The Indiana Publisher

February 2018 IP

Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher

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Research confirms newspaper ads' influence on readers' shopping, spending habits By Pete Van Baalen Fort Wayne Newspapers The first two months of the year in the marketing and advertising world has certain milestones that seem to come up every year. There is all the excitement and buzz of the Super Bowl ads each year, featuring the latest and greatest creations and a new catch phrase or two as a result. And then there is the annual list of store closings and contract reductions from big box national advertisers. I prefer the anticipated laughter at the latest Budweiser commer- cial much more than the pain of the retraction of major advertisers trying to find traction in an ever changing retail world. Each year the impact of Amazon.com and other retailers seems to increase, and that has certainly been the case at the start of 2018. If you are fortunate enough to not be feeling the sting of store closing, then you are no doubt facing the relentless requests to reduce preprint rates, provide added value or both. The latest store results and the latest research tells me that it is time again for newspapers to be aggressive. Nationwide Sears / K-Mart made the strategic decision to cut their spending significantly. This included the surprising decision to not have an insert on Thanks- giving. The headline on Fortune. com's story summed up their woes, calling their performance a "Holiday Season Bloodbath". According to the story by Phil Wahba for Fortune.com, Sears performance was between -16% and -17% below prior year. Overall holiday sales were up +4.9% this past year. I'm not suggesting that all of Sears' prob- lems are centered around their lack of newspaper ads in November and December. But their decision to turn their backs on their core customers who look to their inserts to make their purchasing decisions exaggerated the impact. Newspapers need to stand firm on their ability to move the sales needle for their regular advertis- ers. The research backs that up, showing once again that newspa- per readers have money to spend, our product and advertisements are wanted by our customer base and newspapers provide an inviting environment for a marketing message to be positively received by a consum- er. Even in the Amazon.com world we're living in, preprints still sell products. The Hoosier State Press Association readership study released last fall backs those statements up. It is one thing for me to say it, but better when American Opinion Research provides unbiased information with the same statements. All of your sales reps should have this information, and I would say just as important that your customers also need this information. Regarding preprint advertising and the early year fight with advertisers, make sure they realize that 68% of people in Indiana believe newspaper circulars are an important part of their purchase making decisions, and that number is even stronger with females who control the majority of spending. 54% of consumers use newspaper inserts weekly, and that translates to 48% of people making purchases monthly as a result of newspaper advertising. That is over three times more than radio or cable, and more than double that of local TV. Read Pete Van Baalen's blog at petevanbaalen.com. Van Baalen February 2018 Marketing news & commentary 68% of people in Indiana believe newspaper circulars are an important part of their purchase making decisions, and that number is even stronger with females who control the majority of spending. Each year, the America East Media Business & Technology Conference attracts more than 250 news media companies from more than 20 states. The three-day event is adminis- tered by the Pennsylvania News- Media Association. It will run March 12-14 at the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa. This year, programming will focus on production, sales and marketing, circulation, editorial, advertising and management. The conference kicks off with a keynote panel led by Michael Klingensmith, Minneapolis Star-Tribune Publisher & CEO/ News Media Alliance Chairman, discussing the industry's challenges and opportunities with publishers from papers of various sizes. Sessions include: • Solutions for Small Newspapers • Accelerating Revenue • Growth Through Promotions • Fake News is Fake News• To register and for informa- tion, visit america-east.com. Registration deadline is March 2. Registration deadline is March 2 for 2018 America East Conference INAEA Revenue Sharing Idea Exchange Call Join newspaper business managers from around the state on the quarterly Indiana News- paper Advertising Executives Association conference call. The 45-60 minute calls of- fer an opportunity to share in- novative revenue generating ideas and experiences. 2018 call dates May 3, Aug. 2, Oct. 3 All calls are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. EDT. Dial 857-232-0158, enter code #599522. Page 3 Entry forms, rules and information for this year's INAEA/HSPA Advertising Contest have been sent to member publications. Deadline is May 9 to enter. Awards will be presented at the annual luncheon on Friday, Sept. 14 following the one-day conference at the Indianapolis Marriott North. Several categories need to be mailed in, the rest will be entered online. Questions? Contact Shawn Goldsby at (317) 803-4772 sgoldsby@hspa.com. Watch your mail for 2018 INAEA/HSPA Advertising Contest forms, info

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