Comments on: Injecting new life into newspapers http://thedigitalnirvana.com/2009/06/injecting-new-life-into-newspapers/ Transpromo, Short-Run Book Publishing, Inkjet and other Printing Industry Issues Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:01:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Noel Ward http://thedigitalnirvana.com/2009/06/injecting-new-life-into-newspapers/comment-page-1/#comment-1889 Noel Ward Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:19:58 +0000 http://thedigitalnirvana.com/?p=602#comment-1889 Michael J makes a great point. Since newspapers' revenue model is driven by advertising, QR codes and even something simpler such as ad-specific landing pages on the web could help track and measure effectiveness of an ad, showing the value (or not) of a particular paper. This could work especially well at the local level --- where many papers are actually doing OK--- or as MJ puts it, the hyperlocal level, especially in papers with narrower circulations. This can work both in cities, like NYC where MJ lives and even out here in the hinterlands where I am. The weekly locals are often "heavily read" papers. Making this work, though, requires advertisers and publishers to integrate QR codes into their advertising and marketing programs, then using them to help make newspaper advertising more effective, trackable and profitable. And that takes a change in thinking... not always easy to accomplish. It's curious. Do QR codes mean that printing is not just putting ink on pages, but what you can do with the ink? Michael J makes a great point.
Since newspapers’ revenue model is driven by advertising, QR codes and even something simpler such as ad-specific landing pages on the web could help track and measure effectiveness of an ad, showing the value (or not) of a particular paper. This could work especially well at the local level — where many papers are actually doing OK— or as MJ puts it, the hyperlocal level, especially in papers with narrower circulations. This can work both in cities, like NYC where MJ lives and even out here in the hinterlands where I am. The weekly locals are often “heavily read” papers.

Making this work, though, requires advertisers and publishers to integrate QR codes into their advertising and marketing programs, then using them to help make newspaper advertising more effective, trackable and profitable. And that takes a change in thinking… not always easy to accomplish.

It’s curious. Do QR codes mean that printing is not just putting ink on pages, but what you can do with the ink?

]]> By: MichaelJ http://thedigitalnirvana.com/2009/06/injecting-new-life-into-newspapers/comment-page-1/#comment-1854 MichaelJ Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:30:25 +0000 http://thedigitalnirvana.com/?p=602#comment-1854 Based on the buzz at the journalist sites in the blablabla -o-sphere, I think I'm seeing that the idea of hyperlocal newspapers with local advertisements is starting to get some traction. One thing that might blow it open is the adoption of QR code technology in newspaper ads. With information rich QR codes, it is possible to get even finer data than demographics. It's possible to get real time feedback on interest. When the click on the code, information that is embedded in the QR can be captured. That builds a new source of data for both the publisher and the advertiser. Knowing that someone took the time to click from Print to a video or web page is an indicator of interest. Real time indication of areas of interest should be very valuable information to guide further offerings. Depending on the analytics, it could actually be more useful information than is possible from a website. Based on the buzz at the journalist sites in the blablabla -o-sphere, I think I’m seeing that the idea of hyperlocal newspapers with local advertisements is starting to get some traction.

One thing that might blow it open is the adoption of QR code technology in newspaper ads. With information rich QR codes, it is possible to get even finer data than demographics. It’s possible to get real time feedback on interest. When the click on the code, information that is embedded in the QR can be captured. That builds a new source of data for both the publisher and the advertiser.

Knowing that someone took the time to click from Print to a video or web page is an indicator of interest. Real time indication of areas of interest should be very valuable information to guide further offerings. Depending on the analytics, it could actually be more useful information than is possible from a website.

]]>