Is Print Dead ?

Toronto – Ontario 

Print is not dead, the power of the printed word has decreased, but not vanished. This is probably one of my most favourite debates because there is so much at stake. Because of the internet, successful business models have crashed and burned, but innovative print organizations have come up with new ways to drive revenues and get creative. 

Firstly I think everyone knows why print is dying. The internet and smart phones have made access to information free, easy, more current and unfiltered. The information you would have typically read from a paper 20 years ago you can now get before you even walk to your front door to pick up the paper.

So let’s move onto the difficult part of the argument, why print is still alive. There are many answers, but three things to consider: the advertisers, the content, and the audience.

Advertisers need to reach as many people as possible, in the most effective means. While print is one of the most difficult mediums to create a measurable response from it also holds a very captive, targeted, and intelligent audience. Coupled with the correct content this creates a relevant mix for advertisers to consider. After haemorrhaging advertising dollars for years, the outflow has stabilized and money is now returning to the industry. Advertisers see value in a print product, because the audience is still there.  

It’s easy to see that people like tangible goods. Digital is great but it is not something you can touch or feel, an actual physical product that people can hold denotes ownership, which is appealing. Furthermore the print world has the advantage of curated and cultured content. The internet is a hot spot for trends and current events, while print products must differentiate from the internet by providing analysis and personality to articles.

If the quality of information remains high in print products there will always be an audience. After all it is not how much information you know, but the quality of WHAT you know. 

My predictions for the industry are that magazines will survive, but many newspapers will die out. There will be major consolidation within the newspaper industry leaving about 1-3 major newspapers per major city. While readership may decrease there will always be a baseline level, leaving room for only a few newspapers to survive. The ones with the most integrated media offering will be the winners, but they of course must have the content, advertisers, and audience to remain on top.