At the outset I would like to remove any negative connotations that the title of this post might get associated with. This post is not going to talk about how exactly the web can kill the newspaper industry, or what digital media enthusiasts should do to try and execute such a stunt. On the contrary it questions the majority view that in the near future digital media will cause print media to bleed. Among many other things I want to say in this post that print media is not dying and it will probably be a long while before it does.
The reasons for the flow of thought are evident from the history of broadcasting in India and the numbers present today. While print media is certainly the grand daddy with a history that dates back to 1780, it has evolved from its weekly and monthly editions to the daily diet that it serves every morning to millions of Indians. The first major competition that it faced obviously came with the advent of television in India around four decades back. Television itself took its time to meet any viable number to even approach advertisers. In fact it was not until Hum Log in that magic mid 80s era and Maggi’s 2 minute noodles ads that the scope and power of TV advertising was felt and understood. When satellite television came in the early 1990′s people were suddenly exposed to a whole different lifestyle giving far better options for advertisers to target people.
In all this hoopla around electronic media, print not only survived but rather started marking impressive revenue growth. I personally think this was very much influenced by the advertising happening on TV. People and marketers began to realize the impact ad creativity began to have on the society and people which further propelled advertising on a mass scale and being media agnostic.
A decade and a half later, digital media is perhpas nearing its tipping point in the society. MPs in parliament are asking questions about Twitter, sporting icons on Facebook and movie stars are blogging. The influential junta of the society is going digital. Add to it the recessionary overtones in the globe and print media unfortunately took a small hit in ad sales. And suddenly there is a small buzz building on how print will make way for digital media. This no doubt led by the talk and numbers making rounds in the west.
However, I don’t think such a case will happen anytime in the near future. In fact, according to this data print is set to grow further for the next 5 years. I personally think it won’t dip in numbers for at least a decade and a half. And even if it did, the ones who will make the most of digital would also be the powerhouses of print media today. As long as marketers read newspapers themselves, there is no reason to think they would stop advertising heavily on print. And reading newspapers is a cultural gene in India that can’t be mutated that easily. Every literate household in India is bound to have a newspaper given the way our family system works, with the digitally untuned generations as much a part of the household as the new social media savvy generation.
This uncanny system of family is unique perhaps only to the Indian subcontinent and advertising which is very much a reflection of the society at large will work within its frameworks. This means that the same product catering to the same set of people will need to take myriad approaches in terms of how it advertises itself. And this will only give further scope to integrated marketing efforts that are complimentary and not exclusive of each others. For these reasons I think despite all the good things about digital media, print wouldn’t go anywhere. Digital and traditional marketing enthusiasts should promote each other rather than competing against each other.
There obviously remains a lot more that needs to be said, discussed and debated on these points. I hope to touch on this a lot more in the near future, till then feel free to express what you think about this.
Coming from the Public Relations background, I completely agree with your point. In fact last week I had a small chat with my mentor from my previous company and according to him, marketers have just “opened up and are ready to listen about digital marketing / social media marketing.” He further added, “showing interest for digital media is an overstatement”!
There is a long way yet for digital media to replace print media. Also am sure more then replacing print media it will just co-exist, like how TV and print is currently.
Hi,
I agree with your opinion. In most other countries, the fall in readership and print media is due to an already high existent rate of literacy and technology out-reach. India is still growing in literacy and in adaptability to technology. An IRS survey concurs. http://www.afaqs.com/perl/media/story.html?sid=24188. RK Laxman’s Common Man still has no access to Mobile Internet or Broadband. Moreover, there is a major line of distinction between News and Journalism. People read newspapers not just for breaking stories, but also for analysis which will possibly never change. I am not quite certain of digital-print co-existence. India does follow global trends, and if papers like the New York Times are undergoing losses due to digital media, India might follow the trend 10-20 years down the line.
well, since i am closely associated with the latest campaign – great driving challenge where it was launched through newspaper ad and followed by social media strategy and now TV ads.
Gauging the website analytics i can tell u in one line – let people say whatever, newspaper and TV still work in India.
i can see this in the stats and analyze the behavior of the visitors, referral sources.
Also, consider this, you read it on newspaper but somehow didn’t go the website either forgot it or too busy that moment to check it right that time, or didn’t interest you. Next you hear about the same campaign from your friends on dinner table.
later you visited some website and saw the ad for the same campaign, you remembered reading it sometime back. you click on the ad to reach the website. Now the online marketer claims that he got you the click and made the visitor reach the destination and charges per click. But, the ground reality is, it’s the brand recall that initiated the person to click on the ad.
Now, the beauty is how well you can synchronize this online-offline thing to initiate a chain reaction. If executed properly, this will work wonder. can be very targeted and cost to reach out will be much less.
@Ruchi .. it’s good to know that guys from Ad Factors are looking at digital as well.. it’s very important that top players in offline are aware of things if not jumping in straightaway
@Siddharth .. The first part I very much agree ..was something I wanted to but couldn’t quite fit in the post.. About newspapers like NY Times falling and how India might face a similar thing cpl of decades from now, I’m not quite sure for a variety of reasons
@Rupesh Thanks.. and yeah integrated is the way to go..as of now at least.
I will tell you why nothing will kill print media, it is simple, it is just far more convenient to read on paper than staring on a backlit screen. This is coming from a guy who spends over 14 hours a day staring at the same.
Hi,
I have launched a website that revovles around the online advertisements. I hope advertisers/brands will advertise on digital media. The whole idea behind this website to educate customer about onging deals discount promotional offers in different products/services offered by good brands.
I like Rupesh’s comment
“Now, the beauty is how well you can synchronize this online-offline thing to initiate a chain reaction. If executed properly, this will work wonder. can be very targeted and cost to reach out will be much less.”
And I will try to achieve the above through this website.
Thanks,
Rajeev
I dont think the ambition of the internet has even been or been seen as an eradication of the print media. The more important point and development was , especially in the US during the early 2000′s , the increased accountability of the print media as well as the choices they made in terms of what classified as news – this for example happened through the development of the Blogsphere – news being sidelined by MSM (Main stream media) was taken up by the blogsphere and pushed out to the masses with dire consequences as in the case of Dan Rather.
MSM realized that they power they had was not exclusive to them anymore , with the advent of UGC , print needed to become more responsible , audiences had greater choices for information and a better balance with respect to distribution of information (read news) came into being.
Brand Managers today hear you out on digital /internet advertising and then go back to advertising in Print/TV. Primarily it looks as if mass medium is still a better bet compared to a focused medium of advertising. I guess its a mind set.
It is going to take some time for the internet medium to catch up.
Not sure why compare TV and digital when talking about print media. Sure.. TV didnt kill print, outdoor didnt kill print, radio didnt kill print and maybe few more that didnt. But thats hardly any justification why there cannot be another medium that cannot. When talking about if a media A can replace media B, whats most important is how similar they are in terms of solving a consumer’s need; also how cost efficient and few more parameters in case you try to figure out who will eventually triumph.
TV didnt kill print perhaps because they are solving different needs. newspapers is ON-DEMAND where as TV is not. TV is way more richer (media wise) and much more current. Newspaper offers you completeness (you dont miss out on any happenings over a day). Maybe few more differences.
But just saying that because TV didnt kill print so won’t internet
is plainly unreasonable.
US is a prime example of how internet can kill an industry that TV can not.
Having said that, I firmly agree with the author that the same will probably not happen in India for a long time to come (perhaps decades). But eventually it will. Or maybe best of the print will move on to digital in the long run.
Going further, what would decide the sustainable survival of newspapers is:
1) Their credibility in terms of unbiased and courageous coverage.
The days are fading off, when newspaper editorials could write in favour of those who “support” them, in terms of money and power without being questioned aloud. Few years back times of india managed to shut down “Mediaaah” blog.. but they cannot shut down many more which have today matured. Questions would be asked aloud regarding credibility of articles. Letters to editors would now be open letters, which if left unanswered could spell doom for the newspaper brands.
2)Proliferation of Internet and broadband: Newspapers have taken a beating in UK, if not so much in the US, which television did not manage to do over so many decades. The difference between those markets and us is the penetration of Internet.
But to describe the scene of media today in India.. Picture this one on the lighter side.. A leading business paper and business TV channel were out to pitch for a branded event to a client. The Newspaper won on just one point made to the customer “Your customers read newspapers the first thing in the morning, where TV mostly cannot reach…. The washroom”.
So until we have Wimax or Wifi enabled washrooms and waterproof devices… Its haytime for Newspaper