Newspaper Ads

Americans rely on newspaper advertising as essential shopping tool; When consumers read newspaper ads, they take action

From the Newspaper Association of America

Arlington , Va. – Newspaper advertising remains the leading advertising medium cited by consumers in planning, shopping and making purchasing decisions, according to early data from a MORI Research survey of more than 3,000 adults. The findings, announced today by the Newspaper Association of America, provide conclusive evidence of the ongoing value newspaper ads deliver for marketers trying to reach consumers who are ready to shop and spend.

“Newspaper advertising remains the most powerful tool for advertisers who want to motivate consumers to take action,” said NAA President and CEO John Sturm. “While new technologies have their place in any total marketing program, initial findings from this important research demonstrate the enduring power of today’s newspaper ads. We’re looking forward to offering more comprehensive data on consumer motivation and the influence of newspaper advertising after a full analysis is completed in early fall.”

This study, part of a series entitled “American Consumer Insights,” examined the impact newspaper advertising has on consumer shopping and spending patterns. Early results indicate:

* Nearly six in 10 adults (59 percent) identify newspapers as the medium they use to help plan shopping or make purchase decisions
* 82 percent of those surveyed said they “took action” as a result of newspaper advertising, including:
o Clipping a coupon (61 percent)
o Buying something (50 percent)
o Visiting Web sites to learn more (33 percent)
o Trying something for the first time (27 percent)
* 73 percent of adults regularly or occasionally read newspaper inserts
* 82 percent have been spurred to action by a newspaper insert in the past month.

Preliminary data also reveals that other media trailed well behind newspapers as the primary medium for checking advertising. The closest competitor – the Internet – trailed newspapers by 20 percentage points (41 percent vs. 21 percent). Direct mail only mustered a 14 percent response in the survey, and television was cited by only eight percent of respondents. The numbers for other media trail off from that point (totals are displayed in the chart at the end of this release).

New NAA Ad Touts Newspapers’ Influence on Consumer Behavior

Putting its initial findings about the profound impact of newspaper advertising into practice, NAA separately released a new advertisement that describes engaged newspaper readers as “Action Figures.” The ads, produced by Allied Advertising, are available to NAA member newspapers and use early results of the research to highlight the ways newspaper advertising drives consumers to action.

“This ad stems from the fact that readers are not simply exposed to newspaper advertising – these ads resonate and consumers use them to take action,” said Randy Bennett, NAA’s senior vice president of business development. “There is a connection readers feel with newspaper advertising that no other medium can match.”


Primary Medium for Checking Advertising 2009
Newspapers 41%
Internet 21%
Ads received in the mail (Direct mail) 14%
Television 8%
Catalogs 6%
Magazines 3%
Radio 2%
None of these 5%

MORI Research conducted this phone and Internet survey of more than 3,000 adults for the Newspaper Association of America. MORI Research is a division of Frank N. Magid Associates, a leading research-based consulting firm serving an international clientele from offices in Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, and Marion, IA. Engagements range from tactical and operational issues to strategic direction and are informed by the perspective gained from broad and deep experience over the past 50 years in all sectors of the media, communications and entertainment industries.

NAA is a nonprofit organization representing newspaper industry and more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. NAA members include daily newspapers, as well as non-dailies, other print publications and on-line products. Headquartered near Washington, D.C., in Arlington, Va., the Association focuses on the major issues that affect today’s newspaper industry: public policy/legal matters, advertising revenue growth and audience development across the medium’s broad portfolio of products and digital platforms.

Changes at Scripps Howard

Scripps Howard was a company that bet on afternoon papers. Many were in Joint Operating Agreements, and some, like the Cincinnati Post and Evansville Press, have closed.

Here's an interesting article on reshuffling for better economics within the company.


E.W. Scripps reorganizes newspaper management in effort to boost local news, ad sales

On Tuesday August 25, 2009, 7:55 pm EDT
CINCINNATI (AP) -- E.W. Scripps Co. is reshuffling the management overseeing its 13 daily newspapers in an effort to produce more unique stories on each community and boost the company's slumping ad sales.

Like many other publishers, Cincinnati-based Scripps has struggled to keep up advertising sales as readers rapidly shift online and the recession hurts advertising both on and off the Web. In the first half of the year, ad sales at Scripps' newspapers dropped 29 percent to $165 million. The severe slump contributed to Scripps' decision to close the print edition of the Rocky Mountain News in Denver six months ago.

Scripps also owns 10 local TV stations, including nine affiliated with ABC or NBC, besides daily newspapers such as the News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tenn., and the Ventura County Star in Southern California.

To streamline its newspaper management, Scripps said Tuesday that it has created an operating committee that includes two national posts to steer sales and content. There are also four other posts responsible for operations, finance, information technology and human resources.

Bruce Hartmann, the vice president and publisher of the News Sentinel, will become vice president of Scripps' print and interactive sales, starting Sept. 1. Rusty Coats, now the vice president of interactive operations for the company's newspaper unit, will become vice president of content and marketing on Sept. 1.

Frank Wolfe, Scripps' director of operations, will take on the role of vice president of operations for the newspaper unit. He will be responsible for production and circulation operations across the country.

Jim York, who is the head of information technology for the newspaper unit, will become vice president of IT.

Robin Davis, who is vice president of finance and administration, will remain in that post. Mary Minser, vice president of human resources for the newspaper unit, will retain her current role, as well.

Scripps also said Tuesday that it is sorting its newspapers into two categories.

The newspapers in Scripps' six biggest markets -- Memphis and Knoxville, Tenn.; Naples and Treasure Coast, Fla.; Ventura, Calif., and Corpus Christi, Texas -- will be treated as regional media organizations. The publishers of these papers will be on Scripps operating committee and report to senior vice president of newspapers Mark G. Contreras, while advertising and circulation sales directors will report to Hartmann.

Newspapers in Scripps' other markets, which include Evansville, Ind., and Redding, Calif., will be termed "mid-sized" media organizations. Their publishers will be in charge of local ad sales and report to Hartmann.

Shares of Scripps closed earlier up 34 cents, or 4.7 percent, at $7.63.

The Missouri Centennial

By far the biggest buzz at at the University of Missouri School of Journalism's centennial were DayLife, the aggregator, and SpinSpotter, the new software that highlights words in news stories that hold the potential of spin.

Otherwise worthy was Scripps Howard Networks new real estate site. In short, Missouri highlighted some interesting new ideas.

The passion and the promise

Some random thoughts on non-profit media:

No matter how you frame it, it's tough to monetize journalism for a mass audience. People will pay for information about their passions - like California wine, Japanese anime, or tennis. Or pay for what information will promise an enhancement in their life, such as investor news, travel guides or sports websites.

Clearly, we need to push for public literacy, an educated public that appreciates a free and vigorous press. But we need to work on the media's side of the equation, and that is linking the a free press to free enterprise.

Ted Glasser says there's a difference between serving a market and serving a community. Most for-profit newspaesrs serve a market, which likely does not include the entire community.

New Money, New Media, New Hope?

More from the NewsTools2008 session in Sunnyvale, CA. where journalists from the Bay Area and beyond are mulling this question: What kind of journalism does our democracy demand?

The journalism business model has not been reader-focused, instead it’s been one where journalism organization sells the loyalty of its local readers to businesses who want to sell goods, services, or even points of view to them.

So, if journalism is important to democratic institutions, then why not have the public fund the collection and analysis of information? Is there a model, used by National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting.

David Talbot started Salon in 1995, hooking up with progressive Silicon Valley investors to produce forward-thinking journalism. He’s now at the San Francisco Free Press, a nonprofit online journalism model. He feels that “wiki” journalism isn’t viable because you do need to pay people a living wage at some point.

And of course, talking about living wages, leads us to think of how journalists are categorized as professionals. Should journalists be credentialed in order to receive public funds?

There’s a lot of conversation about giving citizens want they SAY they want and what they REALLY BUY. It’s the journalism conundrum. When they answer a survey, or talk to a journalists, are they saying what they SHOULD say, rather than what they want. If you follow the money, then the top selling newspaper is USAToday, and top circulation magazines include Better Homes & Gardens and National Geographic.

Can journalists really become entrepreneurial without looking like sell-outs? It’s poison for journalists who uphold independence, fairness and objectivity, to then have to jump over the money wall to get paid for what they do. We don’t want to pander to writing for hire, yet smaller organizations must do that to stay alive and to fund the journalism that has no “advertising niche.”

And how about grants, specifically foundations that want journalists to do certain types of coverage, include seemingly general topics like poverty or education? Ten years ago, some in mainstream media didn’t want to accept funds from the Pew Center to fund civic journalism. Now there’s a lot of conversation about mainstream media accepting funds. Now, it’s true that radio and TV have long been audience-funded media. So, are there new rules about who we, as journalism organizations, accept money from now? Or is this just another ethical slippery slope? First, we accept one grant, then it’s easier to accept a more restricted grant.

In my class at the University of Missouri, we talk a lot about public funding, even tax support for media. How can we get government funding without the taint or reality of government control? Are there models for this? How can the models evolve?

Teaching Students the Journalism Biz

How to help students create the journalism of the future.

Dinosaurs are teaching the next generation of journalists. How do we adapt what we know to help facilitate the next generation of journalism, and best train the next generation of journalists. We need to understand that stories are being told in a different way now ---abandon the linear storytelling form in favor of a non-linear approach, which means each element must tell a mini-story. Learn to use the tools yourself to increase your credibility with students, and to better help them achieve a better outcome.

What are the skills/values that should be passed on:

• Encourage curiosity
• Encourage skepticism
• Push them to put down their computers and cell phones to get up close and personal with sources
• Develop critical thinking skills – by teaching them to deconstruct and debate
• Teach them about truth, accuracy and fairness.
• Emphasize the importance of diversity of viewpoint in their stories
• Tell them to make up nothing
• Embrace multi-tasking and use their computer skills to teach computer assisted reporting
• And discuss how to use these tools to tell stories
• Talk about the impact of journalism and help them see the impact of their stories to develop passion.
• Talk about the role of journalism in a democratic society and explain how they will fulfill this role, and the watchdog role, in the future --- alongside citizen journalists and bloggers.

Particpants:

Mike Williams
Nancy Benson
Vikki Porter
Ed Cray
Michelle Fizhugh-Craig
Larry Pryor
Mary Fallon
Marty Steffens

What is ……
breakthrough journalism?

Linda Fantin Brant Houston Sharon Waxman Chris Barr Teresa Puente Vera Chan Dennis Burgierman Stephen Silha Olga Loma Marty Steffens

Exploring Public Insight Reporting, which brings citizens into the newsgathering process tapping their expertise, comments and insights to find better stories. How do you harness the intelligence of your audience to do better journalism?

How do we define breakthrough journalism? How do we use technology to enrich and enhance journalism?

Some thoughts:

• It’s creating new knowledge. The context helps us shape our understanding and THAT’s how it turns into knowledge. Why is it meaningful?

• How is connecting the dots (or an Aha! Moments) – the New York Times story on Pentagon Pundits is an good example of an Aha! Moments, in legacy media.
• Lesson moment: Giving us the back story…

• Unique methods of reaching the audience.

• Jules Verne more than a century ago felt there was a way for citizens to ask questions directly of newsmakers, taking off the journalist filter. One might ask, doesn’t the internet do this now? In a way, yes, and we’re seeing legacy media do this, with response to stories. Do these responses to stories lead us to a new paradigm for a stronger conversation?

• On these responses, we want to ask bloggers and responders: How do you know that? What is your credibility?

Questions to ponder:
Has journalism really changed? Or has just the packaging changed? What are we breaking through?
Is conversation really journalism?
Is crowd-sourcing and other methods being pushed by declining newsrooms?
How do we get democracy to serve journalism? How do we make citizens part of the news process where we just aren’t asking for opinions?

How do we preserve the sense-making role of journalism? How do we have a constantly updated nutgraf?

How do we ensure great stories get wide distribution? A new way to disseminate information to allow for impact and prioritization of news would be breakthrough journalism.

If the Center for Public Integrity produces great journalism, but no one hears it, is it great journalism? There is INTEREST vs. RELEVANCE, and CURIOSITY vs ESSENTIALITY

We used to call things that were relevant, NEWS YOU CAN USE.

How can you take the “Britney Spears” user – and use that audience to do more useful journalism? That would be breakthrough.

There are part of communities that no journalism serves – those communities aren’t served because of lack of advertising support. There was no connection of relevance.
If we build bridge, we can reach these island communities.

In the age of the Internet, there’s no excuse for fragmentation.

We need to create a business model for community based news organizations. Create a space where citizens can create their own news. There are not enough reporters to follow every tip. (One example of who’s doing this is Northwest Voice (the Bakersfield Californian at Bakersfield.com)

The New York Times is perceived as monolithic, it represents the elite and liberal. WE DECIDE, we might ask you, but we decide. This type of arrogance leads us down paths where some stories unfairly dominate, such as Jeremiah Wright, Monica Lewinsky, etc.

We can put information out there, but is it our job to make people act on it? We’re trying to move from a priesthood to a partnership. WE TRY TO CONNECT THE DOTS, SEE THE TRENDS.
How do we go from being priesthood model. How do we have a checklist? Make a built-in accountability for citizens to act on things of public interest? Can you create a tool for that?

Meaningful tools: Hand people voice recorders/video recorders. Match journalists with citizens. Are there media who give citizens a partial byline?

The good thing about sources is that you know their biases and background. Journalists do have value as experts in spotting expertise and bias. Columbia College (Chicago) students are partnering with community members to find stories. FINDING real stories has been lost.

Talking heads doesn’t give you meaningful journalism. That’s a great idea, but what do you mean by that? Would that be creating an unmanageable time suck for journalists? How can we make sure comments from knowledgeable people?

Struggling with niche vs. mass audience? Are things relevant on a personal level? Meida is still sitting the agenda by ASKING the questions? What isn’t breakthrough journalism is REACTIONARY journalism. In the blogosphere, you’re just reacting. It’s NOT helping me have a more meaningful lives?


Chicken and egg: Did we lose audiences because we lost relevance? Or did the lost audiences cut our staffs and we became less relevant? Or did the audience just go elsewhere, like to our website?

How can we find stories instead of sources?

By finding the Be-spot: The intersection of Knowledge, Relevance and Audience