Now here’s a fillip for the publishers of local and regional newspaper websites (and a simultaneous blow to national paper publishers).
According to research by comScore on behalf of 1XL, ads on regional sites are viewed as significantly more trustworthy, more relevant and more likely to prompt a purchase than those on the sites of national titles.
Based on a survey sample of 3,300 people, the study found that 49% of local media site users thought ads “a useful prompt about new products and services”, which was some 20% higher than those who said the same about ads on national sites
And advertisers appearing on local sites were considered 17% more relevant and 19% more trustworthy when compared to the national sites.
In addition, local media sites were considered to be more effective because 31% more people were likely to visit a store and 27% more people likely to buy a product in response to their ads compared to those featured on national sites.
But hang on, you may say, isn’t 1XL a digital trading platform created by three regional publishers: Johnston Press, Local World and Newsquest/Gannett? It sure is.
And does it not also “bring together 30 of the country’s longest established news publishers to enable advertisers to harness the aggregated strength and media across the entire country”? It sure does.
So what credence should we give research that appears to laud the regional publishers’ online advertising platforms? Well, the study was carried out independently by comScore.
And comScore’s director of data services, Toby Crisp, stands behind the findings. “Our research makes clear the fact that those brands which predominately focus on national advertising could be missing a trick,” he said.
“In a misguided attempt to maximise the number of people viewing their ads, it’s likely they are missing out on more trusted, more relevant and more effective advertising.”
Even so, I think we need to view the joy at the survey’s result by 1XL’s managing director, Scott Gill, in the light of his outfit’s publishing funders.
He said: “Intuitively it makes sense that advertising in a regional title, specifically focused on someone’s local area, would be perceived as more relevant for a typical reader than a national title.
“However, this study shows that consumers’ response to local media advertising goes far beyond this – with local ads considered significantly more trustworthy and more likely to generate a purchase than national newspaper equivalents.”
Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he?
