The positioning of your ads in the last 10 years.
10-12 years ago, newspapers dominated the media market, and that was when online magazines and news portals (with uncloseable pop-ups) started to appear.
At that time, I worked as a consultant in the office of one of the largest domestic publishers in Pécs (this position was called an advertising organizer elsewhere). Although advertisers and readers did not perceive it, there was huge competition among consultants regarding how large an ad and exactly where it could be placed in the paper for their client. Everyone wanted to appear on the front page (B1), especially above the fold. This was often the privilege of the largest advertisers.
These premium spots were sold a year in advance back then, so small advertisers rarely got access to premium advertising space. Unless the client had a clever and resourceful consultant who could arrange many „extras” (these were the „last minute” advertising spaces that are now widespread in everyday language).
The back cover and the middle of the newspaper were also considered premium spaces (as they are still considered today). The reason for this can be deduced with common sense: the back cover (i.e., B4) was easy to sell because many people start reading the newspaper from the back. The middle of the newspaper was popular among advertisers because it is usually where the newspaper opens, making it one of the most read areas.
In those times, we recommended individual publications based on two variables: circulation and target group segmentation. This period had a special atmosphere for me, the smell of the newspaper, the charm of personal relationships, the competition with colleagues, ping-pong matches during lunch breaks...
Many years have passed since then, and not only has the market share of printed media decreased, but the popularity of other traditional ATL and BTL channels has also declined. Online news portals are now in our pockets, and we can access the latest news (and of course advertising solutions) through responsive, lightning-fast websites and apps. Nowadays, it is not the above-the-fold space of the paper, but Google Ads, social media advertising, and programmatic solutions that dominate the market.
What has not changed is the client's expectation: everyone wants the most effective advertising space. Online marketing provides precisely measurable solutions for this: today we can target based on gender, age, interests, place of residence, and even behavior. In the past, a large portion of the advertising budget (at least half) ended up in the trash due to targeting difficulties.
Today, thanks to complex and learnable algorithms, we can measure and target, thus increasingly meeting our clients' needs. And this more than compensates for the smell of paper.
Image source: pexels.com
