Selecciones - Webs

Belch: Advertising and
Promotion, Sixth Edition
V. Developing the
Integrated Marketing
Communications Program
12. Evaluation of Print
Media
Exhibit 12-26
Newsweek and the
Washington Post offer
advertisers a cross-media
opportunity
A number of newspapers have been redesigned to be more interesting and easier
and faster to read. Changes include the increased use of color and graphics as well as
expanded coverage of sports and entertainment. Some papers have begun providing
short summaries of articles in each section of the paper so readers can skim them and
decide what they want to read.
Of particular concern to publishers is the decline in newspaper readership among
important market segments such as women and young adults. Surveys show that the
percentage of women who read a newspaper on a typical day declined from 67 percent
in 1981 to 51 percent in 2001. 34 Newspapers and advertisers are concerned because
women are far more likely than men to make buying decisions. Many newspapers
are introducing new women’s sections and revising old ones to make them
more appealing to modern women. This means including articles on such issues
as health, parenting, and careers—for example, how women with children and
jobs manage their time.
Newspapers are also concerned about where their future readers will come
from, since many young people are heavy TV viewers and also are spending
more and more time surfing the Internet. However, a recent study found that
newspaper readership is high among teens, and many papers are making special
efforts to attract teenagers in hopes they will become and remain regular readers.
The newspaper industry is also taking steps to maintain readership among
young people. For example, the Newspaper Association of America (NAA)
developed an advertising campaign using the theme “It all starts with newspapers”
that encourages young people to read the newspaper every day. 35 The ads
ask parents to “encourage your child to read a newspaper every day” and feature
celebrities such as musician Jon Bon Jovi, basketball star Grant Hill, and actress
Meryl Streep promoting newspapers as literacy tools. Exhibit 12-27 shows one
of the ads from that campaign, featuring Jackie Chan, the popular action-movie
star, reading The Tuxedo Times. The ad was run to coincide with the release of
Chan’s action-comedy film The Tuxedo.
The newspaper industry faces a major challenge. To increase circulation and
readership and continue to attract advertising revenue, it must make newspapers
© The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2003
Exhibit 12-27 This ad is
part of a campaign
encouraging young people
to read newspapers
427
Chapter Twelve Evaluation of Print Media