Lorna Tilbian, the City media analyst who loves newsprint, argues that advertisers must learn to fall in love with newspapers all over again.
In an article for the News Media Association (NMA), the newspapers’ trade body, she calls on advertisers to give “some serious thought” to buying space in papers rather than concentrating online.
She writes: “A recent study found that, on average, advertising in newspapers as part of a campaign increases overall revenue return on investment by a factor of three.
“When combined with other media, newspapers act as an ad effectiveness multiplier making, for example, TV twice as effective and online display four times more effective.”
Tilbian, head of media at Numis Securities, cited the circulation increases enjoyed by newspapers during the EU referendum as an example of their continued importance to the public.
The sales uplifts, she believes, are “a timely reminder of the value of newspapers and the importance of trusted news journalism.”
They are “significant because they illustrate that when fast moving and complex events such as the referendum happen, people rely upon newspapers to interpret what is happening... The referendum circulation bounce unequivocally demonstrated that print newspapers remain an important source of information.”
Tilbian urges advertisers to take heed of this reality. She writes: “Newspaper readers are highly engaged with the content and, for advertisers, this engagement translates into hard revenue return on investment.”
She thinks that “in terms of the most effective media mix, the pendulum has swung too far away from print and businesses are communicating less effectively with their customers as a result.”
And she concludes: “Advertisers need to remember the importance of newspapers, and the benefits for their businesses of using them, and learn to fall in love with them once more.”
As I pointed out in May last year, when Tilbian wrote a piece for the NMA extolling the virtues of newspapers, she has a long and distinguished record in the City’s media sector.
Her argument begs a question: if newspaper advertising works, as she says, then why are media buyers turning their backs on newsprint? Are they mad or bad or stupid? Or do they know something Tilbian and the rest of us - including publishers, editors and journalists - don’t know? If so, it’s time to share the secret.
