Google Learns Newspaper Readers Are Largely Dirven to Online
The Newspaper Association of America released excerpts of a research document conducted by Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo and interestingly enough commissioned by Google. The document focuses on the activity of newspaper readers when seeing print ads. The highlight or focal point of the research presented was that 67% of newspaper readers have conducted online research for items they have seen advertised in print. In addition, of that 67%, 70% of them actually made a purchase after conducting their online research. Amazing stuff you say – so did the folks at the NAA. John F. Sturm, NAA president and CEO, said “…newspaper advertising is incredibly effective in motivating consumers to make a purchase. This new study… demonstrates that print ads also drive people to conduct additional product research online.” There were other interesting facts in the report that built on the power of print and so on and so forth, but no one, not even in closing, bothered to mention the fact that the group of folks reading newspapers have declined. That 67% above no longer represents that impressive people count – these numbers have shrunk and although the report houses interesting information about newspaper incumbent customers, how now do they go after those they have lost, or build online readership statistics to impress advertisers to spend with them online. A better spin or additive to this report would have been to take a look at the effectiveness of advertising on newspaper sites. We know that newspaper sites are popular with not only their print readers, but with non-print readers too and based on this fact, a newspaper should technically have a better chance of sending advertisers strong leads if reaching a wider market online. Publishers need to know how they can get a higher percentage of those who access their websites to click on ads or do additional research. Learning about the habits of the customers you already have is good, but what publishers need now is information to position them for the future.
