Rival giant newspaper publishers are joining forces to campaign the ‘effectiveness’ of print, after the latest data reveals further decline in print and increase in digital news readership. To ensure advertisers understand the impact and reach of print, publishers from APN News and Media, Fairfax Media, News Corp Australia and West Australian Newspaper have put their differences aside to drive the Influential by Nature campaign – launched on Monday.
Mark Hollands and Michael Miller at the launch of Influential by Nature campaign
The $5m print and digital campaign, the largest of its kind ever undertaken by the non-for-profit body The Newspaper Works, will feature a series of ‘powerful and real examples of influence that have achieved tangible outcomes for both the community and for advertisers’. According to data by Enhanced Media Metrics Australia (emma) for the 12 months to February 2015, newspaper digital platforms have seen a year-on-year increase of 14 per cent on mobile devices, and nine per cent growth on tablet devices. Print readership continues on a downward spiral declining two per cent year-on-year. Newspaper advertising fell by $127m in revenue for FY14, compared to the year before with metro titles taking the biggest hit, down 16 per cent year-on-year, according to January Standard Media Index (SMI) data. However, according to emma data, printed newspapers continue to contribute the largest audience, with 80 per cent of the population or 14.2 million readers. Michael Miller, The Newspaper Works chairman and CEO of APN News & Media, says the first execution demonstrates how a ‘compelling and consistent newspaper media campaign’ aimed at reducing the incidence of alcohol-fuelled violence on Sydney’s streets resulted in a 40 per cent reduction in violent assaults. He says every ‘effective and meaningful campaign needs influencers to drive trust, belief and action’. He says influence is an ‘inherent characteristic of print and advertisers must be reminded of the impact it still has today’. Miller says, “This market positioning re-states the natural commercial and consumer benefit of newspaper media and its importance for effective communication.”
He says advertisers constantly hear an ‘avalanche of messages’ about how to promote their brands, and this campaign will ensure they continue to support print. Miller says, “The challenge publishers have is not just a publisher challenge but a category challenge. We see that our competitors are trying to take share from us as a category and we need to respond to that as a category. “It is a great opportunity to increase newspaper share of advertising, and for the newspaper media category to unite. The challenges we face are shared and the opportunity we want to take is shared.” The Newspaper Works chief executive Mark Hollands says, “Newspapers have been influential since their inception. History shows that great mastheads have opinions and are unafraid to share them. Today, in the age of digital communication and media fragmentation, newspapers have maintained and grown their influence in our society.” In the coming weeks the campaign will run in the publishers’ print and digital channels as well as business, trade and social media, focusing on how communities benefit from newspapers.
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