7 Benefits and Advantages of Newspaper Advertising

With the steady growth of digital mediums, the advertising game for brands has become even more competitive. However, even in this digital era major brands like Apple and Samsung have still been advertising in newspapers so steadily. 

You’d expect traditional media to have diminished, in prominence at least, in today’s digital advertising-dominated marketing landscape. Though the print media faced a decline during the pandemic but it was quick enough to recover, it seems to have only been thriving.

Statista shows a revenue of a whopping 220.5 billion INR for 2022, with 144,520 registered newspapers, making India the largest global market for the newspaper industry. Which is why newspaper advertising still makes into the top choice for advertisers and brands. 

In this article we have tried to put observable causes of the sustained efficacy of newspaper ads in perspective for you, hoping to help you make better advertising decisions.

But first, it must be clarified that the evolution of the internet has helped in the development of traditional media as much as it has helped in the creation of digital media.

And, of course, this impetus from the internet, as you shall see shortly, is not enough to explain the way the newspaper has held its position as a premium media channel. 

We are writing this putting aside all the help traditional media has got in the form of radio station’s social media channels and the e-newspaper versions of the newspapers and so, and are confining this to the intrinsic qualities of newspapers responsible for their retained popularity among advertisers.

What is Newspaper Advertising? 

Let’s briefly address what is newspaper advertising and how is it different from other kinds of advertising? Simply put, using the space in a newspaper to advertise your business is newspaper advertising. But, of course, placing your advertisement in a newspaper is not that simple. Advertising rates keep fluctuating and available spots close down all the time. 

For advertisers, the most important difference between newspapers and other channels of advertising is that newspaper ads are kinda hard to get at the right rates without help. But the immense benefits of newspaper advertising make it well worth it.

Main Advantages of Newspaper Advertising

1) Wide Economic Reach

Due to their high affordability, literate people from all sorts of financial backgrounds have equal access to newspapers and so,  they can give you a reach into diverse economic sections of society. 

2) Wide Geographical Reach

A significant area of the country is still under rural cover. There are places where electricity and running water are still a dream for the people. The television and the internet cannot reach there, but the post can. 

And almost everywhere posts can reach, newspapers can too. All it really takes to circulate newspapers is a man on a bicycle and so, newspapers can reach our remotest villages.

3) Impressions

The daily circulation of newspapers means that your message is displayed every day and consistency is a big factor in getting a good ad recall. The average newspaper reader is a daily reader and you can reasonably hope to have a lasting impact on an audience who sees your message every day for a month or so.

4) Flexibility

Newspapers have very flexible advertising options. You can have display ads of varying dimensions in different sections of the newspaper. The most effective of them all, of course, is the font page. The pricing options you get with newspapers are also really flexible and negotiable.

5) Economical

Newspaper advertising is less costly than most other, equally potent forms of advertising. Even costlier ad options like display ads are available in varied dimensions. Except for premium advertising options like full front-page ads, newspaper ads are generally very wallet-friendly for advertisers. 

6) Perceived Importance

People tend to take newspaper advertisements more seriously than other ads. Because they appear on the same platform as government announcements and other important information, newspaper ads are also taken to be important. 

7) Credibility

Newspapers are really well-established media in India  and they still enjoy an image of authority and authenticity in the eyes of the vast majority of the population. They are the quintessential print media and are one of the most respected media in India. Their authoritative and authentic image invariably rubs off on the advertisements in newspapers.  

If it’s in the papers, it must be true is a very widespread subconscious sentiment. The advantages of newspaper advertising would instantly plummet if you took away the credibility of newspapers. 

Ads in newspapers, by default, get more persuasion power because of the credibility of the medium. The message in a newspaper ad is more believable simply because it appears on the same platform as government announcements and other important information. This is one of the most intrinsic advantages of newspapers.

In addition to these, there are a number of other implicit advantages of newspaper advertising that are responsible for its sustained relevance and importance even in the digitized world of today. 

Main Benefits of Newspaper Advertising

Types of Newspaper Ads

Text Classified Ads: These are text-based ads found in the classified section of the newspaper. They are commonly referred to as want ads. They have no graphics and are the most economical kind of ads. They are mostly used for lost and found, matrimonial, for sale, wanted services, and other information-based ads that don’t require appealing images.

In India classified ads are widely used for matrimonial and recruitment advertisements. A lot of them are only one column wide and are affordable for most budgets.

Display Classified Ads: these also appear in the classified section of a newspaper l but they may include images as well. These classified ads are costlier than text display ads but are still pretty economical. They are most commonly used by SMEs to promote their products and services. 

Display Ads: They are the most advanced newspaper advertising option. These ads employ heavy use of colour and images. These ads don’t have a section reserved for them and can be found anywhere throughout the newspaper. 

In contrast to  classifieds, they are expressly demarcated and have usually got a thick boundary framing the ad. Display ads are almost exclusively used for commercial ads and with varying sizes and shapes, are a powerful tool not only for spreading awareness but also for generating leads. 

Display ads can be really attractive and effective for evoking audience interest. A display ad newspaper campaign every once in a while is perhaps the most effective way of staying in the competition. Display ads in a local newspaper, in particular, are a great way for SMEs to retain customers and gain new ones.

Benefits of Local Newspaper Advertising

The most obvious benefits of local newspaper advertising have to do with the fact that local newspapers help you target a very specific demographic. Other benefits of local newspaper advertising include:

• There are a number of regional languages in the country and English and Hindi newspapers and a large section of the reading population cannot read Hindi or English so well. Local newspapers enable you to reach these prospects, thereby giving you a deeper reach.
• Local newspapers enable you to tap into the sentiments of the prospects better. Many people in the country have a soft corner for their regional language and local-level ventures, including newspapers. The benefits of local newspaper advertising become most pronounced when it comes to prospects like that.

• Your message has a better chance of being persuasive in local newspapers because of the element of credibility they offer. Newspapers are a highly credible channel of advertising as it is, and this credibility increases twofold with local newspapers.
• In India, there is an unmistakable culture of valuing local, regional stuff that is special to a certain place. This also plays out in local newspapers as people tend to regard and trust them more. And so, for obvious reasons, local brands get the most of the benefits of local newspaper advertising.
• By advertising in local newspapers, businesses contribute to the sustainability of local journalism, which plays a crucial role in keeping communities informed and connected.

The benefits of local newspaper advertising with display ads can be immense if your target audience speaks a select language and is concentrated in a certain geographical area.

Display Ads and Why Newspaper Advertising Works So Well?

If you pay close attention to the ads in newspapers, you’ll find them to be highly informative in intent. They all seem to be either saying…Check out all this new information about us (eg. mobile phone ads detailing features)  or informing/reminding you that the advertisers  exist right alongside their parallel and higher competitors too. 

If you include noncommercial ads like obituaries and matrimonials, the vast majority of ads in the newspaper are more inclined to spreading awareness rather than skillfully moving you to action. 

In contrast to, say a TVC, the ad space in a newspaper ad is used predominantly to provide information rather than persuade you to take action.

Display ads are ideal for the purposes of brand awareness. 

A single glance at the bold bright letters of a display ad is enough to make a decent impression, which is enough to make your presence known. No other advertising channel has a daily, almost dutiful, regulation like newspapers and, there is no better way to stay on their minds than newspaper advertising.

And so, as long as the idea of brand awareness doesn’t get redundant, newspaper advertising will stay relevant.

With newspaper advertising, you also get to benefit from the human phenomenon of subconscious association. Here’s how. 

The ads you see on the internet are categorized with entertainment in your mind while those in newspapers appear alongside news and other important information. Considering this, the brands on which media do you think would make a better image in the eyes of the audience? The ads for which brand would feel more credible? Exactly. 

And how about if newspapers offered the option of full front page ads – something that finds no parallel in all the advanced digital media out there? To be on the face of a public document relied upon and trusted by lakhs of people! 

Want to make a solid image, make them hold a physical copy of an ad like that in their hands. Something they can cut out and put away, like the classic David Ogilvy  Rolls – Roys ad.  

After all, what better way to build a long-term relationship of positive associations with your clients/customers than to appear every day in their daily newspaper with that smell of newspaper ink mixing with the aroma of their morning tea and the crackle of the crispy pages fresh out of the press? 

Is Newspaper Advertising Still Effective?

Newspaper advertising can still be effective, but its effectiveness can depend on various factors, such as the target audience, the type of product or service being advertised, and the budget for advertising. Here are some pointers to consider:

1. Target audience

The effectiveness of newspaper advertising depends on whether the target audience reads newspapers. If the target audience is well-educated individuals who prefer print media, newspaper advertising could be effective.

2. Product or service

Some products or services are better suited for newspaper advertising than others. For example, local businesses like restaurants or retail stores can benefit from newspaper advertising to attract customers to the area. However, for larger national brands with a broader target audience, there may be more effective forms of advertising than newspaper advertising.

3. Cost-effectiveness

Newspaper advertising can be expensive, especially for full-page ads or ads in popular sections. It’s important to consider whether the cost of advertising in the newspaper will provide a good return on investment for your business.

4. Visual appeal

Unlike digital advertising, newspaper ads cannot include videos or interactive elements. Therefore, creating visually appealing ads with eye-catching headlines and images is important to capture readers’ attention.

5. Brand awareness

Consistent advertising in the same section of the newspaper can build brand recognition and improve the effectiveness of the ads over time.

While newspaper advertising may not be as popular as once was, it can still be effective for specific businesses and target audiences. Considering the above pointers is important when deciding whether newspaper advertising is suitable for your business.

Newspaper Advertising Rates

We can fathom no good reason for anyone to miss out on newspaper advertising other than the unavailability of ad space at the right  rates. Well, guess what, we are a media buying agency, specializing in getting best rates from media vendors.

On this page you will find our special discounted rates displayed with the rack rates for your reference. We suggest you check out the rates of our peers for perspective. 

You can be assured that your ad campaign is in reliable hands and focus better on other aspects of your business. We know it is stressful enough to run a business  without having to worry about the volatile trends in marketing.

Getting the right rates has been our forte for over a decade. We offer generously discounted rates for advertising in top regional and national newspapers with a wide variety of ad options. This webpage is always updated with the latest advertising rates for your planning- convenience.  

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