Keep taking the tablets
Tablet devices are a godsend for marketers says Rufus Olins, CEO, Newsworks – so why are so few unsure how to exploit them?
Twitter is possibly the greatest marketing device ever invented for newspapers. Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, said last month that he had 140 million users tweeting 500 million times a day. His big hairy ambition is to reach the whole planet. This is good news for newsbrands: with 140 characters, Twitter is just a caption linking, more often than not, to a good story – and with a personal endorsement.
Technology is, of course, a huge opportunity for many businesses.
The internet means more people will read newspaper brands – what we call newsbrands – than ever before, just in a different way. Digital platforms and formats mean people can personalise their news consumption, share with their friends, get involved and debate instantaneously – all while consuming up-to-date content wherever and whenever they like.
This represents an unprecedented opportunity to interact with readers. And with so much competition for their attention, strong brands that offer trusted information, news and opinion, will be worth much more.
Smartphones have enabled readers to share content at the touch of a button – but it is the rise of tablets that particularly interests me at the moment. This Christmas is already being called ‘tab-tastic’ as so many people have tablets on their wish lists and it is estimated that tablets will soon be in the hands of 15 million people in the UK. These are significant numbers.
Tablets offer a different environment altogether – and perhaps the best of both worlds; immediacy teamed up with engagement. According to a recent comScore study, from its TabLens service, nearly two in five US tablet owners read newspapers and/or magazines on their device, with one in ten reading publications almost daily.
Mark Donovan, comScore SVP of mobile, said: “Tablets are redefining how people consume news and information – with the format more conducive to reading longer form content. In the case of online newspapers, tablets are now driving 7% of total newspaper page views…impressive considering the relative infancy of the tablet space.”
Other research, from Reuters Institute, shows that tablet news readers are around 40% more likely to be affluent than those who read news on PCs; with 58% of tablet users accessing news content each week.
From an advertiser’s point of view, tablets represent a new opportunity to innovate and stand out. However, a recent survey, which Newsworks carried out among Marketing Society members, found that only 16% of marketers have experience of advertising in tablets.
Marketers believe that a key role for tablet advertising is providing interactivity and more personal conversations that deepen brand engagement. Respondents said tablets could become an essential platform and a core part of any press campaign. However, marketers also claim that there is a lack of understanding about tablet advertising, with 92% agreeing that “advertisers need more information about how advertising works in tablet edition.”
So, in a bid to help, Newsworks has produced a practical guide on tablets for advertisers and agencies, which will be available on our new website at the end of this week. It includes key facts, figures and contact details in one place.
And with The Sun, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Record all launching apps before Christmas, it will be interesting to see what’s next for tablets.