Read Between the Lines

John Bosacker is senior director of business development for Plymouth, Minn.-based Novus Print Media.

Source: Response Magazine, April 2007 www.responsemagazine.com.

During the time of Jefferson and our country’s early existence, the printed press was the sole media for both information and advertising. Today, consumers are exposed to a vast number of media and sales channels, leading to the question in today’s media marketplace: Is print dead?

Three key factors exist in today’s media industry. First, consumers are the prevailing “customers” of mutable media choices — what media is best for them and their lifestyle? Second, dozens of media choices exist for direct marketers,all vying for consumers’ attention and response. Finally, testing these mutable media channels is required in order to gain the widest and deepest return on investment (ROI) within your target market.

Broadcast media is facing a number of challenges, including media fragmentation, fluctuation of rates, further use of digital video recorders (DVRs) — according to a study by Accenture, more than 10 percent of ads will be skipped by 2009, accounting for $63 billion of lost ad revenue — and a host of alternative media choices. Those alternatives include direct mail, E-mail, Web search, podcasts, blogs, text messaging, social networking/software and others in development.

To read the full article from Response Magazine click here.