee, catching up on emails, reviewing client digital reporting, and touching base with our international offices.

Well that wraps up our interview with Eric. If you consider yourself a leader in the advertising world and would like to be a part of our Five in Five interview series, contact Scott Olson. If you are curious about the benefit of avoiding advertising contracts, then download our eBook “The CMO’s Guide to Non-Contractual Advertising.”

Surprised? Online Newspaper Content Consumption on the Rise

Scott Olson — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:37:00 GMT

A new report from the Newspaper Association of America came out Monday and you might be a bit surprised by the actual numbers and data included. Now I’m a marketing guy and try my best to live up to the prejudice that I would just take whatever numbers I can find and skew them to my favor, whether personally or professionally. As a marketer I’m supposed to be a good spin doctor right? All kidding aside, there have been times where I’ve read reports or recent research and had to put it on the shelf or hope I’m the only one finding it, as the information is not positive. But in this case, it’s certainly worth sharing and I don’t even have to spin it, the data speaks for itself.

Now I’m not going to go through each and every stat, because if you really wanted that, you’d just read the 13-page report yourself. Instead, here are a few of the bullets from the executive summary, along with my commentary and what I think they mean.

The vast majority of U.S. adults, 164 million (69%), read newspaper media content in print or online in a typical week, or access it on mobile devices in a typical month.

That sounds like a big number, and it is. It’s actually 60 million higher than at the conclusion of an NAA study in October 2011. The other thing to note is that the percentage of people reading newspaper content has remained steady (hovering at ~70%) since 2011. So much for the whole ‘newspapers are dying’ assertion.

The majority of young adults (59%), ages 18-24, read newspaper media content in print or online in a typical week or access it on mobile devices in a typical month.

Hang on, I thought everyone in this group only checked Facebook and trusted ‘The Onion’ for their news. Looks like that’s not the case at all, and the young folk these days are paying attention and trying to stay educated on the world around them, not just what their long-lost friend had for lunch.

The mobile newspaper audience is growing fast; up 58% in an average month in 2012 compared with 2011. That totals 34 million adults.

34 million adults is four times the population of New York City, and while it will be difficult to maintain a 58% growth rate going forward, we all know smart phone adoption is growing faster than your neighbor’s 1984 hatchback reaches 60 mph.

The mobile audience skews young; the median age of an adult newspaper mobile user is 17 years younger than the print reader.

Here’s what this means: no, today’s paper is not your grandfather’s newspaper, and not even your father’s newspaper. It’s the newspaper directed to the younger reader, and smart publications are ensuring their content is web optimized. And, smart advertisers understand the publication’s ability to target their ad to content or readers and are working with the publication to be sure that’s happening.

Those who are newspaper mobile-exclusive—that is, those who access newspaper content on mobile devices only—are younger by four more years (with a median adult age of 33). That audience grew 83% in 2012 compared with a year ago.

Again, that’s some astounding growth, and growth that won’t be maintained long-term, but that’s mostly due to saturation. At some point nearly everyone will have a smart phone, and those same everyone’s will be using their devices to access newspaper content. What’s more compelling is that the younger they start, the more likely they are to stick with it.

Overall, the total newspaper media audience in a typical week (excluding mobile) dipped 2% in 2012 from 2011, a change in line with television media and less than radio. When the mobile audience is included, through data collected monthly, the decline in total newspaper audience is cut by more than half to less than 1%.

Here’s where I’ll just give you the numbers with no spin. The media game is getting tough and advertisers understand that selecting just one media vehicle will hurt their campaign. To combat this, integrated campaigns are the way to use print and digital together.

This is just a snapshot of the report based on the executive summary. What you’re missing is the median income of the newspaper reader (print or online) and how social is more of a distributor of content than a source. If you want to learn more about connecting with newspaper readers, download the Proven Methods for Reaching Affluent and Educated Consumers or the CMO’s Guide to Integrating Print and Digital Media.

What If You Had Given Up Newspapers for Lent?

Hannah Hill — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 19:00:00 GMT

As the Lenten season comes to a close many of you will once again be able to enjoy chocolate, social media, your favorite alcoholic beverages and meat on Fridays. Click here to take a look at the 10 most popular items given up for Lent each year. This blog post explores a hypothetical question: What if you had given up newspapers for Lent? I know newspapers didn't make their way onto the top 10 list this year, but let’s suppose for a minute they had. If you had given up newspapers, whether as a consumer or an advertiser, what would you have missed?

Here are some of the headlines you would have missed had you simply stopped reading the paper during the past few weeks:

“A New World Pope”
“Busted: Hair Salon Bandit Charged with 11 Counts of Robbery”
“Two Men Who Won’t Blink”
“Freed to Kill by Police Blunders”
“Patrick Wins Pole, Makes Hisstory” (At first glance, I thought this story was about a snake; not NASCAR driver Danica Patrick. This typo appeared on the front page of USA Today February 18, 2013.)

Yes, you might have kept up to speed on the latest happenings by tuning into your local news broadcast each night, listening to the radio on your way into work or scrolling through your Twitter feed while pumping gas at the local gas station, but without a newspaper, especially a local paper, you wouldn’t be as connected to your community or its local businesses.

Now let’s consider this hypothetical from an advertising standpoint. Advertisers, below are a couple examples of what your competitors were running in the newspaper while you were sitting on the sidelines:

Game of Thrones Soars With Dragon Ad in New York Times (This ad spread across the web like wildfire being described as “mind-blowing,” “wonderful” and “one of the coolest ad campaigns ever.”

AT&T Made This T-Mobile Attack Ad (This ad has gotten a lot of attention and a response from T-Mobile is in the works.)

So, the moral of this story is when a newspaper dies, we all lose. The Boston Phoenix, one of Boston’s weekly newspapers, announced March 14 that it was ceasing operations and liquidating its assets. Joe Fitzgerald of the Boston Herald had this to say of a community paper after learning the news: “It’s informative, annoying, provocative and vigilant, constantly stirring the pot of civic awareness, constantly poking at apathy, or at least that’s what it’s supposed to do, and the Phoenix did it well.” The loss of a weekly newspaper like the Phoenix will be felt by the entire Boston community as well as the local advertisers who counted on the newspaper as a vehicle for reaching their consumers. Let’s not forget that Thomas Jefferson once said, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” Jefferson probably rolled over in his grave at the news of the latest death in the newspaper industry, and I don’t blame him. It’s pretty upsetting stuff.

Hopefully none of you have given up on newspapers, even if just for Lent, because they are a part of our culture, a reliable source of news and the ticket to reaching the most affluent consumers. Download our white paper ‘Proven Methods for Reaching Affluent and Educated Consumers’ today to learn how to utilize print media to achieve success.

Does This Make Sense? Advertising Consumption Down But Prices Increase

Scott Olson — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:48:00 GMT

Dating back to 2006, or even prior, the critics started hammering newspapers and print publications for increasing their ad prices while their circulations dropped, resulting in decreased advertising consumption. The publications responded to consumption decreases by saying that in order to replace circulation revenues they had to increase the cost of advertising to remain profitable. Advertisers didn’t buy it, got unhappy about the pricing and started looking elsewhere. This isn’t news. You know this if you’ve paid attention to media channels for the last 10 years. The problem is, it’s happening again, but in a different medium: television.

Now before we get too far into the weeds, it should be called out we’re big proponents of local advertising and firmly believe that in order for advertisers to effectively reach their audience they need to bring their message to the local level. So the intent here is not to bash television or try to convince anyone they need to move their dollars from one media to another. The point is to ask the question as to when the critics will start chirping about the increasing cost of television as broadcast networks increase local content.

According to a recent Pew Study, local TV viewing is declining even as networks pump out local programming and news in record levels. In 2011, the last year data is available, local stations averaged five hours and 30 minutes of news each day, and the study indicated there is no reason for the 2012 numbers to be much different. But while content increases, viewership is decreasing, dropping from 42% in 2006 to 28% in 2012 for the under 30 market.

Viewing is one thing, while advertising is a bit different, but the two are very much related. If the viewers aren’t there, advertisers aren’t going to want to use that medium. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “Why would I want to advertise in your ______________ if my demographic isn’t paying any attention to it?” You fill in the blank, and for different advertisers, the channel will definitely change. But while viewership is decreasing, network broadcast rates for 30-second spots are increasing.

MediaPost recently reported that for the third year in a row, the average cost for a 30-second commercial rose by 5%. Now much of this advertising is actually purchased during the upfronts for programming put out by the networks, not the local programming on the station. However, a lot of local television news viewing is directly correlated to the shows leading into the news programs. So if viewership of the local news programs is decreasing, it’s fair to assume the lead-in programming is also suffering.

Cable’s a different story, so we won’t go down that road. However, we should mention a lot of this can be a result of time-shifting. Outside of live sporting events or award shows, when was the last time you watched an episode of Modern Family live? I can’t remember. And if you’re watching it live, how many of the advertisements are you paying attention to? I know my number: zero.

So to recap real quickly, here’s what we’re looking at: 1.) The audience for local television (and in turn, broadcast programming leading into local television) is decreasing; 2.) Prices for advertising on television during local and broadcast programming is going up (that’s backwards); and 3.) The overall spend for advertisers is increasing, led by the large and mid-size advertisers.

If television stations want to take advantage of those budgets, it’s time to take a look at their pricing model so they don’t follow newspapers and inadvertently push advertisers to other media.

If you’re interested in the power of local marketing and finding media that fits your budget and reaches your target demographics, check out our research report titled ‘The 10 Benefits of Local Advertising.’

Attention Digital Advertisers: It’s Time for Spring Cleaning

Hannah Hill — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:36:00 GMT

The weather is getting warmer, the birds are singing louder and there’s simply a spring in everyone’s step (pun intended). Tomorrow, March 20, officially marks the first day of spring. That means it’s time to come out of hibernation, stretch your legs and take a breath of fresh air. But not so fast. It’s also time for a little spring cleaning, both at home and in the office.
Breathe new life into your advertising this spring by focusing on its digital components. Included below are the results of a new study along with predictions for the future of digital advertising.

According to a recent study conducted by Nielsen and the Interactive Advertising Bureau, companies aren’t spending enough money on their digital advertising campaigns. (If you ask us, they aren’t spending enough on newspaper advertising either, but that’s a topic for another day.) The study provided a pretty convincing argument that if companies reallocate up to 15 percent of their TV budgets to digital, they can increase reach for CPG and non-CPG clients by up to 3.4 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively. What’s more, a strategic shift of advertising dollars from TV to digital can increase reach without affecting spend. Now that’s definitely something to consider during the spring months.

Susan Wojcicki, Google’s SVP of Advertising, recently predicted that digital advertising will be concentrated around the following five Cs by the year 2020:

Choice – Ad views will be voluntary. Consumers will view the ads they want when they want to. Hulu currently allows its subscribers to choose which ad experience they’d prefer to view during the commercial breaks. Not only does this feature give viewers the ultimate choice in their ad experience, but it also increases the ad’s ability to target the correct demographic.

Control – Users will participate if advertisers provide enough value and control. Advertisers will need to ensure they articulate value across their messaging components.

Charm – Ads will be more interactive and beautiful – at scale. The companies that invest in innovation, specifically in terms of interactivity, will be more appealing to consumers. The ads of the future will have to be more alluring to capture our diminishing attention spans.

Connected – Ads will help people live their lives on the go. According to the Pew Research Center, 62 percent of full-time workers own a smartphone while 33 percent also own a tablet. As time spent on mobile devices continues to increase each year, advertisers need to figure out how best to reach their target audience since they are constantly on the go.

Calibration – All ads will be measured, and clicks will only be one metric used to measure performance. Imagine the possibilities.

Only time will tell if Wojcicki’s predictions are accurate, but they are reasonable, especially with the rate at which digital advertising is growing. If you have your own digital advertising predictions, please let us know in the comments section below. (Note: They do not need to start with the letter C, though feel free to continue the trend.)

Dust off the cobwebs, reevaluate your digital advertising budget and try something new since spring is the perfect time to plant a seed and watch it grow. While you’re open to trying new things, why not consider avoiding advertising contracts altogether? Download ‘The CMO’s Guide to Non-Contractual Advertising’ to learn the many benefits of this non-traditional advertising approach. Also, our eBook ‘The CMO’s Guide to Integrating Print and Digital Media’ focuses on the advantages of advertising across multiple platforms. Download it now.

Five in Five: Interview with Advertising Leader Mary Pocsik

Hannah Hill — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:08:00 GMT

As you have come to learn during the past few weeks, the Five in Five interview series highlights individuals in the advertising and marketing field and their path to success. Throughout 2013 we will be posting short and sweet interviews with a variety of successful individuals. The interview questions will vary from traditional work-related questions to questions that delve into their unique hobbies and interests. It is our hope that you are able to take something away from each interview in the series.

We recently conducted a Five in Five interview with Mary Pocsik. Mary is the executive director of media services at G2 Worldwide, a top-five brand activation agency network based in New York. Mary provides strategic media direction and oversees the media planning process for brands such as Aetna Medicare, AARP, Waste Management Bagster, 800PACKRAT and Liberty Mutual. This advertising leader is an alumna of Binghamton University in New York. Read the interview below to learn more about Mary.

1. What's the one mobile app you can't live without?

I live in an urban environment and have not owned a car in 20 years, so any app I can find that gives directions to help me travel via public transportation or foot without getting lost is key for me. When I rent a car this is even more important, since I drive so infrequently. It helps to have my route at my fingertips to avoid getting lost!

2. How do you get your news?

I am a big fan of subscriber email lists. Given the pace of working at an ad agency in a client service capacity, I always feel starved for time. I need quick headlines about the industry, technology and emerging media as well as those specific to my clients and their industries. I like to read headlines and dive further as needed and email subscriber lists are perfect for this. I lose my patience quickly when stories are either outdated or irrelevant to my day-to-day, so print media doesn’t have as much of a place for me these days.

3. What is the toughest lesson you've learned in your career?

Top notch client service and relationships just don’t always stand the test of time. While client/agency relationships used to endure for decades, those days are largely over. Agency selection is far too procurement-driven, and reviews and cost cutting, unfortunately, create a lot less consistency with agency partners. While this may better serve the brand in some cases, most often I believe this is disruptive and counterproductive for brands under pressure to deliver goals.

4. What's your favorite guilty pleasure?

I have watched The Bachelor on ABC since it premiered; it’s now in its seventeenth season and going strong! It is not always the first thing I admit when discussing TV viewing habits, sometimes I opt to be a closet fan. That said, I think it is a fun show that combines love seeking and competition, and I get wrapped up in it every season. Most of the time I record it and watch it later – these days it isn’t as high profile, so if I miss an episode the developments aren’t really being talked about at the office or reported via websites, so I can be comfortably behind on my viewing when I am too busy.

5. How do you spend the first hour of your day?

I am wrapped up in emails and usually shooting off a bunch of requests and direction to my team as well as connecting with clients as needed to set up the day. I also find myself juggling my calendar, dealing with competing priorities and finding time for meetings. It seems everyone’s calendars are so jammed these days that it is a puzzle to find a time that works for everyone. Scheduling often means shifting meetings on the fly throughout the day and I like to accomplish this early. To be honest, my work day starts long before I get to the office. The emails and calendar adjustments start happening as soon as I wake up. I find organization is key to an efficient and effective day, so it is always the first thing I tackle in the morning.

Come back soon to check out our next Five in Five interview. While you wait, check out our newly published eBook ‘The CMO’s Guide to Non-Contractual Advertising’ to learn the benefits of avoiding advertising contracts.

Borrell: Digital Revenue to Grow 30% at some Newspapers in 2013

Scott Olson — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:58:00 GMT

You read that right: 30%, not 3%. If you’re a pessimist as far as the newspaper or publication industry goes, you probably laugh at that number. But consider the source and the history that went into that prediction. You can get the full story from Gordon Borrell and Poynter here. Borrell is a publishing veteran who has been critical of newspapers and their handling of the ever-emergent digital situation.

However, in a recent report released (prematurely) in October, the company is saying to expect bullish returns this year. With the end of the first quarter of 2013 quickly approaching, we will soon know whether Borrell’s crystal ball is seeing clearly or if it was a bit cloudy during the compilation of that report.

One key to the report is the idea that ad revenues, in both print and digital, will increase more in small and mid-size papers while large dailies and metro papers will see little, if any growth, and more likely, declines in revenue. This idea is based on the 2012 growth at the small and mid-size papers in their digital revenue, which through October was approaching 15%.

The idea of advertisers, and in turn ad dollars, heading hyperlocal is something we’ve been tracking and a trend we expect to continue. Whether the dollars are heading to print, digital or mobile media, they’re heading local. Take for instance the new relationship between the New York Daily News and MyCityWay, which just released the City Guide App. This new app, which was originally built to help users navigate mass transit and tie local weather and events together, will now provide local news to users from the New York Daily News, MyCityGuide’s first publishing partner.

"We've been in this hyperlocal domain addressing the daily needs of people for about three years now, and the more we’ve worked with media companies, the more we’ve realized that we want to be focused on becoming an active part of the readers’ daily habits, and that goes beyond typical news," said MyCityWay CEO Puneet Mehta.

Did you catch that? Mehta mentioned ‘hyperlocal,’ which in our opinion is the best way to target and reach specific demographics where they live and work. The great part is that new and more efficient ways of making that happen are emerging every day. Gone are the days where advertisers and agencies have to buy blind ad networks and run the risk of their ad being placed next to something that completely contradicts their company’s vision and values, or potentially worse, misses their target demographic, therefore wasting their precious ad budgets.

Instead, advertisers can target by any number of measures in both print and digital platforms, and the smart ones know how to combine media to ensure they create an integrated and effective campaign. This reinforces messaging and ties ads together with similar messaging, layout and calls to action, driving people to bricks and mortar stores, websites or telephones. That’s the real goal isn’t it? Even brand advertising would love to drive purchases, whether that happens in an immediate fashion or down the road, the next time Soccer Mom Sally is walking down the cereal aisle at her local grocery store.

What it comes down to is that local advertising is expected to grow, and shortly we’ll figure out if Borrell’s predictions were correct. In the meantime, what we know is new developments are being released to allow advertisers and content publishers the ability to hit people based not just on where they live, but where they are right now.

If you want to learn more about integrating print and digital campaigns, check out our eBook titled ‘The CMO’s Guide to Integrating Print and Digital Advertising.’ And when you’re ready, give us a call and we can determine the best methods for maximizing your advertising budgets.

How to Use Print and Digital Coupons to Advertise Your Business

Hannah Hill — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:34:00 GMT

I start every Sunday morning the same: sifting through the insert section of the newspaper while eating my breakfast. It’s my own personal breakfast of champions. Money saving champions, that is. As a fairly recent college graduate who is currently pursuing an MBA, I have to be smart with my money and stretch it as far as it will go. I have learned to shop for groceries on Saturdays because a limited amount of coupons will be doubled by a local grocery store, enabling me to get more bang for my buck. Clipping coupons from the paper and downloading online coupons have enabled me to save a whole lot of money while also introducing me to new brands, restaurants and retailers that are now among my favorites. When it comes to advertising via local print and digital coupons, brands are realizing success through a variety of channels.

How many of you actually read the newspaper for the news? Many people seek out the insert section of their local paper to aid in purchasing decisions. In a recent blog post, we looked at what would happen if preprint newspaper advertising went away and learned that people across generations would shop less without inserts. In fact, according to Millennials, inserts are the only section of the paper they read. Local advertisers should take note and provide consumers with coupons to drive traffic and increase visibility, not to mention favorability among the frugal minded. This is especially true for emerging companies and new products.

Direct mail advertising is another way you can get print coupons in front of your target demographic and it can help you bring in new customers as well as retain your loyal customers. Many direct mail advertisers enable you to target your preferred customers by ZIP code which allows you to be smarter with your advertising budget. It’s important to note that direct mail should not be synonymous with mass mail. Invest time and money into ensuring you are mailing your ideal customer, otherwise your coupons will likely find themselves at the bottom of a recycling bin resulting in nothing more than wasted resources. Direct mail campaigns should be built in such a way that you can easily track success. Including promotion codes and expiration dates on your coupons will help you to more effectively measure results. Remember, the key to a successful direct mail advertising campaign is making an offer (such as a free product or special discount) your audience won’t be able to refuse.

The U.S. Postal Service is currently running a promotion through the end of April 2013 to encourage direct mailers to incorporate digital technology (think QR codes and the like) on their mailings. Advertisers who integrate print and digital can receive a two percent discount on postage for Standard Mail^®, Nonprofit Standard Mail^®, and First-Class Mail^® letters, flats and cards (presort and automation). If you’re new to our blog, we often stress the importance of integrating print and digital media (see our eBook on the topic), so we are happy to hear the U.S. Postal Service is running this promotion for its third consecutive year. The USPS promotion, through the use of direct mail mobile coupons and click-to-call, “seeks to drive awareness and increase the value of direct mail coupons in today’s digital world.”

As with all things media, digital coupons are increasingly growing in popularity. Daily deal sites such as Groupon and Living Social continue to advertise local businesses while offering coupons. I found my hair stylist through Groupon and am now a loyal customer, thanks to a digital coupon. Companies like Domino’s Pizza include a coupon tab at the top of their homepage and still others offer coupons to their social media networks on a daily basis. Think about what makes the most sense for your business and get out there.

To advertisers: consider couponing to local audiences in both print and digital formats. To the rest of you: seek out coupons to try new businesses and tell your friends to do the same. If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of local advertising, download our research report titled ‘Ten Benefits of Local Advertising.’

Note to Advertisers: Time to Challenge Your Limiting Beliefs

Scott Olson — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:39:00 GMT

Everyone has their favorite spot on the couch, their favorite chair to sit in and their side of the bed. It’s what we’re comfortable with. It’s easy, and it’s a no-brainer. We do so much thinking and running and are constantly on the go that when we can find something that takes little to no effort we’re happy to have it, and we just go with it. The problem with this is that sometimes we miss new opportunities or something better because we’re afraid of change and don’t want to complicate things. But it’s time advertisers, and print advertisers in particular, start challenging their limiting beliefs on what works and what doesn’t and the way they go about procuring their advertising space.

For years advertisers have been conditioned to seek out and sign contracts that lock them into a particular rate and frequency commitment in order to reach their target audience and distribute their message effectively. But what if you didn’t sign those contracts? What if there was a better, more efficient, more cost-effective way to get your message out to a wider audience while giving you more freedom with your advertising dollars? Would you take it, or are you too comfortable with where you’re at to try something new?

Our whole business at Mediaspace is built on the idea of challenging limiting beliefs and shattering the status quo. We make every effort to create a win-win-win for our clients, media outlet partners and ourselves. One way we’ve done that is to approach media buying with a goal of staying out of contracts, both with advertisers and outlets. We believe so strongly in it that we created a new eBook highlighting why you, too, should stay out of advertising contracts. You can download the full eBook now, but here are the five benefits we outline for avoiding contracts:

Agencies Must Continuously Earn Your Business – Instead of being able to comfortably rest for years at a time because contracts have been executed and signed, agencies must continually work to earn your business with each campaign.
Discover New Savings – When you aren’t purchasing a comprehensive package of services, you have significantly more latitude to add and remove single components of an ad campaign as you go. This means you can often discover new savings because you won’t need to invest where you aren’t seeing results.
Create Greater Efficiencies – Having more granular control over your marketing and advertising efforts enables you to really take a look at campaign ROI. Investing in A/B testing can help you continually refine your marketing efforts for the long-term.
Flexibility and Market Agility – Anyone who has been in business for more than a few hours knows that market conditions can change at the drop of a hat. By avoiding long-term contractual obligations, you reserve the capability to be extremely flexible and agile in the marketplace.
Ability to Adjust Plans/Campaigns/Goals on the Fly – Above and beyond being able to adjust to changing market conditions, refraining from using contracts also affords greater strategic flexibility. If you decide to take your business in an entirely new direction, or completely scrap a campaign, the fewer contracts that bind you the better.

If you’re looking to maximize your advertising dollars and maintain flexibility in your plans, you should really check out the entire eBook now. It’s time to stop resting on your laurels, start sleeping on the other side of the bed, and get out of the comfy chair. Your butt imprint is getting a little too permanent.

The ABCs of Local Newspaper Advertising

Hannah Hill — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:30:00 GMT

I know you know your ABCs, but can you sing the ABCs of local newspaper advertising? Yea, I didn’t think so. Read (or sing) through the following list of local newspaper advertising from A to Z.

A is for advertising, local newspaper advertising to be exact. Buying ad space in your local newspaper is a smart move for nearly any advertiser.

B is for bargain. Advertising in local newspapers can be more affordable than running ads in larger national newspapers.

C is for circulation. While newspaper circulation has declined in recent years, readership has remained strong, especially for the Sunday newspaper. Click here to learn the 5 reasons the Minneapolis-based Star Tribune is growing print and digital circulation.

D is for demographics. Did you know the most affluent and educated consumers read the newspaper on a regular basis? Download this white paper to learn how to maximize one of the most overlooked advertising channels: newspapers.

E is for effective. Newspaper advertising is one of the most effective ways to reach consumers.

F is for future, as in Newspaper of the Future. Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc. has developed the Newspaper of the Future program to focus on the future of the industry. Check out this blog post to learn more.

G is for gazette, a word commonly used in local newspaper mastheads. (Random trivia: The newspaper term ‘gazette’ has been around since the 17^th century.)

H is for humorous. When is the last time you read the funny pages? Pick up a newspaper and turn to the comic section the next time you need a good laugh. Take a look at the preprints while you’re at it.

I is for inserts. Inserts, also called preprints, are one of the main reasons some people purchase their local newspaper. In fact, according to a recent study, more than 50 percent of Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials would shop less without newspaper inserts.

J is for jackpot. I’m not talking Vegas-rich, but if you start advertising in your local newspaper and new customers start rolling in, it might feel like you’ve hit the jackpot.

K is for karma. Don’t be one of those people who say newspapers are dying. Karma is a you-know-what.

L is for local newspaper advertising, what else? Well, maybe love. Did you see our Valentine’s Day-themed blog post titled ‘Local Newspaper Advertising—What’s Not to Love?’

M is for masthead. A newspaper masthead includes the name of the publication and usually appears at the top of the front page.

N is for newspaper. Enough said.

O is for opportunity. If you aren’t currently advertising in your local newspaper, then the opportunity is yours. What are you waiting for?

P is for print. Did you know print media is the most trusted source for news? Take a look at our research report titled ‘Ten Benefits of Local Advertising’ to learn more.

Q is for quiet, something the newspaper industry is not as of late. There’s a lot being said about the future of print media and what publications need to do to survive in the digital age.

R is for ROP or run-of-paper. This type of advertisement may be placed anywhere within the pages of a newspaper.

S is for scoop. People read their local newspapers to ‘get the scoop’ and find out what is happening in their communities. When you advertise in local newspapers, you increase your visibility.

T is for targeting your audience. When you advertise in local newspapers you have the ability to reach hyperlocal targets.

U is for under-utilized. Local newspaper advertising isn’t being used nearly as much as it should be, given the potential benefits.

V is for versatile. Newspapers need to be versatile and ready and willing to take risks to continue to turn a profit. Take a look at this blog post to learn how four different newspapers have recently embraced versatility.

W is for weekly newspapers. There are more than 4,300 weekly publications in the United States in 210 markets that reach nearly 100 million readers. And you’re not advertising in weekly newspapers because??

X is for eXtra, eXtra, read all about it! Okay, that was a stretch, but it works. People still read the newspaper, especially the local newspaper, so it’s a great way to reach local markets.

Y is yelling, which is what a lot of advertisers try to do to interrupt television viewing or radio listening. Newspaper advertising is welcomed and sought out. It’s like a peaceful conversation with an old friend.

Z is for zebra. Newspapers are black and white, just like zebras. If you’ve got a better ‘z’ term to complete this list, please let me know in the comments section.

There you have it, the ABCs of local newspaper advertising. Keep this list handy if you ever question the benefits of advertising in your local newspaper.

What if Preprint Newspaper Advertising Went Away?

Scott Olson — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 17:14:00 GMT

Nearly every day there is more speculation about the future and fate of the newspaper industry, along with recommendations for what the publications need to do to replace lost revenue and remain relevant long term. A lot of the talk revolves around the loss of advertising dollars and the decrease in ad placements, both on page and through inserts. The question is what would actually happen if all preprint advertising went away? What if when you received your Sunday paper all you got was journalism, news, op eds and ROP advertisements? How would that change your shopping habits or how you view the newspaper and its value?

For one group in particular, and this might shock you, it would mean a major change in how they shop. A recent story from the Rochester Institute of Technology took a look at how Millennials, the 18- to 34-age group, utilizes the newspaper, and in particular, newspaper preprints. The study looked at three age groups, Boomers, Generation X and Millennials, and compared their use of newspaper. What you may find surprising is that, according to the study, 91% of Millennials who read the paper use newspaper preprints to guide them in shopping decisions, compared to the more expected results of 92% for Generation X and 94% for Boomers.

An elimination of preprint advertising would force change not just in the advertisers that utilize this medium, but affect other advertising channels as well. Reason being, Millennials in particular use newspaper preprints to push them do more research on products and services advertised, and guide them to offline and online purchases.

Talking about the integration of print and digital is not a new topic for this blog. Mediaspace has put together an eBook on the benefits of integrating print and digital advertising as well as a research report on the benefits of local advertising. These topics might seem self-serving for a company whose bread and butter has been, and continues to be, newspaper and magazine advertising. But as the RIT study shows, these benefits are real.

As more data is available and advertisers continually look for return on investment in all their advertising efforts, the cross-promotion of products and services in print and digital media supports purchases in multiple formats as brand recognition increases across platforms. The key is building a brand familiarity and presence that hits consumers during more than one activity. Advertising in newspapers alone can be effective, but introducing your product or service on the printed page and reinforcing it online allows advertisers to track the media and determine how they work together. Without the ability to use preprints, advertisers lose an opportunity to increase their presence and reach local consumers where they live and in what they’re reading.

Now we all know people receive and read the newspaper for different purposes. Some people receive it simply for the ads, and that’s the only section they pay attention to. Others are all about the content and read it cover to cover for the news and journalism. And a third group are a hybrid of the two, reading the stories or sections that interest them, clipping coupons and researching products or services advertised in the paper. Regardless of which group your consumers fall into, the elimination of preprints would certainly adversely affect advertisers and their efforts.

Luckily that day, if it ever arrives, will not be here anytime soon. In the meantime, it is to your benefit to create campaigns that include multiple media. If you need tips on integrating print and digital or a better understanding of the benefits of reaching local audiences, you can download the content we’ve developed for you now.