Online News Hits are Better Than The Print Versions

In case you missed it yesterday, a top 75 U.S. newspaper offered its ENTIRE newsroom voluntary buyouts – all 320 reporters, editors, copy editors, etc. According to the paper, one of the major reasons it’s in a slump is because advertisers are pulling dollars from print newspapers and opting for online sites, including online news sites.

Is this more evidence that news outlets’ Online versions have become more important than their print counterparts?

When I started in this business, clients LOVED print news stories on their brands. Many seemed to prefer them over great TV news hits. I suspected it had something to do with being able to physically pick up a newspaper or magazine, proudly wave it around for the entire marketing department to see and then leave it along with a Post-It note in the CEO’s inbox.

Since those days, the shift in emphasis to Online newsrooms by media outlets has surged, but many clients still seem to see it as second-rate to the print version. It’s not. In fact, I think that in most cases it’s a better hit for the client. Here’s why:

• Advertisers go where the crowds are. The reason many are shifting more dollars in to online advertising is because many news outlets’ Web sites now have more unique visitors than they have in circulation for their respective print versions. That means more people potentially see the great feature article on your brand.

• It’s easier for readers to share online news stories about your brand with their colleagues, family and friends. Think about the time it takes to make copies of a print article and walk it to everyone in your department or to scan it in seven times to get the contrast right so you can email it. Now think about how easy it is to copy and paste a URL into an email or Digg a story.

• The online versions don’t have the same space issues as their print counterparts. That means there’s a better chance of the article on your brand NOT being left on the editing room floor due to space constraints.

• News organizations are focusing a lot of their attention on building and growing their online versions. They need to fill it with great editorial content to attract readers so they can attract advertisers. That’s how they make money. Since they’re looking for great content – and lots of it – it provides more opportunities for your brand’s stories to be told.

What reasons would you add? Why should we be just as happy – if not more happy – with an online hit as we are with print versions?

*Image by Alosh Bennett.

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McDonald’s Serves Up Paid Product Placement on Local TV News

I have to admit that I was shocked – shocked, I say – when I read this story in the Las Vegas Sun today. McDonald’s has signed a paid product placement deal with several local TV news stations whereby viewers will see its iced coffee drinks in branded cups during their morning news programs.

(speechless)

I know that more news media companies are being treated more like revenue streams than information resources every day. I know that. And I fully expect newsrooms across all mediums to evolve. But I didn’t expect paid product placements to be served up alongside the story of the hit-and-run on the corner of Cherry Street and 1st Street last night.

As more consumers take control over their ability to view – or skip – commercials using digital recorders, marketers are looking for ways to get their brands noticed in other ways. In that search, the lines between advertising and editorial are becoming more blurred.

I’ve seen it done in ways that were clever, but my first reaction to these fake iced coffees sitting conspicuously on the anchors’ desks is that it’s weird. And I’m surprised that the journalism industry, which sometimes accuses PR pros of trying to turn news stories into commercials, would agree to turn their own cherished news desks into billboards for hire.

What is your reaction? Is this smart product placement? Should TV news go the way of American Idol and place branded cups in front of all their anchors? Or does that weird you out, too?

A nod to my friend Stephanie Skordas for tipping me off to the story.

*Image from the Las Vegas Sun’s online version of the article.

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