The newspaper industry must work harder to promote itself, increasing marketing and research to change the primarily negative perception of the sector that has developed since the influx of digital technology.
This was the view of panellists at this morning’s ‘Future of National Newspapers’ seminar, held in London by MediaTel Group. The selection of top industry figures agreed across the board, that whilst circulation figures are revealing an overall trend of declines, this should not be the main metric to focus on and more must be done to emphasise the unparalleled medium.
The tone was remarkably upbeat, with several commenting that newspapers in their print format would be around for many years to come. However, several suggestions were made for moving the industry forward and keeping it competitive in the digital age.
Stuart Taylor, the outgoing commercial director at Guardian News and Media, said that some newspaper brands were slow to adapt in the digital age, that very few have got it right and that “we’re still learning”.
“There’s a long way to go,” he said. However, he added “Online readership [of newspapers] will stay on fire for years,” remarking that GNM’s digital revenue would exceed that of the Observer this year.
Taylor also commented on newspapers growing in confidence in terms of cover price hikes. “The £1 Quality daily is not too far away,” he said, stating that newspapers represented “outstanding value”.
Simon Marquis, chairman of the NRS, felt that marketing was an extremely important tool for newspapers, and that the industry needed to demonstrate belief in itself.
Media journalist Ray Snoddy concurred. “The low level of marketing for newspapers is appalling,” he said.
Steve Atkinson, deputy commercial director at The Independent, echoed these sentiments from the floor, indicating he felt that marketing and word of mouth were key to altering the negative perception of newspapers.
Other delegates shared a similar view, with Nigel Bromley, head of sales at the Daily Mail putting some of the blame on media correspondents, whilst Chris Pelekanou from GNM said the industry was to blame, having not demonstrated the value of newspapers, spending too much time focusing on circulation metrics.
Marquis declared: “Anyone who thinks that print is dead is missing something fundamental about how humans behave. Print on paper meets a fundamental human need, and we should be reassured by that.”
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