Newspapers' role in influencing opinion is dead

Louise BurgersBy Louise Marsland
23 Jan 2005
The print industry now competes with alternative media and technologies that did not exist less than two decades ago. The fact that newspapers are not the main influence of public opinion any longer, is just one of the threats to the survival of the printing industry being debated by the international print industry, which has gathered in Cape Town to debate these and other challenges at the eighth global World Print Congress (WPC8).

Dennis E. Mason, president of Mason Consulting Inc, a firm specialising in the marketing and technology issues in the graphic arts and electronic industries, summarized global trends in the print industry. He discussed various technical options for printers, and also focused on various media options available to marketers, as part of all the facets of the print value chain.

"In the newspaper business, readership is declining. Readers tend to be older. The youth tend to get their information in different ways, chasing advertisers into other mediums. But newspapers do remain an important advertising vehicle. One trend is that newspapers have become thinner and smaller in size," Mason said.

"In my opinion, newspapers will not die, but the days in which newspapers were significant influences of opinion are gone. The younger generation get their information and news elsewhere."

Mason said the industry was under attack for a number of reasons:

  • "The consolidation/losses to other communications media.
  • The news for traditional printed media is not good, with readers aging and younger readers not being acquired.
  • Office printing - quality printing on demand is a serious threat in the future.
  • Advertisers and other communicators have more choices than ever and we need to stand on our toes to compete.
  • Our youth seem to prefer to get their info in many other ways.
  • We have far too go in freedom of the press when 64% of the world's press is not free.
  • Information technology benefits us and steals from us at the same time."

    Ad agencies, creative designers, publishers, the home office, and self publishing are also factors that have influence over the future of the print industry, Mason said. "The responsibility for promoting greater use of the print media is the responsibility of the printing industry and printers have not done the best job of telling the world about the power of print."

    The cyber-challenge

    Alternative media options available to advertisers and marketers are increasing and the printing industry must respond, he emphasized. The alternative media fleet consists of:
    1. The Internet
    2. Television
    3. Radio
    4. Email
    5. Instant messaging (SMS)
    6. Blogs (web logging - online diaries)
    7. Vlogs (video logs online).

    "Print media are loosing readers to the internet all the time; libraries are finding their reference books used less; the internet has replaced print as a repository of information; and instantaneous and ease of use, makes it very attractive and a danger to print.

    "And as far as blogging is concerned - through online diaries (blogs) or video logs (Vlogs)... when the Tsunamis hit Asia in December, home movies of the disaster (Vlogs) had more internet traffic than the formal news services online."

    However, Mason said, the 'Tivo' technology which allows TV viewers to screen out advertiser messages, is a threat to marketers, who will look to other media to deliver their messages to consumers. Radio, he said, has become more focused in delivering advertiser message and wasn't killed off by TV, so while email and SMS, a subset of email, allow the youth to communicate directly or in groups, there are still opportunities for print, Mason believes.

    "The print industry needs to move fast to secure opportunities in our industry. Print remains a vigorous media competitor - print captures half of the media pie, led by newspaper, magazines, direct mail and yellow pages, in the US. If we can maintain print's share of this pie globally, the future may not be so bleak."

    Aliteracy

    Aliteracy - someone who, although able to read, is uninterested in reading and uninterested in literature - remains one of the biggest threats to the future of print. Explains Mason: "We seem to be raising young people who are technically illiterate, although they have the function to read. Aliteracy creates a cultural bias towards print and alternative media gains influence.

    Other trends include:

  • Another threat is that a significant 64% of people in the world do not have access to a free press.
  • Apart from environmental legislation targeting paper manufactures and printers as 'allies' of the industry, there is new paper made from limestone being tested, as well as e-paper - that can be written on, erased, and used over again - is in development!
  • Packaging industry growth is outpacing that of GDP in emerging markets. The need for packaging will only increase and it presents opportunities in every category, particularly film and foils.
  • Signage and displays are also an important growth for the printing industry - as more and more files are received digitally, digital printing makes more sense. We are seeing pressure from plasma and liquid crystal displays.
  • Office printing. Says Mason: "I submit to you that the key element of the HP and Xerox strategy is to put printers at every facet of office printing: digital printing does not require craft skills - "green button" printing; and turnaround time reduced in house. This is a major threat to printers in the future.

    Printing

    "The thing that makes us vulnerable, is that we tend to focus on one discipline. Today, the picture has changed again. It is not as simple as the replacement of letterpress printing by lithography. Lithography is facing pressure from technologies that didn't even exist when I started my career! We are in the era of the print run of 'one'," Mason said.

    "It is time for us to revaluate our business - time and tastes are changing. We must change how we do business. We must embrace technology and printers must partner with and put greater reliance on their suppliers," he concluded.

    • About Louise Marsland

    Louise Burgers (previously Marsland) is Founder/Content Director: SOURCE Content Marketing Agency. Louise is a Writer, Publisher, Editor, Content Strategist, Content/Media Trainer. She has written about consumer trends, brands, branding, media, marketing and the advertising communications industry in SA and across Africa, for over 20 years, notably, as previous Africa Editor: Bizcommunity.com; Editor: Bizcommunity Media/Marketing SA; Editor-in-Chief: AdVantage magazine; Editor: Marketing Mix magazine; Editor: Progressive Retailing magazine; Editor: BusinessBrief magazine; Editor: FMCG Files newsletter. Web: www.sourceagency.co.za.
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