You could almost hear the bells of doom clanging, well just about over the sharpening of knives as Innovative Media PR declared that, once and for all, traditional media was nearly dead (at least in America).Following the results of a survey conducted by Adweek and Harris Media, the digital specialists were stated that, as only two in five Americans read a newspaper each day, the PR industry was going to have buck up its ideas and focus largely on digital channels to influence audiences, particularly young audiences.
According to the poll, the sole exception to this rule was the free newspaper for suburban commuters; a way of communicating which, in the UK market at least, has taken a big knock.
So, following the closure of the London free sheets, should this be the time that the PR industry in the UK goes into panic mode? Or is such a pronouncement premature?
Well, they’re partially right. While you’d have to be living under a rock not to notice the increasing relevance of digital channels in terms of how the general public likes to consume its news, according to the UK’s National Readership Survey approximately 21 million people still read at least one of the top ten national daily newspapers on an average day. This is around 34% of the entire population, which is still a huge amount.
It’s not just size that matters. People also respond to media based on their perceived trustworthiness and even the most digital savvy consumer won’t automatically believe everything that they read online. Let’s not forget that newspapers have a relationship with their readers that many online alternatives can’t get anywhere near, a loyal commitment to their brand that has been developed and sustained over, in some cases, hundreds of years.
It’s not just the amount of people that report stories, it’s the trust that you place in the messages that they’re communicating. In a 2008 Ipsos Mori survey, 94% of Guardian readers stated that they trusted what was in their newspaper, while their counterparts that read the Telegraph feel almost as strongly (at 93%).
Additionally, a Target Cast research piece found that more than 40% of adults ages 18-64 say they prefer the experience of reading a printed newspaper vs. online sources, and just 15% of all respondents say they would rather read magazines online.
It may be the case that old media has a limited shelf life and we don’t need to remind you that digital engagement is of the utmost importance, but papers are still a huge force to be reckoned with. Numbers may not be as high as they once were, but people still read, and love, newspapers, so ignore them at your peril.
