‘Newspapers need to get better at shouting about their effectiveness to advertisers’

As Newsworks releases new research today (July 13) that claims adding print newspapers to a multi-channel marketing campaign can boost ROI threefold, the newspaper industry has been encouraged to better communicate what it can offer marketers.

Print publications

According to the study, which was conducted by Benchmarketing and looked into 500 econometric marketing models built over the last five years, newspapers make TV campaigns twice as effective and online display four times more effective.

And on a sector by sector basis, the research found that adding newspapers to a marketing campaign increases effectiveness by 5.7 times for finance brands, three times for travel brands, 2.8 times for retail brands, 1.7 times for automotive brands and 1.2 times for FMCG brands.

Although the study is a little self-serving given Newsworks role in promoting the print news industry, it does highlight the industry’s need to resonate more with marketers.

“If you look at the big digital brands like Facebook they are all investing millions in econometrics to prove their marketing effectiveness,” explained Alex Steer, head of technology, effectiveness and data at media agency Maxus, at an event to launch the research. “The newspaper industry now needs to make an equal commitment to telling advertisers why it’s still one of their most important channels.”

Read more: Keeping marketers tuned into radio

Big brands cut back on newspaper ad investment

In 2015, BSkyB, the UK’s biggest print media advertiser, dropped its print advertising spend by 23.2% to £40.1m. The figures, from Nielsen, also reveal that supermarket giant Asda dropped its print ad spend by a whopping 39.2% to £30m last year. In fact, all of the top 10 print advertisers registered a fall in investment in 2015.

Yet despite this, Asda’s VP of marketing Claire Harrison-Church believes Newsworks’ report proves the continuing effectiveness of print to marketers.

She said: “News brands are a crucial part of Asda’s marketing mix because they provide us with an influential and flexible platform that we use to inspire our customers. The ultimate goal of our comms is to deliver returns and this large-scale study allows us to continue to invest in print with confidence.

“Retailers know that adding newsbrands to a campaign increases the effectiveness of other media – now we have the evidence to prove it.”

The Newsworks research can be read in full here

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