A few weeks ago, the Pew Center for Research’s 2011 State of the News Media reported a media sea change as significant as television replacing radio as the primary mass medium. This news was ironically overshadowed by the launch of the new iPad (which irks me since my first generation iPad now has lost some of its cool factor.)
The most significant aspect of the Pew study is that 46% of those surveyed reported getting their news at least three times a week online vs. only 40% from newspapers. So it also stands to reason that online news ad revenue surpassed print newspapers for the first time in 2010. William Randolph Hearst must be spinning in his grave faster than the printing presses of the San Francisco Chronicle.
But the traditional media malaise extends beyond the local newspapers, which have suffered the most attrition of late:
Prime time cable, which was the darling alternative to PT network for a decade (remember when The Sopranos aired its final episode and beat some of the networks?), is suffering as well. CNN’s PT viewership dropped 37%; FOX fell 11%; and MSNBC slipped 5%. And according to Pew, median cable viewership across all day parts atrophied by nearly 14%. You can read the study at
The magazine industry continues to beat their drum through ads touting the value of print, the higher level of interaction, and that the average reader spends 43 minutes with the average magazine. While I’m sure some data proves those claims, I have to wonder about the dwindling size of publications, the long lead time to get ads placed (antithetical to today’s see it now, sell it now mentality), and You Tube induced shorter interest spans that gnaw at magazines as a viable medium. I also think about the Huffington Post sale to AOL which demonstrates that someone with lots of money believes online magazines are the future, and print is passé. For the Magazine Publishers Association latest report, visit:
Even online advertising is shifting. According to Bill Mulligan, President of Caffeine Interactive, consumer habits are shifting because of the factor of online trust. Today’s consumers are more prescient about the lack of objectivity of much of paid search content, which are perceived as “advertising”. Consider your own search habits—are you more likely to click on a sponsored link on the side of a page, or one that comes to the top of the organic list?
This paid vs. organic debate reminds me of an earlier time when PR and advertising professionals who argue the merits of their respective crafts. A full page of PR coverage was traditionally valued at 7X that of a full page paid ad, because of the “objectivity” of editorial. (Countered by the fact that with an ad campaign, you controlled the message and the frequency). The challenge for online marketers, therefore, is creating the right blend of paid and “placed organic” content to address the increasing online consumer sophistication.
So Now What?
Newspapers, cable, and magazines in their current form aren’t going away any time soon (except for cable if Mad Men doesn’t come back soon). As with earlier media shifts (print > radio; radio >TV; network > cable), there will always be a place in the media mix for both old and new media. The common pattern of these shifts was once mass, but today it about relevancy, access, and measurability. Content is still king, whether I’m reading on paper at the breakfast table, on my iPad on a train, or on my PDA during a particularly boring meeting. The ability to consume media in a spectrum of vehicles is what’s changing habits, especially for those under 30 who grew up wired.
The smart marketing professional needs to understand the value of the old media in reaching certain demographics, but use the speed to market and measurability of new media to its full advantage. And to use the right blend of paid and organic placements online. Yes, we’ve reached a tipping point in old line and new line media in 2010, but as we weather the transition period, marketers will have to live in both worlds as the change curve shifts.
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