Image borrowed from Dave.
The last time I saw an advertisement for a newspaper was at a Mariners game, where I saw a plain blue billboard ad for the Seattle Times. I also see kiosks for newspapers set up at public events like the Bite of Seattle.
That’s pretty much it. In fact, newspapers so rarely run advertisements that it’s actually news when they do.
Which makes me wonder: do newspapers have a readership problem or a marketing problem?
Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgeons were the first doctors to advertise their services.
In fact there’s a whole movie about how plastic surgery got started and became what it is today. It’s called Breast Men, and it stars David Schwimmer.
There’s a sequence in the movie where, in desperation, Schwimmer puts an ad for his breast enlargement services in the paper. His partner storms out in anger because “doctor’s don’t advertise!”
But by noon there’s a line out the door. It turns out that everyone wanted plastic surgery, it was just that nobody knew it existed or, if they did, where to get it.
I’m not convinced that there’s any product in the world which can “sell itself.” In fact, almost every business spends a lot of money advertising to maintain or increase their sales. Why should a newspaper be any different than other products?
Selling
There’s nothing wrong with selling something to someone if it’s beneficial to them.
Imagine you’re at a fair and you’re eyeing something called “elephant ears” suspiciously. It doesn’t sound like a very tasty name. But the person at the stand convinces you to buy one (sells you an elephant ear) and you discover that elephant ears are really tasty.
Are you mad because she sold you something? Or are you glad that you just found a new and delicious treat?
There are some people who think that selling newspapers is a perversion of the whole industry, and that it’s too commercial.
When you’re advertising a newspaper, what you’re really doing is getting people interested in the news, because that’s why they’ll subscribe to your print edition or sign up for your metered online content.
I wonder what kind of boost in subscribers newspapers would see if they put money towards advertising their paid product. Regular TV ad campaigns, YouTube videos, highway billboards, and *gasp* full page magazine ads could create a dramatic shift in readership.
What do you think – do newspapers have a marketing problem?
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Eat Sleep Publish is a Seattle-based blog that explores the difficulties and opportunities currently facing the publishing industry. 
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Of course we have a marketing problem – the entire country is convinced that newspapers are doomed and there isn’t anyone offering an opposing view to a mass audience. Do we need to advertise? Yes. Do we need to evangelize? Absolutely.
Evangelism – not because “print is best” but because of the role of the press in American democracy. Pure-play online journalism will eventually have the financial strength to take up this challenge but at the moment, only traditional media can afford to do the sort of “Journalism with a Capital J” that requires time, people, and money. And, for the moment, only traditional media have the resources to provide in-depth and comprehensive local news. (“for the moment” = watch the bottom lines of the hyperlocals – the market is swinging in their favor) That’s what newspapers need to talk about.
The challenge with getting newspapers to advertise is that it is often seen as an admission that other forms of advertising actually work. Newspaper sales reps spend lots of time telling clients that radio, tv, and outdoor don’t work, so to run bus ads might imply that – gasp! – they do work. The common refrain is “we’re our best source of promotion.” How’s that working out for us with declining readership? Yeah. Time for Plan B.
Seth – Well said. It does make a certain amount of sense to eat your own dog food in terms of ad solutions, but I think that’s an issue any ad rep could easily wave aside, because:
1. no one will seriously believe that other mediums “don’t work,” so it’s a ploy and everyone knows it’s a ploy, and
2. advertising is by definition external promotion – meaning, we the newspaper are putting ads on the radio because we’re not the radio, just like you the cereal company are putting ads in the newspaper because ads on your cereal box will only reach existing customers.
Ploy – yes it is but in many newspaper sales bullpens, it’s Gospel.
Seth – This may sound a little harsh, but I think if you’ve got people in your newspaper ad department that honestly believe that print newspaper advertisements are the only things that work, they should be fired.
A newspaper is now a multimedia publication. You need to have video online, and you freakin’ better have an ad staff that believes in the principles of advertising in all delivery mediums.
What happens when you have to sell ads against your podcasts?
Jason – No argument here. My point is that “print is best” is entrenched in many newspapers and is difficult to root out. I happen to believe that we’re doing a great job of it at my place of employment but I know that others are struggling.