MANSI Media, Oct. 30

A tombstone that marks the beginning, not the end

By Kevin Wert, Director, New Business Development
MANSI Media, (717) 703-3049

Don’t order the tombstone just yet. Well, at least not the kind you are imagining right about now. Newspapers are not dead. No doubt, newspapers have problems. I’ll even say some have big problems. Maybe we should all shut down the presses, walk away and find new jobs in radio? What’s that? Radio has some issues, too? OK, maybe we can all work on Wall Street? That’s right, Wall Street's not looking so hot right now either.
What's my point? The newspaper industry is not the only industry facing monumental challenges and impending change. McCain and Obama both say change is good and I agree.

Our Web sites tend to be the top local content sites in any given market. Online revenue has not produced at the same pace as the decline in our print revenue, but it has softened the blow and has given us the entry to the digital age we needed. As we continue to give our Web sites time to grow and develop independent identities, we have options within our print products to offer solutions now.

What can we do with what we have? Have we listened to what advertisers want? Yes. They want lower rates. This may be the only aspect of this business that will never change. Many media buyers have juggled the media mix and given us less of that pie. They’re now faced with so many options with the same budget. Sound familiar? Our story can’t be the same as it has always been. Advertisers want ROI, they want targeted options and they want creativity. One of the easiest things we can do is offer advertisers creativity within our ROP products. We all have seen the research on the impact color has on response rates. Publications offering Front Page post its have delivered huge results for advertisers focused on premium position. “TOMBSTONE” ads, “FIREPLACE” ads, “BOOKENDS,” “WATERMARKS,” and “STAIRSTEP” ads are all options that will amp up the visibility of an ad and produce more ROI. Creative ad sizing is a must.

For example, MANSI Media was recently asked by a client to research creative size options, post it capabilities and polybags in 170 papers across 28 states. Standardization has always been a problem for our industry and finding a common denominator for creative sizing was even more of a challenge. The results were not good. We found a 65/35 split of those offering creativity to those that came back without one idea. Needless to say, the advertiser went in another direction.

Our products are valuable and they do have impact. As we develop new products and give them time to succeed, offering creative options within ROP is something we can do now. So when you hear someone say newspapers are dying, remember a "tombstone" can mark a new beginning, not the end.

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