As more and more publications whose business module is driven by print advertising hit the skids–I can’t help but think–who still advertises in print?
But that’s old news.
The last proverbial nail-in-the-coffin has to be print mediums last ditch attempt to enter the web-space: static banner ads, $25/CPM, repurposed rate cards and New Media Sales Reps.
Publishers should have learned the lesson the first time. Repurposed print adverting for the web works about as well as repurposed copy does. Intrusive online advertising simply does not engage nor interact with the user. It provides zero stickyness and is boring. As my professor used to say, “users are in ‘hunt mode’, they are hunting for what they want and are not reading your advertising dribble”.
And if no one wants to share, link-to or blog about your company you will get as far as good intentions can, and quite frankley you are missing out on the main strength of the internet–viral and permission based communications.
I will personaly atest that I have found this type of advertising extrememly difficult to acheive positive ROI.
So what’s a publisher to do? Provide a service that solves your customer’s biggest problem. By providing this service you can create a relationship with them before you sell them your product: permission marketing. Or as Seth Godin would say, allow your customers to date you before you ask them to have sex– I mean get married ; )
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change – Charles Darwin
