Extra! Extra! ...wait there's no paper?

That's right, many newspapers have been filing for bankruptcy or cutting down to 3 papers a week! Today, the Chicago Sun Times filed for bankruptcy, making it the second paper in the windy city to file. In other newspaper failure news today, the Tampa Tribune announced 53 layoffs, While yesterday the Winston Salem Journal laid off 13, the Charlottesville Daily Progress laid off 6, and the Boston Globe let go of 50. Its not just in the U.S. either, a U.K. article posted today reported recent layoffs in the hundreds from local print media companies, reported by the Guardian Blog (formerly Guardian Newspaper, originally Manchester Guardian started in 1821).

Newspapers have been a traditional medium to advertise in for the past 500 years, since the early 1400s beginning with pamphlets. The mass audience and frequency of the newspaper are staples and the basis for publications today but with technology on the rise and numerous outlets for news, print media is dwindling by a thread!

What happened to all those Sundays I remember growing-up cutting coupons out of the paper with my mom? I am still die-hard coupon cutter but usually out of direct mail or off my printer from brand-specific promotions in my Inbox. With user-generated news on the rise and personal news reporters in our pockets, ie. the Internet on our cell phones (or Blackberries and iPhones), where does the print newspaper or print advertising fit into the equation?

Although sources such as the Project for Excellence in Journalism make it seem as though newspapers are all going bankrupt, cutting papers down to Thursday-Sunday delivery such as the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press are reducing delivery and focusing on the online market may give hope and possibilities to this medium.

Like directories, newspaper advertising reaches a mass market but the audience seeks out the advertisements by searching through sections. Although print media is on the decline, advertising in print has not gone down in pricing. A local newspaper will cost you anywhere from 1k-10k to run a full-page print campaign and national newspapers average 100k-300k. Magazines are usually as least double the cost of newspaper advertising but the higher image quality and location of the advertisement will hold your audiences attention much longer while reaching closer niches. A hefty marketing budget is needed to go the print route but the audience reach is quite large. Local short campaigns, with bargains and large catchy wording works best when using this AdMode.

As a past sports journalist and occasional coffee with a paper enthusiast, I would like to see a least one newspaper survive. With the baby-boomers soon retiring, could we possibly see a small spike in print media? Most likely not, but in my opinion the newspaper is still an AdMode worth looking at. Print advertising is an option to keep in mind as long as the paper is still alive, because as we saw today they have no problem calling bankruptcy when death is looming nearby.

Tips on buying print advertising:
http://www.gaebler.com/Newspaper-Advertising-Costs.htm
http://www.businesstown.com/marketing/strategy-medium.asp

Similar Mediums: Direct Mail, Magazines, Outdoor Marketing, Blogs.
Tags: Print Advertising, Magazine Advertising, Newspaper Bankruptcy.

"The advertisements are the most truthful part of a newspaper."
- Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826, 3rd US President

Back to the basic Yellow

Just this past week, Yellowpages announced they will be taking out the white week pages starting next year. This comes only a day before it was announced by YPA Association that research showed usage rates for 2008 dropped significantly. The same day White Publishing, better known as the “Talking Phone Book”, announced it will be starting the rebranding process to become “LocalEdge”. With numerous similar sites popping-up such as Yelp, City-search, and individual business websites, it is no wonder that a rebranding and positioning is needed for this branch of the print industry.

Yellowpages as an AdMode, is still a choice for many. It is a great medium for local businesses, especially restaurants that place a menu in their advertisement. When I need take-out food, over half the time I still run to the phone book. The Yellow pages are also a great medium for local new or small businesses that have not taken advantage of the endless possibilities the WWW has to offer. According to Quantcast, Yellowpages.com attracts more than twenty million people in the U.S. each month. More data shows though that these people are uneducated, contrary to YPA-Academics’ which states “Overall, yellow pages print directories tend to attract an upscale, well educated group of consumers.” Both sites show agreement though that the Yellowpages is still a lead source for people who are looking for a business, directory assistance, or local government information. The delivery of the book to every home ensures a variety of clients and is cost-effective but by no means is this medium meant for clients seeking niche markets unless business-to-business is needed.

There are many different types of advertisements and placement with this medium. In-Column Ads, Traditional Display Advertising, Extended Display Advertising: Leader Ads or Double-truck ads (2 pages), Outer pages: Standard cover, Spine, Snipes, Tip-ons, Billboards, and Double-sided extensions off front or back cover, Special sections, tabbed pages, internet listing: Featured and premiums, and ride-along advertising with delivery of the book. Directory ads should be informative. Prices vary by city, listing genre, size, and many other factors specific to the business. Directory advertising runs on long-term, usually yearly contracts.

At one time before the WWW existed, the Yellowpages was one of the few mediums for business-to-business advertisings, contending with direct mail, sales reps, and trade-shows. Today, the biggest directory is the World Wide Web or some would say Google. Companies and small businesses are catching-up or keeping current with the technology driven era, creating personal Webpages with no directory advertisings needed. National and product advertising are not meant for this medium anymore, no effect or audience. The Yellowpages is now only a local business option as an AdMode, the service-sector being the best for it. Overall, I think the Yellowpages is still a safe medium for 2009 but 2015 is looking grim for the entire print industry.

Similar Mediums: Newspaper, Magazine, Direct Mail, Internet: Google, Microsoft, Citysearch, Yelp.
Tags: Print Yellow Pages, Yellow Book, Directory Advertisings, Media Blog, Traditional Media

References:
http://www.businesstown.com/marketing/strategy-medium.asp
http://www.att.com/gen/general?pid=8140
http://www.ypa-academics.org/UYPII/section3.html
http://www.ypassociation.org/
http://www.vindy.com/news/2009/mar/16/atampt-calls-for-ending-phone-book-white-pages/?newswatch
http://www.quantcast.com/yellowpages.com
http://blog.kelseygroup.com/index.php/2009/03/19/talking-phone-book-now-localedge/
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/04/business/04interview.html

Let me speed up so I can catch that ad!

Moving Billboards

Although I have only first-hand seen a few of these mobile billboards, they are an innovative new Admode with potential in our fast-paced always-on-the-go society. The appeal is the traffic times and inavoidableness while in traffic across major cities. According to the 2007 study by Time "One Day in America", the average commute time is 25 minutes daily. These figures are backed up by Arbitron's research to show possible radio usage, showing a only slightly higher commute 25.5 minutes. The audience Mobile Billboards could reach are obviously working, metropolitan, driving Americans who are sitting in traffic. Time's research also showed annual taffic delays of 30-70 hours in metropolitan areas. The medium is a great outdoor marketing tool that would be seen during these long commutes but are traditional billboards that much different?

Driving around a pick-up truck or utility van does not seem eco-friendly to me and according to fueleconomy.gov they are not. These automobiles get less than 20 miles per gallon on the interstate and between 10 and 20 in the city, which would be equivelent to sitting in rush-hour traffic. To me this does not seem cost effective in comparison to traditional billboards but many other benefits may lower the cost. For instance, the moving billboards do not have to pay a rent fee or even monthly/daily fee. The trucks are serviced by the hour and can be stationed at many different locations of the clients choice. Also, the ads can be changed rather frequently due to the ease of changing the signs, unlike traditional billboards that must be painted or wallpapered. With technology changing even traditional billboards into basically large computer screens, the traditional stationary billboard does seem the most effective when benefits and negatives are compared including environmental factors. A possible solution to this could be electric-powered mobile advertising trucks or pop-up type billboards, both of which would be less expensive than rent on a a traditional billboard and eco-friendly. Another option which was recently opened a blog is bicycle Billboards.

If a simple message, campaign, or brand reinforcement or establishment is what the business is looking for mobile or outdoor marketing and billboards are a great option. Local and national business can use this AdMode to reach a mass localized audience, but business-to-business would not be appropriate. A powerful image and/or slogan and message are needed for this medium to be effective. The commute times are only getting longer as populations rise, therefore this AdMode has only stepped in the room. I think more creative and innovative outdoor and transit marketing will be in the future.

Could a possible solution be similar to the Veggie Van?
The Veggie Van Voyage

Recent News:
Cars into moving billboards http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2008/06/16/daily40.html
Paying drivers to be moving billboards http://www.aef.com/industry/news/data/2007/7050
Craigslist Ad http://columbus.craigslist.org/bfs/1098071825.html
Bicycle Billboards http://en.wordpress.com/tag/bicycle-billboards

References:
http://www.citi-mobile.com/
http://www.drivebyads.com/
http://www.barternews.com/moving_billboards_advertising_on_the_go.htm
Car Wraps http://guerrillaadvertising.ca/2009/03/24/car-wraps/
Increase sales Moving billboards vs stationary http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1477697
Traditional vs Moving http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Traditional-and-Moving-Signs/556301
History http://printedmatter.org/
Definition http://www.viswiki.com/en/Mobile_Marketing

Related Mediums: Traditional Billboards, Direct Mail, Outdoor Advertising, Flyers/Posters

Live Promotional Advertising

On March 4th I randomly turned on my television and flipped to Inside Edition when they aired a very interesting report about marketing real estate. To recap for you, people can rent Million-dollar homes for about a grand a month if they can furnish the home and maintain the house-keeping. This new way of selling homes is not only marketing but a medium in itself. Live promotions have been around for years, from store demos to celebrity endorsements, but this is new twist with live-in models. It almost reminds me of playing with barbie in a dollhouse when I was a child. Is creating a feeling in a home enticing to a buyer? Has the importance of branding now drifted into the realty sector of the market? What happened to placing a "For Sale" sign in the front yard or in the newspaper? Playing on the emotions of the buyer seeing a live home could be creating false hopes for a perfect family or family in general. I do not know if I would prefer to buy a home if I saw it with someone living in it or not because I have no experience with home-buying but I could imagine that a sale could be swayed by the emotional aspect.

This live AdMode shows that new mediums are NOT just a web concept but the entire idea of branding.

Integration of New and Old AdModes

In a down falling economy advertising as a whole is far from falling. Ads are everywhere - Subways, Sidewalks, Conveyor Belts! Old and new mediums can be seen where ever you look. Those cutting advertising to save money are definitely cutting themselves short.

Simple radio, television, outdoor, direct, print, and publicity modes have been traditional staples in modern and historic ways to communicate brands and promotions. From ancient paintings to handbills and newspapers to emails, although print media has been steadily falling in readership other mediums are still steady, reliable outlets to use.

With the World Wide Webs beginning in 1990 and AOL/Netscape in 1993, a new medium for advertising was born, introducing such concepts as web banner ads and email solicitation. Websites have become a must for all companies and people to have. As I think about questions, I ask google or wiki-pedia and find answers within seconds. Google even has 3-D maps of ancient Rome and the world now! I tend to wonder if a company does not have a website, how would I know or find out any information about them. Google words, cell phone texting, social networking, online video-television and YouTube are fast growing in popularity as modes of advertising. These mediums should not be overlooked as a trend but integrated with older ways to continue to reach targets.

Integration is a key word I have used because online programs have created a new way to overcome such new technology as TiVo which allows users to surpass advertisements. Viewers have no option but to watch the ad if viewing an online program which ensures reaching target. Conventional advertising is still an option but not a good one because without integration targets cannot be hit fully. Branding is also not just an idea anymore but a use of multiple mediums for a product or company to reach their target.

"Admode" is a slang term I have chosen to create for this blog to mean: medium of advertising. (CP+B's Miller "Man Law" campaign used television as the admode.) The wording is a bit off but with every new word integration is needed to fall into place. Let me know what you think about it!