The newspaper is facing unprecedented change: declining readership of the print product, the challenges of the web; and competition. It made us ponder what the newspaper of the near future, say just five years from now, will need to look like in order to thrive. We posed that question to a handful of executives of the country’s largest daily newspapers, as well as two media buying firms: ZenithOptimedia in Toronto and, to offer a bit of a U.S. perspective, the New York office of Carat. But no such conversation is complete without the input of advertisers, and so we also have contributions from two marketing executives at companies that regularly purchase newspaper advertising. Their answers paint a picture of a medium very much in flux and show that in the future newspapers will become more diversified as brands, crossing multiple mediums to reach their readers.
Sandy MacLeod
VP, Operations
These are certainly challenging times for the newspaper industry. Studies show that readership of the traditional paid daily has been declining for over a decade; The Economist recently featured a cover story titled, “Who killed the newspaper?” In contrast to these predictions, I believe that the future of the newspaper industry is bright but that we must think differently about our business.
A quick look at major metropolitan markets in Canada and the U.S. shows the audience for newspaper content is growing, not shrinking. The growth of free daily distribution newspapers, and the rise of the Internet as a medium for news consumption has led to an overall increase in the number of readers of news content. The combined reach of the Toronto Star, thestar.com and Metro (which includes content generated by the Star) certainly tells a different story about the reach of the Star‘s content than if you look at the results for the main print edition alone.
Newspapers must evolve with the times and find new ways to reach out to readers and advertisers-with products that meet their changing needs. Our recent addition of Star P.M., North America’s first downloadable afternoon newspaper, is one of the ways we’re responding to fierce competition for readers’ time. The future will see newspapers deliver a broad portfolio of products designed to meet the needs of readers at the time, in the format and at the price point they prefer.
Mary Pompili
VP, marketing
Holt Renfrew, Toronto
My first response to define what the perfect newspaper will look like in five years is: “More fashion pages!” However, my considered response is that the perfect newspaper will allow me to connect with our customers with the same degree of targeted accuracy we strive for in our other channels.
As it stands, that seems an impossible task. When looking at our media mix we use newspaper to herald company events and sales, and focus on top Canadian fashion magazines for our brand advertising. Because we are so targeted in our customer communication, I would appreciate a similar commitment to targeted distribution in newspaper advertising and look forward to a time when the technology used in the distribution of print is better aligned to the needs of our potential and current Holt Renfrew customers.
Our marketing strategy includes insight-driven communications that connect with our customers. These are smart, savvy people who can shop anywhere. We want to know who they are so we can best meet their needs, and ensure they are getting the right information at the right time. The newspaper of the future could reasonably apply the same methodology, not just in terms of regions but by other demographics, cutting down dramatically on wastage and freeing up valued media dollars to allow additional outreach opportunities.
Audrea Fulton
VP print director
Carat Press, New York City
Contrary to what some believe, newspapers will continue to exist. Five years from now, however, the newspaper will be very different. The newspaper of tomorrow will exist both online and offline, and both versions will complement each other more completely than they do today.
I envision that the paper version will be even more condensed than we currently see it, with fewer sections. Classifieds, automotive, real estate and weather, as we know them today, will no longer exist in the paper versions. These sections will be available only through the digital version as consumers adjust their busy lives and look for quick reads.
The newspaper in five years will return to more basic roots and consist of four main sections: the main news, business, sports and lifestyle. Most importantly, editorial will continue to evolve, as late-breaking news will move online, while more investigative reporting and editorial perspective will remain the base of the print product.
Sunni Boot
president
ZenithOptimedia, Toronto
Will the perfect newspaper in 2011 even look like today’s definition of a newspaper? Even with the changing media landscape and the demand by consumers to get their news when, where and how they want it, we believe people still want to get their fingers dirty.
That being said, the “traditional” newspaper will migrate to the many manifestations consumers require, specifically: the daily, the commuter (paper), online and mobile. By 2011, newspaper publishers will not look at these formats as cannibalizing their print brand but as an extension of that brand. They will recognize news readers consume the product differently on Tuesday than they do on Saturday, and that their information needs will differ depending on circumstance. Nevertheless, like today’s newspaper, they will be the “in-depth” authoritative medium that best provides day-after analysis and commentary by recognized columnists-who can almost have a “celebrity status” to their names-as well as the on-demand electronic authority for headlines, sound bites, sports scores and entertainment updates on platforms such as cellphones and online.
Weekend newspapers will, and should, become increasingly magazine-like, with well-authored and well-read sections on home, travel, automotive and fashion. Yet newspapers of the future will compete on a greater global level: The Internet already brings us the New York Times, the Guardian and other global publications. Newspapers will make a choice: Invest in their reporters, columnists and photographers to compete on a global basis, or grab news from newswires and play on a local and commuter level.
Roger Dunbar,
VP marketing & ad sales
The Globe and Mail, Toronto
The problem with the notion of “the perfect newspaper” is that it suggests a static, fixed state. But the best newspapers have always navigated changes in the marketplace and technology. Ensuring relevance means intimately understanding reader segments. You can’t be all things to all people. Newspapers with defined, focused reader targets are able to clearly deliver meaningful content and better serve advertisers whose marketing strategies are increasingly laser-guided. Relevance means designing your news product to allow readers to follow their interests through your content. For example, print an authoritative profile of a political candidate, and offer deep background and opportunity for readers to comment and discuss online. In our case, we can put stock data into globeinvestor.com and use the paper for smart investment analysis.
Being relevant means using new technologies to deliver content where readers want it-including on computers, PDAs and cellphones. Does this mean the end of the paper newspaper? I’m sorry to disappoint, but no. There is still a large segment of people who want to read the newspaper in print form. But many of the same people who eagerly reach for The Globe and Mail every morning also keep their browsers open to globeandmail.com, maintain a stock list on globeinvestorGold and read ROB magazine on their train ride home.
Meanwhile, the newspaper itself must constantly adjust in style and structure to maximize reader and advertiser satisfaction, including more visuals, better use of colour and new content on themes of increasing importance to readers, like personal health. Overarching this effort is the need for trust. As information becomes a commodity, trusted news brands become more valuable.
Philippe Cantin
VP, news and deputy publisher
La Presse, Montreal
Newspapers will continue to thrive as vehicles of information, opinion and lifestyle. How will they do this? Primarily by drawing on all their creativity and boldness. They will serve as a dependable, credible and efficient tool for readers to better understand the world, from mundane matters to the complexities of foreign affairs. The ideal newspaper-a visually better organized, more comfortable, friendlier and more entertaining environment-will have no fear of experimenting, laboratory-style, or even reinventing itself in line with the perceived interests of those readers.
Readership will be boosted by relevance, dependability and credibility, and these will be established by global information supplied first-hand by quality journalists on location wherever history is being made. There will be continuous cross-referrals between the newspaper and websites (both its own and that of others), enhanced by complementary information supplied by means of whatever multimedia platforms exist.
The ideal newspaper will continue to be an interactive forum where important opinion is expressed. There will be greater depth in coverage, whatever that happens to be, by means of special sections and series, so that as other media move towards individual areas of specialization, newspapers will grow increasingly multi-specialist and attractive to a consistently broad and active readership. A sequence is at work here, as we’ve discovered at our own newspaper: High reader expectation leads to high newspaper performance, and high performance further bolsters reader credibility and interest. And in our case there has been an increase in circulation at the same time the newspaper industry has suffered, not just in North America but globally.
Steven Majewski
Jaguar brand manager
Jaguar Land Rover Canada, Brampton, Ont.
Let’s start with the perspective of the reader versus that of the advertiser. From the reader point of view, the future newspaper probably does not include the printed page. Rather, the hand-held or wearable device will receive real-time news that will be tailored specifically to the individual’s interests, be it automotive, arts and culture or international events.
From the advertiser’s perspective, the newspaper will no longer be a product with regional or even national distribution. Distribution will be purely digital and find the reader whenever and wherever he/she may be. Newspaper syndicates will compete for advertising dollars and generate revenues primarily because of their affiliation with a larger network of real-time media providers, akin to Time Warner, AOL, Google, etc. Advertisers will have many more ways to reach their audience but, predictably, there will be increasingly more competition for the time and attention of that audience.
Effective distribution of ads, automotive or otherwise, will happen only when and where the reader chooses to receive them, a trend we can see happening already with user profiles affecting the home page of people’s online newspaper. However, there may be demand for “unpredictable” advertising formats for entertainment purposes. When I say “unpredictable” I refer to the newspapers of today whereby you don’t know what is coming at you until you turn the page. An example of this in a digital paper: You are standing in the mall admiring a display of merchandise. Your wearable device becomes “warm” with relevant content, and as you walk around the display you learn of incentives and promotions that allow you to purchase that particular item. No more static advertisements.
Newspapers will not necessarily be a destination. They won’t reflect the community, they will be the community. The same newspaper delivery mechanism that provides the movie listings will also provide and distribute the movie and take your payment electronically before broadcasting it onto any surface you choose. Needless to say, in my view, newspapers will be entirely interactive yet just as much a part of the societal fabric as they are today, perhaps with less ink transfer.
Dennis Skulsky,
president
CanWest MediaWorks Publications, Vancouver
If the start of the millennium will be remembered as the era of media convergence, the approaching years will emerge as the age of integration and localization of newspapers. The traditional print newspaper is not on the verge of extinction, contrary to some speculation. Its role as a staple of daily life, bringing not only news and information, but also the depth and breadth of solid analysis and quality journalism, will continue.
But technology will advance the evolution of its delivery options, giving readers access wherever they go. This integration of print and digital is the future. Ongoing success in this industry will be marked by the ability of news organizations to embrace these technological opportunities and approach the development of new media with an open mind.
The core value of newspapers- investigative reporting, analysis from the local perspective and deep contextual roots in the community-will continue to be in demand. The difference will be in the delivery of this content across multiple platforms, much of it being interactive and updated in real time. The key to survival in this business has always been to focus on readers’ needs. The challenge now is to change along with our readership.
In essence, newspapers must deliver interactive, localized content for both news and advertising. News organizations will have to be more agile and custom-package content to suit individual readers. For example, print versions will direct readers to their computers or mobile devices for more content that instantly brings them deeper into their identified areas of interest. The integrated and localized approach will also let advertisers get to the next level of audience targeting. We already see advertisements as streaming video over mobile devices, along with news updates.
The future is not simply about keeping up with technology. Newspapers are well positioned to accomplish this, but must continue to build on their time-honoured assets: news, information, insight, a forum for public debate, and a sense of place and history. By integrating with technology options and localizing content, newspapers will thrive.
