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Virginia Sadler is an on-site display specialist at Clickbooth, as well as an expert member of the Media Buying Division. Virginia is well-versed in online placement and search marketing.

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Advertising GOLDMINE: Online News Sites?

Written on
Sep 4, 2008 
Author
Virginia Sadler  |
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Advertising GOLDMINE: Online News Sites?

goldrush1.jpgADOTAS — So try to picture this – you are creating an ad campaign for a new product or service and you want to reach a mass audience. Before the groundbreaking onset of cable television and the fast-paced, exciting new world of the Internet this would have been a much easier task. There was a time when anyone who wanted to reach a mass audience just needed to buy ad space on the big three television networks and they could reach potential customers across the demographic spectrum. Today though, with hundreds of cable television channels and the vast opportunities of the Internet, it is difficult for an advertiser to know what will give them the best bang for their buck when trying to reach millions of potential customers. But today, I believe that online news sources have become the new, best way to tap into the massive melting pot of American consumers.

Online news Web sites have seen tremendous growth in recent years. A recent Harris poll estimated that 80% of Americans read news online. Those Americans that do read news online say that on average they read online news about seven times per week for at least 30 minutes. The most commonly visited sites for online news according to the poll were Internet service provider home pages, newspaper Web sites, online news provider’s sites and the Web sites for television networks.

One of the most obvious reasons for this growth is the lagging numbers of consumers subscribing to daily newspapers. According to the same Harris poll, 47% of Americans who read news online say that it has decreased the time they spend reading newspapers. It is widely believed that the availability of accurate, up-to-the minute news online has diminished the need for a daily news paper for many American families. This is particularly true of Baby Boomers who are just beginning to venture into the digital market. Studies have shown that as older Americans begin using the Internet, they are most likely to do two things: email and read online news. This offers a huge opportunity for marketers to reach a group of Americans who currently have the largest disposable income. This particular group is most likely to read online news on Web sites that are linked to prominent names in print or television news, such as The New York Times or CNN.

Generation X can also be readily reached by marketers through online news sources. While much of this generation may not have grown up with computers they have become an integral part of their daily lives. Generation X can be the Holy Grail for online marketers because this group is most likely to do a large percentage of their shopping online. Generation X is also highly regarded as a work addicted, over-scheduled generation, so they appreciate the speed and convenience of online shopping. Generation X is likely to get their news from more traditional news sources, such as those used by their predecessors the Baby Boomers, and from newer sources like blogs and Internet radio.

And then comes Generation Y, the most technologically savvy and highly connected generation yet. Generation Y grew up with computers and most importantly Internet, and therefore doesn’t have some of the wariness and mistrust of online resources that previous generations have held. While a decade ago marketers might have felt that reaching Generation Y through online news sources was impossible, this is no longer true. With the popularity of satirical news shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report along with the so called “Obama effect,” the youth of America have been drawn into both the political and news arenas. Generation Y has become interested in the events of the world outside themselves, and are most likely to go to the Internet to get informed. While Generation Y looks for news in a wide variety of places (Wikipedia, Google desktop, blogs, etc.), they are also likely to frequent the more traditional news resources.

The beauty of the growth of online news sources for markets is two-fold: it provides an opportunity to reach a massive and diverse audience, and an opportunity to continue to reach them everyday. Online news sites have the elusive quality of continued, repeated visitors. Because the average American who gets their news online goes to these sites about seven times per week, it offers advertisers repeated exposure for their product or service. So next time you are looking for a simple way to maximize exposure for a new product or service, look no further than your favorite online news source.





Reader Comments.

Great article about online news sites. I waited 9 years to see it happen again :)

Posted by Michael McCurdy | 1:33 pm on September 4, 2008.

Wow, thanks for putting out these stats and writing about online News. I couldn’t agree with you more about the online news opportunity.

However, I would posit my theory for your audience: Banners aren’t really the most appropriate fit for the news environment in many cases. And, frankly, neither are teeny little text ads that are pitching products.

When people are in news-gathering mode, give them news!

It’s the whole reason we built the Newsforce Network. We think that PR is actually a more appropriate set of “marketing” content in the online news channel.

Every major brander out there has a PR campaign, but efforts are largely focused on “earned media” services, trying to get editorial coverage from writers and editors of top news channels. All well and good, and awesome when you get the brass ring, but shouldn’t PR people be given the same opportunities for growth in the online space as the advertising industry is?

We’re pretty proud of building the first PR Network. This is the first time that PR professionals have been given the chance to control their press release messages directly to the people, through a fully transparent placement in premium online news.

And guess what? Readers like it…(gasp!) Who’da thunk it?

Now mind you, crappy PR is just as bad as crappy advertising, but in general our tests are showing eye gaze/engagement rates significantly above ad placements on a page, and nearly as much as true editorial.

So there. I think we’re on to something…

Would love to hear what other people are doing to push the envelope for awareness in the News space and in monetizing News publications. We need to save our great news media, which for all its warts and criticisms, is considered one of the finest group of journalists in the world.

Best regards,
Dana Todd, CMO
Newsforce, Inc.

Posted by Dana Todd | 5:19 pm on September 4, 2008.

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