Print Media Newspapers and magazines offer opportunities for

Print Media Newspapers and magazines offer opportunities for detailed advertising information at reasonable cost.

O When it comes to the ability of the media to deliver quality audience in terms of income, occupation, and education, magazines and newspapers are ranked in first and second place, respectively. O As the most significant of today’s print media, the newspaper and magazine vehicles (sometimes referred to as “publication media”) deliver messages, in combination with news, entertainment, or other editorial material, to measurable groups of readers.

O The degree of a reader’s interest in the advertising content of a publication varies from person to person, from vehicle to vehicle, and from ad to ad. O Normally, however, the reader’s primary focus is on the articles and stories. O Thus, publication’s editorial content provides and atmosphere of acceptance for advertisements.

O In many cases, it attracts the exact audience and advertiser seeks: scuba divers, interior decorators, graduate students, business executives, or any other desired groups.

The Medium of Newspapers O A newspaper is typically either a daily or weekly publication that is regarded, with some exceptions, as a local advertising medium. O In fact, one of its primary advantages to an advertiser is the intense local coverage or penetration it provides. O The word “coverage” in this context describes a medium’s ability to reach a certain percentage of homes or prospects in a given area.

O Newspapers normally select their news, features, and editorial subjects with an eye to the wants and needs of the people within a particular community. O They are usually geographically selective. For example, the Prabhat Khabar, The Times of India, Patna edition are published mainly for the residents of Patna and its surrounding areas.

O Magazines, on the other hand, are qualitatively selective. O They are edited to appeal to the special interests of certain types of people regardless of where they live. O A magazine like The Good Housekeeping is aimed primarily at homemakers, whether they live in Mumbai, Delhi or Ahmedabad.

O Even multi-million circulation magazines with editorial appeal for both sexes – such as the Reader’s Digest – are more selective qualitatively than newspapers in terms of average income and educational levels. O There are some notable exceptions to this generalization about the geographic, rather than the qualitative, selectivity of newspapers.

O The Economic Times, for example, is a newspaper by format and by frequency of publication. O Yet it has a national readership of 800, 000 and delivers qualitatively selective audience composed largely of executives in business and finance. O So, as an advertising medium, it is more accurately classified as a business publication.

O Finally, we should note that some newspapers are introducing lifestyle sections in an attempt to increase daily readership. O The importance of newspaper advertising is indicated by the amount of money invested in it each year. (Print 34. 5% as against 45% of TV)

The Medium of Magazines O Magazine, the second form of print publication advertising, offer the advertiser advantages which in many respects are the opposites of those offered by newspapers. O The newspaper appeals to all people in a particular community; the magazine appeals to particular people in all kinds of communities.

O The life of a daily newspaper ad is short – rarely more than a day. O A magazine ad continues to “live” and produce results for a week, a month, or longer, as the periodical is read and reread not only by those who buy it, but by others who come in contact with it (both inside and outside the home)

O Although newspapers are limited in the quality of ROP reproduction, most magazines offer high-quality paper and printing. O The deadline for newspaper insertions is usually two or three days in advance of publication, but such flexibility is impossible with a magazine advertisement; few magazine deadlines are as short as three weeks prior to publication date, and some may be as long as two months. (the increased quality that goes into magazine production slows down the insertion process.

O The newspaper is primarily a local medium and the magazine is mainly national.

Audit Bureau of Circulations O Both newspapers and magazines use circulation figures O (1) to determine the rates charged for advertising space, and O (2) to promote their respective publications to advertise (and often in the process, to compare themselves with others). O It is very important, therefore, that circulation counts be reported accurately

O The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) is a cooperative association of several thousand advertisers, advertising agencies, and publishers that verifies and disseminates circulation and other marketing data on newspapers and periodicals. O Every six months, each publication submits an official statement of circulation to ABC for checking, processing, printing and distributing.

O The paid circulation averages included in the ABC reports are broken down by subscriptions and single copy sales and by regional, metro and demographic editions if applicable.