How mobile apps & digital platforms are boosting print ad revenues

While digital India continues to seep into our daily lives, with both interactions as well as transactions increasingly done online, and emerging tech-first SMBs across categories contributing to it, print advertising continues to carry weight.

Calling ‘reading newspapers’ every morning an ingrained habit, President of Indian Newspaper Society (INS) and BBCL board member Mohit Jain says that while the role of digital channels will continue to increase, there will always be a core group of people, not necessarily from the older generations, who prefer reading newspapers over any other source of information. “There is a lot of clutter online, with constant pop-ups, notifications, and other distractions, and a lot of brands, especially emerging ones which don’t have brand recognition yet, can get lost in the crowd. This is where print emerges as a good option. Not only can your brand stand out, but its ads appearing in newspapers have more impact on the public at large,” he added.

DB Corp Promoter Director Girish Agarwaal, agreeing to it, says, “There is always a churn in the composition of advertising. Print media is managing this churn quite well currently and keeps adding newer categories and clients to it, including popular social media platforms. Print advertising provides a massive reach, immediacy, and big impact in a credible manner. Print is not fragmented and is the simplest way of reaching audiences at the state or city level due to its hyper-local nature.”

Insiders note that traditional categories for print like Real Estate, Education, Automobiles, Lifestyle, Retail, Banking and Financial Services, among others, are going strong in the post-pandemic era. Moreover, “Popular mobile apps (of categories including grocery, finance, health, entertainment & OTT, social media, auto, gaming, FMCGs, and cryptocurrencies among others) are also opting to advertise in print media,” says Agarwaal.

Advertising in a traditional medium like print also helps these new-age businesses introduce their offerings to audiences who are not really familiar with digital trends, especially older generations, along with establishing themselves as prominent players in the space. Sectors like gaming, which look to tap into the hinterlands to grow the base of potential players (customers), are advertising in both national and regional newspapers to maximize their reach. Tournaments organised by entities like Mobile Playing League and other esports entities appear in newspapers as front-page ads inviting Indians across the country to engage and play.

And it’s not just purely tech-based companies, explains Vanda Ferrao, Head-Marketing, FreshToHome, who says, “While there has been a surge in media channels, for us, print continues to be an important channel in the company's media mix. This channel works well in building traction with relevant ethnicities through vernacular prints and also in building reach in non–metro regions. We have created a property of sorts during the peak consumption occasion like weekends, where our FreshToHome ads at strategic positions can be seen. Furthermore, print has a lasting impact, and it works well for us when it comes to big announcements such as launching operations in a new city/state, etc.”

Costs naturally play a role, especially for start-ups that don’t have the kind of advertising budgets that larger companies have. Mitesh Desai - Head Sales Excellence & Agency Partnership, HT Media Group, has a solution for this. He shares, “With our in-house program HT AdWorks, we have introduced affordable packages for beginners. It provides an integrated platform that helps advertisers plan and manage marketing campaigns and advertisements across HT Media’s newspapers, radio, and internet platforms. In fact, a lot of SMBs are keen on exploring native content solutions like branded content as well.”

Desai notes, "Around 3 times more advertisers, especially in the health-services category, from T2, T3 cities in the Hindi heartland are now showing an intent to advertise in print, resulting in a 1.5x ad revenue growth for the category this year over last year. During the lockdown, the apps of local FMCG brands were also seen advertising a lot in print when the industry was on its recovery path."

Industry leaders also noted that when there is widespread misinformation online, print acts as a benchmark of credibility. “Credible news is now a "need" that is driving users to the platforms they can trust. For brands, showcasing their products in a trusted environment is definitely a preferred option. This works wonderfully for new brands, that only have an online presence, also where they want to establish credibility amongst readers at scale,” points out Desai.  

“Brand safety has also been an issue and print offers a way out. You would have noticed that even large social media platforms have used print when it comes to credibility and trust,” concludes Agarwaal.