Guernsey Press

Dropping traditional media could be harmful for business

FIRMS that drop using traditional media such as printed newspapers for a digital-only approach could be missing out on clear business benefits.

Published
Nichole Culverwell. (22585110)

The News Media Association, which is the voice of UK media organisations, has highlighted an article by PwC director of media insight, performance and assurance Neil Duncan, in which he cited various studies that demonstrate dropping traditional media could be harmful for business.

‘The narrative of “digital” advertising replacing “traditional” advertising is wrong on a number of levels, but nevertheless print media in particular has been more aggressively substituted for social media and search than any other,’ said Mr Duncan in a piece for Mediatel,

‘It’s in this context that the study by Newsworks and Benchmarketing, Planning for Profit, is so important. The main thesis of the research, that marketers should pay close attention to brand building and profits when assessing the effectiveness of marketing spend, could not be more relevant in today’s world.

‘The insight from this research is eminently actionable, but there needs to be the will to use it. The message to advertisers, and their agencies, is that it might just lead to a more profitable outcome.’

He added: ‘The importance of building brands and profits, and doing so with advertising in a trusted context, is supplemented by a third theme around audience data. The advent of EU GDPR, and later this year the new ePrivacy regulation, is shining a light on the source and use of personal data.’

The marketing world was also realising that the quality of third-party data was ‘often questionable at best’, unlike first-party data that was frequently of relatively high quality.

‘Effectiveness measurement relies on access to the right data and advertisers need to ensure that they are working with partners who are both committed to effectiveness and its measurement,’ said Mr Duncan.

‘At a time when transparency in media is in the spotlight, it is critical to have the right information to make the best investments.

‘Media owners in the UK have built businesses over many decades by understanding and appealing to their audiences; it’s time to remind ourselves that they know their customers and their preferences very well.’

Nichole Culverwell, director of Guernsey-based communications agency Black Vanilla, said: ‘Media today is more complex than ever and as such it’s dangerous to dismiss any particular media or communications channel. Both digital and traditional media have a role to play and thanks to fake news, trust in print media has risen in recent years.

‘That trust reflects well on brands using print as part of their media plans.

‘At the same time, the image of social media has been tarnished and the robustness of third-party data has to be considered. There is no single magic media bullet – the art is creating the right mix of channels and nuancing messages accordingly.’