Newspaper advertising is down industry-wide, and publishers have been trying all sorts of new ideas to bolster revenue streams. One idea that seems to be a hit is opt-in advertising, in which consumers opt to receive advertising supplements of interest to their specific needs.
“Opt-in advertising, in case you are unfamiliar with the concept, is a form advertising in which the recipient of the ad has specifically requested to receive the ad,” explains John Hargrave in Recruitment ADVisor. “It’s commonplace in email marketing campaigns, but it has its place in print ads as well.”
From the Austin American-Statesmen to the Fresno Bee to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, advertising departments are claiming successful results for their advertisers, and strong support from consumers.
“Advertiser response has been overwhelming,” says Tom Cullinan of the Fresno Bee and their “Yes! Your Essential Shopper” product. “The Yes! product has become a pretty beefy product every single Sunday. Advertisers are increasingly focused on reaching the right audience. Yes! and the paid Sunday newspaper provide just that.”
Cullinan notes that readers are asking for the product; advertisers understand the true value and potential of this kind of engaged consumer.
“When you see the size of the product grow, you know it’s working well for the advertiser,” Cullinan continues.
The Star-Tribune in Minneapolis reports similar success.
“It started in 2010 with 20,000 subscribers. Now, it has more than 60, 000,” writes Hargrave. “The program also offers two products: a Thursday edition and a Sunday edition,” Hargrave notes. He explains that the key to their success is, apparently, system-wide support of the idea across all departments.
And in Austin, their Shopping Today product has seen the volume of reprints double since last year.
“I think that is testimony to the product itself,” states director of fulfillment Jana Dobson.
We see some great potential with this opt-in advertising concept. It’s a perfect marriage of big data, advanced printing technology and advertising sales that creates highly relevant advertising messages. We’ll watch this trend and let you know how it develops.
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