Friday, April 16, 2010

Newspaper print readership (not circulation) continues to increase

In a finding that reflects other research, Scarborough Research found good news for printed newspapers with the readers per copy continuing to increase. The study found that over the past three years, the number of readers-per-copy has risen 7.5%, to 3.30 adults in 2009 from 3.07 adults in 2007.

The findings give newspaper ad departments and advertiser media buyers something to think about. The MediaDailyNews report quoted Scarborough executive Gary Meo as saying:
"Readers-per-copy is especially important as newspapers compete for their share of a brand's media budget, particularly among national advertisers."

Ad forecast is bullish

New forecast is bullish on advertising, especially radio and local television.

The most recent numbers by Barclays Capital have virtually all segments (except newspapers and yellow pages) moving into the black in ad sales, and even the newspaper decline will be minimal. The growth will come from all over, reflecting better economic times ahead, but especially in the automobile and political segments.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Transparency would aid Internet ad growth

The chaotic growth of Internet advertising has led to one of the major factors holding it back. A study finds that lack of "transparency" is keeping a significant amount of display ads off the Net.

The depth of the concern shows up in this comment by Jonathan Margulies, a director of the Winterberry Group, which sponsored the study: "It's critical that advertisers and agencies understand the extent to which certain issues -- the possibility that ad will appear next to content that could potentially undermine its message, for example -- continue to present real threats."

The problems appear to be that advertisers can't control where their ads may be placed (the old airline ad next to a plane crash story, for example) and, even worse, placement next to inappropriate subject matter or ads appearing on pages that "defy"
"taste, respect and basic courtesy."

E-readers showing strength of printed word

A new report shows the strength of the printed word. This time it's on e-readers, where the study showed that 91 percent of e-reader owners read print or digital magazines, compared to 84 percent of all adults. That demonstrates the appeal of magazines can be directly tied to willingness to try the new platform.

The key is reading. Frankly, we're entering an age where platforms aren't as important as content, assuming the publishers can get paid for their efforts. I believe that demonstrating the audience is there will lead to the money. The study shows that e-reader readers (I sort of like that phrasing) will pay for content, if it's not exorbitant. After paying $9.99 for a paperback novel just to get something to read on a plane, I'm redefining exorbitant in my own mind.