Social media and digital have completely taken over the way in which people consume media (and advertising). Because of this, advertisers have naturally migrated to where consumption is mostly taking place, but are we forgetting the traditional way of communicating in print advertising?
Even though print is in decline - South African publishing giant Media24 recently shut down five magazines - the published word still has a large footprint in South Africa. My BroadBand quoted Media24 CEO Esmaré Weideman as saying that the recent closures were “in line with the company’s strategy to strengthen its position as Africa’s leading digital publisher.” Her exact words hinted at a digital future: “We regularly review our portfolio of excellent print and digital brands – some flourish, others battle in a constantly changing media landscape.”
However, publications still have a massive hold is South Africa and a lot of shelf space is dedicated to magazines and newspapers in store. Media24 still has over 140 publications, and they are only one of several South African printing houses. Remember that your audience is not online all the time and they do still consume print media. This infographic, originally published by CGT Marketing, describes exactly how print is still consumed and how it drives online behaviour. Although the statistics are focused on the United States, we can certainly apply this behaviour to our own country.
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