The World Association of Newspapers (WAN-IFRA) held its annual advertising conference in Malta on February 24-25, 2011. Presented below is a summary of the two-day event including some amazing ideas from around the world to consider trying at your paper.
Main takeaways
- Newspapers are demonstrating growth and are building alternate revenue sources for continued success in the future.
- Newspapers are now multi-platform and are designed to embrace new audiences and connect with them throughout the day.
- Many newspapers sales groups are offering multi-media marketing solutions (i.e. including offerings beyond the papers and its products).
What’s hot?
- Behavioural targeting: Taking online ads and delivering them to the right audience using users’ information (e.g. categories of interest, articles, search terms, IP targeting).
- Creating online marketplaces: While newspapers garner traffic, they have not fully embraced the opportunity for consumers to go one step further and shop/be entertained (see examples in revenue generating ideas below).
Food for thought
- The advantage that newspapers have is that people come back again and again vs. other media/sites/apps which people do not.
- The digital initiatives by newspapers do not generate huge amounts of revenue (approx. 10% on average worldwide) and some predict that it will not grow dramatically.
- Facebook is the third largest “country” in the world and 50% of users check in every day.
Revenue generating ideas
- Digital live concert (Aftonbladet, Sweden) – Tickets to online concert with better “seats” watching the HD version, interactive (add comments), 44,000 attendees over 7 concerts.
- Events (Hindustan Times) – The newspaper hosts events such as: education fairs, leadership summits (i.e. high-level speakers), luxury show and shopping events.
- Online car fair (Hurriyet, Turkey) – Undertaken in 2009 & 2010, 17 auto makers with over 60 models garnered 400,000 uniques and €500,000 euro each year.
- Cooking contest (Mittelbayerisher Verlag, Germany) – Used grocery store sponsor’s products.
- Sales builder via weather bet (MV, Germany) – To enhance sales during slower summer season, advertisers would get their ad free if over 33˚. Paper had insurance cover the risk.
- Visit and shop online (MV, Germany) – www.Discover-regensburg.com (created by the paper) highlights a town and sponsors are featured (e.g. cooking tips from the market).
- Notices (Archant Regional, UK) – www.familynotices24.co.uk allows celebrations/deaths to be booked self-serve online. Garners 7,500 interactions/month and £500,000 per year.
- Augmented Reality (Total Immersion agency, Germany) – Go to designated site, hold the AR newspaper ad up to your web cam and a video plays. Garners 30% more revenue.
Worth quoting
“Newspapers reach the right people, massively and repeatedly” – Fabrice Dekerf, Managing Partner, Germaine Agency, Belgium
“Newspaper buy should be re-packaged with its various elements and sold as multimedia buy to up its sexy factor” – Eamonn Byrne, Managing Director, The Byrne Partnership, UK
