I saw the Cox Media smarter advertising commercial for the first time today, and the entire time, all I could think was, Really?
The commercial, if you haven't seen it, is a direct attack at newspapers. It tells advertisers that cable advertising is "better" than newspaper advertising by taking statements like "People read newspapers" or "Newspaper advertising is affordable" and attempting to prove them wrong with statistics and claims that cable advertising is more effective, even if it is more expensive.
Really, Cox? Seriously?
First of all, the only reason why I watched that commercial and didn't change the channel was because I wanted to hear what they had to say about newspapers, and I wanted to see if they would argue against any other forms of advertising. They didn't. It was just about newspapers. Disclaimer: I am a full-time newspaper reporter. This is my first job after several internships at newspapers and working at my college newspaper. I've wanted to be a reporter since I was 5-years-old because I've always had a lot of newspapers in my house. My dad just really likes reading the news - we've always subscribed to our local paper, the Record-Journal, but he regularly picks up the Hartford Courant, USA Today and the New York Daily News for fun. We also subscribe to Newsweek, Time and Spin and pick up tabloids when they're interesting. Print media has been a staple in our household because it's readily available, and it's enjoyable to just sit back and read about what's going on.
Here's the thing. Any medium that uses advertising as a form of income is hurting because the advertising industry is hurting in this economy. When a business needs to cut costs, advertising is one of the first things to go. That being said, it doesn't make sense that Cox Media would target newspapers exclusively like they're a major competitor taking all their advertising. What is this, Pepsi vs. Coke? Also, the commercial even says that advertisers will use newspapers because advertising in them is affordable - that's true because newspapers need advertisements and want to keep prices attractive to buyers. Why doesn't Cox just make their advertising more affordable? And on that point, I don't understand why Cox needs to go after newspapers for more advertisements because they're a cable company. They pretty much have all of Meriden under their services, even if they're pretty bad. I have a ton of Internet connection problems at home, and when I ask around, other people in the area have the same problems at the same time.
On the Cox Media "Smarter Advertising" Web page, the list of related stories is about declining ratings for local news. What does that mean? Do they not want people to advertise through local newscasts? Are they just making an attack on news in general? It just doesn't make any sense.
So here are my reasons why newspaper advertising is better than cable:
1. You can't change the channel. Yes, you can turn the page, but there's usually a story or something on that page that keeps your attention for some time. The advertisement is right there, and a reader can't help but see it.
2. Your advertisements reach people anywhere. In the car, on the porch, on the beach, people can bring along a newspaper to read. Also, they read them in the bathroom. Commercial breaks are the perfect time to leave and go to the bathroom. While people do spend a lot of time in front of a television, they do have to leave at points, and they're not going to leave during their favorite show.
3. It's more affordable. Especially when businesses are struggling and cutting costs, it makes more sense to advertise in a way that's cost effective.
4. It works. It's cost effective because it's affordable and works. People see advertisements. If they're inserts in the paper, they can't help but look at them.
5. It reaches more people than you think. Take my college newspaper, for instance. We had a circulation of 9,000, but a lot more people read it because it would get left on a dining hall or library table. I always pick up a newspaper and read it when I'm in a waiting room. I don't usually watch TV when waiting for something. Families share newspapers. Also, some classifieds in newspapers transfer to their Web sites. That means there are even more readers.
6. People need their news. People read newspapers because they want to know what's going on. Especially with local papers, it's usually the only place they can go to find out what's going on in their town. If there's a local election coming up, how else will they know about the candidates? And it's their elected local leaders who determine a lot of stuff that actually matters to them. They really don't need to watch another reality TV show.
7. People are attentive when they're reading newspapers. You actually have to read the paper to get the news. That means that they're focused on the page at hand. Can you really say that about someone whose TV is just on while they're making dinner or doing work?
8. People look for things in newspapers. They go through the classifieds to find things or look for jobs. They're looking for coupons. They're actively seeking out these advertisements. With television, it's the opposite. It's just forced on them, and, once again, they can change the channel or get up.
Here's the link to Cox Media's terrible rationale: http://www.coxmedia.com/GainesvilleOcala/advertisingmore.aspx?ID=DA_814852.
And here's the related article that showed up on the side bar when I went on the page: http://www.coxmedia.com/GainesvilleOcala/advertisingmore.aspx?ID=DA_1151368
