No filtering out print ads … unless your paper is so bland that people stop reading
By William M. Hartnett on Jul 12, 2007 in featured, newspapers
> Our Daily Bread; Newspapers keep cutting staff, but Jake Jab’s American Furniture Warehouse is standing by them. Why? (Denver Westword)
(Via Romenesko)
Denver furniture store and mega-advertiser says print advertising still works for them because readers can’t filter it out, as can be done easily with DVRs for television spots and, presumably, ad-blockers online. Fair point, I suppose. But let’s not forget about the ultimate newspaper ad filter: Shrinking circulation.
Print need not be pronounced dead for many, many years to come, but we have to commit to it properly. Unfortunately, as John Duncan at The Inksniffer has written many times, most American newspaper companies are prematurely writing off their print future. Heck, we rolled out a new print section focused on real estate, home design and gardening bang in the middle of Florida’s massive real estate slowdown. Surprise, surprise, it’s popular with both readers and advertisers. We can blame our woes on the real estate market’s slump all day, but at some point don’t you have to just shut up and do something about it?
This quote from Rolling Stone Managing Editor Will Dana, from a recent Chicago Tribune story on the magazine business, provides an excellent bottom line for newspapers:
“To me, the big rule right now is that you can’t be bland and you can’t suck.”
Don’t be bland. Don’t suck. Best mission statement ever.
