Checking The Vital Signs

This week brought an exciting opportunity for our team to present some of the positives in the newspaper industry to a healthcare client. Based on a recommendation from "Dr." Todd Moreland (below left, NJNN Business Development Manager) we decided to go in dressed in scrubs calling ourselves "The Surgical Marketing Team". Also included in the picture to the right of Todd are Dr. Joe Odas (Print Media Specialist), me, and Dr. Amy Lear (NJNN Director and our resident brain surgeon).

I can't begin to describe how fun it was to go into an advertising meeting dressed in character complete with witty doctor speak: "We recommend a treatment plan that includes the tried-and-true remedy of print newspaper advertising combined with the cutting edge technology of newspaper websites for a one-two punch that will ensure your marketing health."

This unique opportunity also gave me a chance to refresh myself on some of the vital signs of NJ newspapers. From a study conducted by Belden Associates of NJ adults, we know that 82% read a newspaper in an average week. The reach is even higher for select demos: Business Professionals (83%), College Grads (86%), Homeowners (86%), and Individuals with Annual Household Income Over $150K (89%). As election season rapidly approaches, we also know that newspapers are NJ's #1 media source for news about state issues, politics & elections, and local community affairs.

The test results are in...and the prognosis is good!

Newspaper Sites Gain Audience in Q2

According to a release from Nielsen Online on behalf of the NAA, 40% of Internet users or 66.4 million unique visitors accessed a newspaper website in Q2 2008. That represents a 12.2% jump over the same period a year ago. This news comes right on the heels of a press release from Yahoo that announced that the search engine has driven more than 100 million visits to its newspaper partners. More than 775 newspapers across the country have agreed to provide content to the search engine giant to populate its news feeds and other channels such as Yahoo Sports and Yahoo Finance.

A quick look at Scarborough data shows that this trend of increasing reach for newspaper websites is alive and well in New Jersey. The reach for newspaper websites in NJ has more than doubled since Scarborough added newspaper websites to its survey in early 2007. In NJ, newspaper websites beat broadcast and radio websites for statewide reach. Plus, a total of seven newspaper sites reach more than 100,000 unique visitors per month in the Garden State. With this news it's becoming clear that one of the best ways to reach New Jerseyans is an effective combo of newspaper brands' print and online media.