Interactive print the winning recipe to attract young readers to newspapers

This is the word on the street after the World Association of Newspapers Congress held in Moscow in June 2006. Media pundits debated the future of newspapers in the wake of digital online media channels and the challenge to attract younger (and future middle-aged consumers) readers to the print media. They returned to their newspapers convinced that the future of print was interactive content accessible by readers' cell phone.

Several high profile participants spoke of their taking mobile content seriously. The reason for this was threefold. The youth market has adopted cell phones as their primary communications, entertainment and information device. The cell phone (and other portable devices) is soon to overtake the desktop computer as the primary means of accessing online content. The high penetration of cell phone coverage in many countries (South Africa has over 90% coverage and some 23 million users), and the availability of handsets that can access online, WAP and other multimedia content, has convinced print media owners that mobile campaigns are not just needed, but are necessary to the survival of their newspapers.

"What clearly emerged from the World Association of Newspapers Congress was that traditional print media is still demanded by consumers. Readers still want content pre-selection, but they also seek digital alternatives to the print media where they control how they interact with newspaper content," said Andrew Cardoza, manager of Mobilitrix, a mobile solutions company.

Cardoza went on to say, "Interactive print linked to mobile content delivery is the future of newspapers. It gives the print readership access to multimedia content at their fingertips and mobilizes any marketing campaign."

The Times of India offers mobile services that translate into 15 million SMS's per day.^[1] A Congress participant noted that his newspaper received nearly 1 000 SMS reader responses per day, 100 emails and 10 letters. Newspaper publishers also reported seeking further ways of integrating new media into print, looking for consumer-centric multimedia campaigns and increasing revenues from mobile content.

The type of mobile content that is accessible via interactive print campaigns are: information services, images, sound clips, video clips or ringtones, music downloads as well as access to Internet content, WAP sites and location-based services.

Yet the key issue is how to standardise new media marketing campaigns and advertising in newspapers. This needs to be presented to readers in a consistent fashion across all media channels. A current barrier is inconsistent SMS advertising standards.

"Mobilitrix has come up with the hypertic, a cell phone-like logo. The hypertic, a trademark owned by Mobilitrix, is to be used as a consistent thread that runs across all advertising media channels in the print media. It allows readers to identify mobile marketing, advertising or information services promoted in a newspaper," said Cardoza.

The hypertic logo is uniquely designed to form part of a print media advert or even a piece of journalism. The hypertic communicates all relevant information to enable a reader to access mobile content or mobile information services: this includes the short code for the premium rate service, the price of sending a SMS, one or more short alphanumeric keywords, the delivery mechanism (such as text to cell phone) as well as the service or product on offer.

These services include weather services, the national lottery, the exchange rate, news highlights, or access to front page pictures or a link to video clips that enables a reader to watch the final goal scored during the Soccer World Cup. The hypertic supports response to polls, allowing readers to give opinions relating to a specific published article, classified advertising, or request a virtual voucher associated with a brand's promotional campaign.

The benefit to media owners and content aggregators is that they are able to re-use and sell content and promote additional benefits for brands looking for media or adspace. Content is also not just sold to subscribers or readers who purchase media from newsstands but any person who reads the newspaper thereafter. According to Cardoza, this new media business model seeks to increase circulation and consumption of media in the market.

"The hypertic also supports cross-platform delivery, enabling content to be delivered to a mobile phone as well as a subscriber's email inbox. Readers would need to opt-in as subscribers to the service, as a once-off process in a marketing campaign. This would enable them to receive content in the delivery channel of their choice," said Cardoza.

The hypertic also allows a reader to purchase items seen in an advert. A reader, cell phone in hand, can instantly access the content or buy service or product via cell phone if they see something they like in the print media. This provides a business benefit to brand and media owners who can target print readers directly and gauge consumer response to a marketing or advertising campaign.

"The hypertic provides a solution to print media owners looking to sustain and rejuvenate their newspaper business. It offers media owners a means to consistently communicate with readers and standardises SMS campaigns. It uses minimal space in the print media and is a solution that provides interactive links to content that will attract younger readers, enhance reader interactivity and experience," said Cardoza.

^[1] See http://www.160characters.org/news.php?action=view&nid=1190, a link from http://www.mobilitrix.com/digitalprint.html.