Mad 4 Blog

Last week we talked about the demise of the newspaper industry as predicted by a “futurist” in Australia and commented on by Adweek contributor Jeff Mascott. So now we’re sure you’re wondering: What does this mean in terms of marketing, moving forward?

Well, no matter how fast it seems time’s a-tickin’ by these days, especially at the end of the year as we are apt to recount the past, 2017 (the year named as the end of the newspaper industry) is still a long ways away—and it’s not yet outdated or useless to continue advertising in newspapers.

Mascott believes there’s a chance that unforeseen creative solutions and technological advancements may preserve newspapers in coming years. And he cites Forbes columnist Dirk Smilie as saying that newspapers may make drastic production changes and staffing reductions, but ultimately come back with a strong uptick thereafter. Likely, it will be as much Darwinian and Dawsonian; survival of the fittest. Perhaps the Web will be the meteor that takes out the dinosaurs, but we’ll still have birds—those few organizations that manage to fly out above the chaos and preserve their entities in a much narrower and lonelier, albeit loftier, landscape.

Furthermore, newspapers remain a viable source of credibility. Most newspapers retain a high level of regard when it comes to reputation and reliability that isn’t matched by general content on the ‘net. If not in quality and popularity, the sheer proliferation—the growing magnitude of competition on Web—may indeed be enough to shut down the newspaper industry—at least the incarnation as we know it.

Newspapers still allow you to measurably reach a niche local market of dependable, daily viewers. As with any advertising endeavor, you just want to be sure to have your marketing representative confirm the circulation and audience of a media outlet before deciding if it’s the right match for you.

As always, Mad 4 Marketing recommends pairing any marketing endeavor with a full-fledged campaign to target your prospective clientele from as many suitable angles as possible. After all, why choose between newsprint and virtual print when no one says can’t have both? – Yet.

What’s black and white and read…well, very rarely these days? Oh wait, that’s not a joke. It’s a scary and stark reality for a massive, historic, global industry.

This week, Adweek contributor Jeff Mascott covered the demise of the worldwide newspaper trade predicted by Ross Dawson, an Australian citizen who calls himself a “futurist” and rated the onset of newspaper irrelevance by considering such factors as demographics, consumer patterns and use of the Internet. According to Dawson, the United States will be the first nation whose newspaper industry will topple—as early as 2017. Others will swiftly follow up through 2040 in a progression he calls “painful.”

Naturally, the No. 1 cause is competition from the dominating Internet—including websites, blogs and other content outlets like Twitter. Not only is it a ubiquitous source of information that can be accessed nearly anywhere on the go, it’s also an immediate resource that can stay up-to-date at the drop of a hat. Furthermore, content is perennial online. Sure, new articles come and go—but online stories can be archived and thus survive forever in terms of searches and bookmarks.

In response, more and more newspapers and magazine are competitively shifting over to the World Wide Web. But just as newspapers in print don’t stand up to online counterparts, even major print news outlet websites aren’t competing with those that have been founded and known for existing in the digital sphere. For example, as Mascott points out, Web entity The Huffington Post sees higher traffic than any other news outlet than The New York Times.

But maybe it isn’t exactly as equal a swap out as cassettes for CDs, which left little room for argument when it came time to upgrade. Perhaps the news consumer for each venue is just too different; for example, those who still pick up a paper are traditionalists. They find favor with the appeal of the ritual, like sitting down to a cup of coffee and leaving those familiar tawny mug rings amidst the typeset ink. And it may take loyalists a long time to utterly change gears to the extent of eradicating newspaper sales at large. Maybe it will be much more like vinyl; after all, you can still buy a record in the age of MP3s.

Check back next week for The Future of Newspaper Advertising: Part 2, in which we discuss how the changing newspaper industry affects your marketing strategies.

Earlier this year, we talked about Twitter launching a new way to advertise through Promoted Tweets. This system, which went into effect in April, placed individual posts in your stream according to searches that you plugged in, as well as your individual interests. Advertisers were able to suggest their tweets to readers who were logged in and looking at similar content. Twitter matched user interest to related tweets through a nine-point system of gauging relevance and resonance. Since then, this system has not only been tweaked and upgraded, but two new options also arose.

In June, Twitter updated the Promoted Tweets system with Promoted Trends. In the Trending Topics area, popular categories are listed in accordance with topics you’ve searched and clicked—as well as what’s gaining attention all across the Twittersphere. But now, businesses can pay to have their own posts show up (explicitly labeled as “promoted”) on your Twitter homepage. For example, when Toy Story 3 came out around this same time, posts about the movie showed up as one consolidated Promoted Trend. These don’t flow through your stream like regular or sponsored tweets, but have their own box that is clearly labeled to let you know that you’re seeing sponsored content.

In October, Twitter added Promoted Accounts to its cache of offerings. This latest development works much like the first two. Instead of sliding tweets into your stream or highlighting one certain topic on your homepage, this option tells you which accounts you might want to follow. For example, if you’re a Florida user who loves talking about basketball in your tweets, the website might suggest that you follow the Miami Heat on Twitter (once the team has agreed to pay for this suggestion, of course). Users can find accounts that are of interest to them while advertisers can connect with people who already hear what they want to say. Once you’re following the account by choice, their tweets show up organically in your stream (rather than as a Promoted Tweet). It’s more efficient than forcing advertisements into a stream–and less likely to get overlooked.

Interested in using Twitter to promote your business? Let us help you attain a greater online presence with this powerful marketing tool. We can also discuss how to tie Twitter into your existing website, blog and social media marketing endeavors.

It is always nice to receive a thoughtful present, especially things we would never buy for ourselves or items that can be put to practical use. But there is a kind of gift that is not only rewarding to receive, but also rewarding to give. This year, a lot of companies are donating to charity instead of giving out their usual trinkets and baubles to clients.

Aside from the obvious—helping someone who is less fortunate—one of the perks about giving to charity is that it’s a present that can be given to clients without worrying about favor or bribes. For example, organizations that don’t accept Christmas gifts often still accept a donation to a third party being made in their name. Some companies may even point you toward their preferred or sponsored charities. For example, Mad 4 Marketing supports Broward Partnership for the Homeless, Inc.

Other perks include the fact that you don’t have to wrap or ship items. You can wait until the very last minute to purchase your gift. Not to mention, you can usually write off your donation when it comes time for taxes. Don’t you just love gifts that give back?

e-Philanthropy

Giving is now ever easier, because—like everything else these days—it’s gone viral. A few clicks can lead you to significantly impacting the lives of individuals in need across the globe. Many organizations already have e-philanthropy systems in place; but if you’re not sure what the best way is to donate online, a representative from that organization can surely help you figure out the best way to securely transfer funds in someone’s name to aid their effort.

Consolidated charity websites also allow givers to spread their wealth around. Instead of sending a check to one organization, a donation sum can be spread throughout a number of registered, approved, quality programs in the same field or many diverse fields. Or pick one cause or foundation, but choose which tasks and goals in particular you’d like to see your money support.

Here are just three of many great sites that allow you to securely contribute:

• DonorsChoose.org (education systems nationwide)
• CharityNavigator.org (diverse global causes and efforts)
• AmeriCares.org (medical aid and disaster relief, domestic and abroad)

The Better Business Bureau also accredits and quality-checks charitable organizations. You can learn all about the many causes it supports—from oil spill relief to animal welfare programs—and also find out specifically what kinds of guidelines and benefits pertain to each individual charity organization, all in one place.