Consumer Shows: Newspapers Going Mobile. Are You?

If newspapers are part of the media mix for your show, take note of recent comments from the global newspaper, The Financial Times.  They are just one more example of how fast media consumption habits are changing and why you need to start taking mobile seriously.

In an interview with Media Week (UK), FT.com managing director Rob Grimshaw said “My best guess is that mobile will be the lead channel for delivery within three to four years,” adding that this estimate “could turn out to be conservative” considering the speed at which mobile is moving.

According to Grimshaw, mobile already accounts for 25% of FT.com’s traffic and drives between 15-20% of all new subscriptions.  30% of their subscribers’ page views, and over 20% of all users’ (subscribers and non-subscribers) page views, are now coming from mobile devices.

With more and more people using mobile devices to access newspaper content, you need to integrate digital/mobile into your newspaper ad buys to stay relevant to the newspaper audiences you want to reach and attract to your show.

As you develop your newspaper digital/mobile strategy, recognize the following key points…

(1) Buying digital/mobile media is more complex, especially at first because you don’t have the legacy experience as you do with print, so you need to allow time to move through the learning curve.  The sooner you start, the better.

(2) You can’t simply repurpose your print creative; you need to develop creative that is suited for digital/mobile.

(3) While newspapers have traditionally been a single-channel ad buy, digital/mobile add the potential for cross-channel solutions that should be considered if you want to capitalize on the full potential offered by newspaper brands.

Posted on November 15, 2012