Study: don't count out newspapers yet

Online advertising may be the new buzzword, but according to a recent study newspapers should not be ignored in favor of online ads. According to the World Association of Newspapers, newspaper ad spending increased nearly 3% in 2006 and has shown an almost-10% increase over the last five years worldwide.

by Kristina Knight

In fact, the study showed that the North American continent was the only continent to show a decrease in newspaper ad sales.

Timothy Balding, Chief Executive Officer of WAN, said "Newspapers in developing markets continue to increase circulation...and in mature markets are showing remarkable resilience against...digital media." Balding went on to say that print media seems to still be the preferred medium for readers.

Newspapers showed a global circulation increase of 4.6% in 2006 and an advertising increase of 3.7%; advertising revenue is up for the last five years nearly 16% according to the WAN study. Newspapers are holding steady with 29% of the world advertising market (2006), making them the second largest advertising medium after television. Newspapers are showing more revenue than radio, outdoor advertising and magazines.

What does this mean for online advertisers? Simply that including newspapers in an advertising campaign is still a good idea. With so many people, especially those in developing countries, reading newspapers advertising there will help with overall brand awareness. However, online ads will appeal to a different, and many times more affluent, audience.