Press advertising has been a hugely important way to reach consumers since the first newspaper ad was published in 1704. Business and brand owners now question the relevance of this channel, with the focus so much on social media, search and marketplace ads.
A good marketing strategy should be completely unbiased when it comes to choosing tactics and media so let’s take a look at newspapers.
Circulation and readership figures of printed newspapers continue to decline across the board in Ireland with the reach of newspaper advertising forecast to hit 1.3m this year (2023) and .9m by 2027, according to research by Statista.
The body representing national newspapers in Ireland, Newsbrands Ireland, says in their latest report (which is dated 2018 – I can’t find any more recent research from them, if you have anything, please do let me know), says that newspaper advertising is very effective. In fact it came in as the 2nd most effective medium, behind TV advertising. The research summary says that “the engagement, trust and personal identification readers have with their newsbrands creates a significant effect and impact on the effectiveness of commercial campaigns.”
This appears to mean, to me, that even though the audience is shrinking, they are more likely to notice your ads and to take action on them.
My feeling is that the same is probably more true for local newspapers. Fewer big advertisers bother with local. If your ad is creative and relevant to the audience, it has a better chance of standing out. Investing in advertising in a local paper can also say something about your brand – i.e. if “local” is part of your brand positioning, then this may be a good way to show your support of local business and community.
The bottom line though is that whether you use press advertising or not depends on your target market. If your target customer reads a newspaper, then it is a very worthwhile investment. If your target customer doesn’t ever look at a paper, then it is not for your brand.
If you need help in developing your brand or marketing strategy, please contact me – paula@ronanmarketing.ie
