New Media Buyers; Alternative Communication Methods
NPES news
August 2006
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For decades, print has been the media of choice by media buyers…in fact, they are often called “print buyers” because of the volume of print orders they make. It’s not to say that print is in disfavor today, but there are far more options available to the media buyer coupled with the fact that many are younger and have grown up with computers and electronic alternatives to print.
The concern becomes that these younger buyers have a bias to the electronic alternatives, but why? The primary reason is the rise of the Internet as the method of choice to research almost anything a person or business is trying to purchase or find information about. Other reasons tend to deal with the non-flexibility of print. Once something is printed you can’t revise it without reprinting it resulting in the waste of your inventory. Unlike the Internet, print is difficult for just-in-time worldwide adoption. You have to ship or mail the printed pieces all over the world (push model) whereas with the Internet, people anywhere in the world can instantaneously access your web site (pull model) at their leisure 24/7 and get the information they desire. Still other reasons deal with the cost of printing, especially in cases when the printed matter becomes dated and must be thrown away. So in relation to the flexibility and interactivity of electronic-based communications, print is at some disadvantage.
Obviously, print still has many advantages over electronic communications methods, which is why we are still a massive $165 billion domestic industry today. Most notably, direct mail is the only method to reach every single address in the USA.
When we look at the media pie of today, there are far more options available than there were just 10 years ago. For most of the 20th century, you could choose from Radio, TV or Print and that was pretty much it! Today the media buyer can choose from:
* Magazines
* Newspapers
* Direct mail
* Network Television
* Cable Television
* Satellite Television
* AM/FM Radio
* Satellite Radio
* Internet advertising
But even of more concern is the plethora of electronic technologies that are just beginning to gain traction in the marketplace that will provide several more alternatives in the media pie. To better understand those technologies and where and when they might begin to displace print revenue PRIMIR, the Print Industries Market Information and Research organization commissioned a study entitled “Electronic Displacement of Print” which was completed at the end of 2005. The study identified the following 13 new technologies (not including the Internet) which could have an impact on print:
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