Newspaper Associate Launches Advertising Campaign to Promote Readership
ARLINGTON, VA—Oct 24, 2011—Newspaper Association of America (NAA) announced the launch of a new advertising campaign designed to promote the value of newspaper media. Created by The Martin Agency in Richmond, VA, the “Smart is the new sexy” campaign celebrates the distinctive editorial, advertising and community attributes delivered by newspapers.
Three different ads leverage a blend of engaging illustrations and entertaining anecdotes to reinforce the value of newspaper media among existing and prospective consumers. Highlighting the multiplatform experience that is today’s newspaper, QR codes and digital prompts link audiences to a campaign Web page where they are encouraged to share their own connection with newspapers through social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook.
“The newspaper brand remains very strong in the hearts and minds of consumers,” said NAA President and CEO Caroline Little. “The campaign speaks to the many reasons people value their newspapers, and to the various platforms through which newspapers deliver that value. It reinforces the enduring draw of our medium among established print audiences, while engaging new consumers who come to newspapers through their new digital formats.”
Mike Hughes, president of The Martin Agency, said about the campaign, “We’re delighted with the ‘Smart is the new sexy’ tagline: The truth is that being smart is important and attractive. As the country enters another big election year and Americans want to get even smarter, consumers of news and advertising need to know just how powerful and contemporary newspapers are in their many forms.”
The campaign comes on the heels of recent findings from comScore that indicate a 20 percent year-over-year increase in total visits to newspaper websites in the most recent survey period and double digit growth in other audience engagement categories.
Advertisers have long looked to newspaper media for the reach and key demographics they provide, and so NAA is accessing the power of the very medium it represents. The association will leverage its own membership base and the Newspaper National Network, an NAA affiliate, to execute the campaign. Initially, ads will run digitally and in print for six weeks in more than 1,000 newspapers, reaching an estimated 70 percent of U.S. adults, subscribers and nonsubscribers, an average of seven times.
“With their new digital formats and high pass-along readership, newspapers deliver tremendous reach,” said Donna Barrett, CEO of Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., and co-chair of the NAA committee that developed the campaign. “We wanted to reach a growing audience with our message and using newspaper media was the logical choice.”
Metrics highlighted on the campaign Web page include:
• More than 163 million U.S. adults read a newspaper in print or online in the past week. (Scarborough Research, 2011)
• Local newspaper websites rank first among all local media sources for trustworthiness, credibility and being most informative. (“Site Matters”, comScore, 2009)
• Newspaper advertising, in print and online, is cited by shoppers as their top choice for planning shopping and making purchasing decisions. (“How America Shops and Spends”, Frank N. Magid Associates, 2011)
• Eighty percent of U.S. adults who contributed money to a political organization in the past year have read a newspaper or visited a newspaper website in the past seven days. (Scarborough Research, 2011)
• More than 70 percent of small business owners and more than 74 percent of those in management have read a newspaper or visited a newspaper website in the past seven days. (Scarborough Research, 2011)
• Newspaper media reach 81 percent of households earning $250,000 or more in the average week, and more than 77 percent of households earning between $100,000 and $249,999. (Scarborough Research, 2011)
About NAA
NAA is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 newspapers and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and Canada. NAA members include daily newspapers, as well as nondailies, other print publications and online products. Headquartered near Washington, D.C., in Arlington, Va., the association focuses on the major issues that affect today's newspaper industry: public policy/legal matters, advertising revenue growth and audience development across the medium's broad portfolio of products and digital platforms.
About NNN
Newspaper National Network, a private partnership owned by 25 of the largest U.S. newspaper companies, is the leading network for local media. As a “one-stop point of contact” for national advertisers, NNN develops innovative, scalable advertiser solutions using print, digital, mobile, tablet, Hispanic and other niche media. NNN is committed to strengthening brands, improving efficiencies, and increasing advertiser ROI. With 15-plus years of experience, NNN maximizes the local market connection, on a national scale, at no cost to advertisers.
About the Martin Agency
The Martin Agency offers unified advertising, strategic planning, media, direct response, interactive, data analytics, design, branded content and local lead generation. Clients include BFGoodrich, Discover Financial Services, Expedia, GEICO, Hanes, Manpower, Morgan Stanley, Norwegian Cruise Line, PING, Pizza Hut, Sun Life Financial, TYLENOL, the American Cancer Society, USTA, Walmart and ESPN3.com.
Source: NAA.