Print versus Pixels

As the recession accelerates the shift from print to pixels, will public relations and marketing professionals be able to look the media in the eye again?

Print versus online – the debate will no doubt continue for years. In truth, media innovations are always welcomed and no intelligent agency or advertiser can complain about the range of media available to them today. Let’s face it, journalism and marketing is different now and will continue to change in the future.

The decision as to which media will bring the best return has become increasingly challenging. Archaic as they may seem, print and post promotions are still used by many successful businesses for their marketing campaigns and the decent return on investment they bring.

The new reality of increased digital consumption means all marketing channels are feeling the pinch with advertising revenues bruised the most. Analytics agency Billetts forecasts that 2009 advertising revenues will be 18 per cent down year-on-year for both national press and consumer magazines, while television advertising revenues will be down 14 per cent.

Survival of print media

Meanwhile, it seems that an obvious and necessary next step for the survival of print media is monetising online news, which requires either sufficient click-through rates to generate advertising revenue or charging for news. The Financial Times Online allows readers to view a certain number of free articles on the website before starting to charge.

One positive effect of the digital revolution is that audiences are consuming more content than ever, and brands still need to connect with those audiences. Plus, with advertising income in the doldrums, media buyers can bargain for better rates.

While anyone can reach potential millions by publishing information on the internet, this only intensifies the need for reliable media outlets with certifiable sources. In desperation to attract advertisers, media owners can opt to compromise on coverage, either by writing news to sell news or by doing deals with advertisers that can make for biased reading.

Publishing companies are struggling, especially those which print free papers such as Johnston Press and Trinity Mirror. They publish around 230 freesheets and have recently reported poor results with the positive spots showing in circulation revenue at their paid-for titles.

The offering of e-ink technology is more prevalent now than ever before and will continue to grow as we continue make further efforts to ‘go-green’ and ‘save the world’.

Choosing a mix of media to reach a larger target audience – those who respond to digital media, those who prefer traditional media – is the best approach.