Captivating Connections.

newspaper coupons still rockin it.

"A new study of coupon redemption by MARC Research for the Newspaper National Network shows that coupons that appear within newspapers (run of press) are redeemed more often than freestanding inserts, the tabloid-format circulars that typically appear in weekend editions. They are also more effective at getting consumers to try new products, switch brands, or trade up to a more expensive product

The MARC-NNN survey found that consumers who redeem ROP coupons tend to be heavy coupon users overall, redeeming about twice as many coupons as consumers who redeem other kinds of coupons. They redeem an average 59.8 in the last six months, versus just 30.3 for consumers who redeem other types of coupons.

Seventy-four percent of ROP coupon redeemers used coupons to try a new product, versus 60% of consumers who redeemed other types of coupons. They also generate more brand-specific shopping behavior, with 34% of ROP redeemers specifying brand names on their shopping lists, as opposed to 22% for shoppers who redeem other types of coupons.

Some 59% of ROP coupon redeemers use the coupons to buy a more expensive product, versus 47% for other coupon users. Interestingly, younger adults (ages 25-34) are more likely to use coupons to try new products or switch brands than older consumers. Overall, 91% of adults in the 25-34 age group use newspaper coupons.

A new study of coupon redemption by MARC Research for the Newspaper National Network shows that coupons that appear within newspapers (run of press) are redeemed more often than freestanding inserts, the tabloid-format circulars that typically appear in weekend editions. They are also more effective at getting consumers to try new products, switch brands, or trade up to a more expensive product

The MARC-NNN survey found that consumers who redeem ROP coupons tend to be heavy coupon users overall, redeeming about twice as many coupons as consumers who redeem other kinds of coupons. They redeem an average 59.8 in the last six months, versus just 30.3 for consumers who redeem other types of coupons.

Seventy-four percent of ROP coupon redeemers used coupons to try a new product, versus 60% of consumers who redeemed other types of coupons. They also generate more brand-specific shopping behavior, with 34% of ROP redeemers specifying brand names on their shopping lists, as opposed to 22% for shoppers who redeem other types of coupons.

Some 59% of ROP coupon redeemers use the coupons to buy a more expensive product, versus 47% for other coupon users. Interestingly, younger adults (ages 25-34) are more likely to use coupons to try new products or switch brands than older consumers. Overall, 91% of adults in the 25-34 age group use newspaper coupons."

coupon crazy.

Maybe it's the time of year. Maybe it's just the recent slew of offers available. Or maybe coupons are just on a hot streak...

"The recession didn't help many industries, but it may prove the savior of print coupons. Even consumers in their 20s and 30s appear to be adopting the coupon-clipping habit, defying what once looked like long odds, declining newspaper circulation and the growth of digital media.

Newspaper inserts still prevail, but as a younger generation gets hooked on print coupons, they'll likely be ones that arrive in the mail or from their own printers. And that doesn't even factor in the harder-to-quantify growth of mobile coupons, which don't go through clearinghouses.

Last year, redemption of coupons that do go through clearinghouses surged 23% to 3.2 billion coupons (and up 30% to $3.5 billion in value) in the U.S., the first gain in 17 consecutive years, according to data from Valassis Communications, which also owns NCH, one of the largest coupon clearinghouses.

Maintaining growth against comparisons like that seemed unlikely going into 2010, particularly amid a recovery, however mild. Yet it's happening. Through the first nine months of 2010, coupon redemption is up another 5.3% to 2.5 billion vs. the year-ago period, with the value of coupons redeemed up 7.7% to $2.8 billion."

in the game of rock, paper, scissors, Internet beats newspaper every time.

"Americans feel they are better-informed than ever, and devote more attention to getting news, according to a new aurvey by Rasmussen Reports. But that's cold comfort for traditional media like print newspapers and radio, since it mostly reflects the rapid growth of Internet news, including a fair number of Web sites maintained by publishers and broadcasters.

Overall, 67% of Rasmussen's survey respondents said they considered themselves better-informed now than they were a decade ago, thanks largely to the easy availability of constantly updated news and information online. That compares with 8% who feel they are less informed than 10 years ago, and 22% who think there has been no change.

The researcher surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults about their news consumption habits via phone on September 15-16.

In terms of news sources, 44% said the Internet is the best news medium, compared to 36% for TV and just 11% for print newspapers. Radio trailed at a distant 9%. However, the Rasmussen respondents also expressed distrust of information they find online, with just 29% rating the Internet a 'reliable' source of news, compared to 40% for broadcast news and 21% for newspapers.

These apparent contradictions suggest that news consumers draw a distinction between availability and ease of access on the one hand, and credibility on the other. While these two qualities are not mutually exclusive, they aren't necessarily correlated either. Consumers may be wary of Internet reporting in particular, because of its popular image as a 'rush-to-publish' medium, which encourages publishers to sacrifice accuracy for speed."

news vs. newspaper consumption

"The number of Americans who regularly read the print edition of a newspaper is continuing to decline, even as more Americans seek out news in general, according to the latest survey from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

Overall, the proportion of daily print newspaper readers decreased from 38% in 2006 to 30% in 2008, before slipping to 26% this year. That represents a 32% drop in the size of the newspaper-reading population in just four years.

In a stark illustration of the shifting generational dynamics of news consumption, just 8% of the 26% cohort who read a print newspaper every day was between the ages of 18 and 30, compared to about 20% of the U.S. population. There were a few exceptions, in the form of major national newspapers like USA Today, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal; 34% of the NYT's readers are under 30."

123 million people visit newspaper websites.

(and that's just in the month of May!)

According to comScore, "more than 123 million Americans visited newspaper sites in May, representing 57 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience, as the New York Times Brand led the category with more than 32 million visitors and 719 million pages viewed during the month. The average visitor viewed 22 pages of content on the New York Times, also leading the top ten. Tribune Newspapers ranked second in terms of audience with 24.8 million visitors, followed by Advance Internet (18.1 million visitors) and USA Today Sites (16.8 million visitors)."

Looks likes newspapers aren't dead. They're just evolving.

omg ipad!

Believe it or not, there IS other media news outside the iPad. But it's not as fun...

Here's a great debate:Will the iPad provide 'print plus' for print media or something else?

"As iPads finally reach real consumers' hands, everyone is watching to see how people use them, what media they consume on them and how they engage with the ads. The results will help determine just how tightly publishers can link ad sales for their iPad editions with traditional ad pages -- with big ramifications for marketers and for print.

Some publishers want to keep iPad and print-ad sales closely connected, even twinned. Conde Nast, which has introduced an iPad edition of GQ and hopes to introduce iPad editions for Wired and Vanity Fair with their June issues, is only making iPad ads available to marketers who buy ad pages in print. The more print ad pages that marketers buy, the more features such as video or interactivity they can buy."

content cows.

According to new research, consumers opt to "graze" for their news content:

"Suggesting a mutable new media landscape ripe for the taking, 65% of U.S. consumers say they do not have a single favorite Web site for news, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. On average, consumers do claim to limit themselves to between two and five online news sources, while 21% say they routinely rely on just one site for their news and information.

Regardless of sex, age, or socioeconomic status, the vast majority of U.S. consumers -- 92% -- now rely on multiple media channels to get their daily news fix, according to Pew. Nearly half of Americans -- 46% -- claim to consume news from four to six media platforms on an average day, while just 7% rely on a single platform, Pew finds."

So, what does this mean?

"'The days of loyalty to a particular news organization on a particular piece of technology in a particular form are gone,' Pew concludes in the report.

The report -- based on telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between late December and mid January among 2,259 adults -- found that consumers now prefer 'grazing' the Web for news over more thorough newspaper reading.

Here's the real interesting part:

"Perhaps surprisingly, the Web remains the third-most-popular news channel, behind local and national TV stations: 61% of readers surveyed said they got their news online on a typical day, compared with 78% from local news channels and 71% from a national TV network such as NBC or cable channels such as CNN or Fox News."

are digital coupons overtaking newspaper?

According to Coupons.com, yep.

"The data from Coupons.com reports that savings offered through the company’s outlets – including Web accounts, branded apps on mobile and HP printers, and the Grocery iQ smartphone app—grew 170% in value during 2009 to more than $858 million.

By comparison growth measures for newspaper coupon value last year ranged from 8% (per TNS Media Intelligence) to 16% (estimate from retail consultant Inmar.) As a result, Coupons.com claims, redemption values on its digital offering outstripped the increase in newspaper-based coupons by more than 10 to 1.

'For the first time in almost two decades the use of coupons increased in 2009, in part due to the growth of digital coupons as more consumers made them part of their shopping routine and more brands tapped them to engage with their consumers,' Coupons.com CEO Steven Boal said in a release. 'We expect the adoption of digital coupons will continue to accelerate in 2010.'"

The 170% increase in value of offers on Coupons.com platforms in 2009 exceeded the previous year’s growth rate, the company said. In 2008, offer value grew 133% over that of 2007."

has new become a commidity?

According to new research, yes!

"While most consumers prefer their online content free, many are willing to open their wallets and purses for particular offerings, according to new research from Nielsen.

What sorts of content are consumers willing to pay for online? Mostly movies, music, and games, according to a survey of some 27,000 consumers across 52 countries.

Meanwhile, content created online -- like blogs, podcasts, and video -- are the least likely to attract consumer dollars, Nielsen finds.

In between are an array of news formats -- newspapers, magazines, Internet-only news sources and radio news and talk shows -- created by professionals, relatively expensive to produce, and, in the case of newspapers and magazines, commonly sold offline.

'Yet much of their content has basically become a commodity, readily available elsewhere for free,' notes Nielsen. As a result, nearly eight out of every 10 respondents -- 79% -- said they would no longer use a Web site that charges them, presuming they can find the same information at no cost.

Meanwhile, more than three of every four survey participants -- 78% -- felt that if they already subscribe to a newspaper, magazine, radio or television service they should be able to use its online content for free.

That said, 62% of consumers said that once they purchase content, it should be theirs to copy or share with whomever they want."

boomers and tv: a long-term relationship.

"Boomers' media usage patterns are similar to most Americans in one respect: TV dominates. In each month of Q3 2009, Americans watched an average of 129 hours of TV compared with 27 hours spent on the Internet, according to Nielsen's latest 'A2/M2 Three-Screen Report.'
 

Boomers, however, averaged between 140 and 160 hours of TV time each month, compared with an average of 28 to 31 hours spent online. They appear to be the last large audience for newspapers, although they are increasingly going online to find national and local news.

The most recent survey from Deloitte on Americans' media habits, conducted in September and October 2009, showed 77 percent of boomers chose watching TV as a favorite media-related activity. Listening to music on any type of device (40 percent) and reading print or online books (37 percent) surpassed using the Internet for personal reasons (34 percent).

About one-quarter (26 percent) chose reading print or online newspapers as their favorite activity, while just 12 percent said they liked to read magazines in those formats."