Marketing Communications

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Marketing Communications
Advertising Media

DISADVANTAGES OF NEwSPAPERS TO ADVERTISERS

1. High cost per insertion when an extensive list of newspaper is used.


2. They have a short life and are often read hurriedly, exposure time of reader to advertisement
   may be too short for absorption.


3. The generally poor quality of reproduction on newspaper stock (Newsprint) either in black
   and white or in colour. The ROP (run of press/paper) is improving in modern times but
   not as excellent as colour production as in magazines.

There are two categories of newspaper advertising:

1) CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING usually in columns

2) DISPLAY ADVERTISING which is the general advertising.

CIRCULATION AND RATE STRUCTURE

The circulation of a newspaper or magazine is the total number of copies of an average issue that are
distributed. Advertising rates are usually based upon circulation not on multiple readership or audience
figures. For instance, if a newspaper has circulation of 100,000 copies and an average of two readers
per copy, the advertising rate is based upon the circulation figure of 100,000 not audience of 200,000.
Compared to magazines, newspapers total audience is lower because they have a shorter life and pass-
along readership.

National advertising in newspapers attracts a higher rate than local advertising. Newspapers covering
national advertisements justify this rate by showing that they pay – commission to newspaper sales
representative and to an advertising agency.

BUYING SPACE IN NEwSPAPER

1. MEASURING SPACE: The width of newspaper space is measured in terms of columns. The
   depth from top to bottom is measured in agate lines per column. This is referred to as lines
   of which there are 14 to the inch. The size of an advertisement is specified in terms of lines
   x columns. For instance, an advertisement of 5 inches deep by 2 columns wide is written
   70 × 2 (i.e. 70 on 2) and is a 140-line advertisement. The width of the column varies from
   paper to paper but has no bearing on the line rate of display advertising.


2. THE RATE STRUCTURE: Publishers set their own rates and offer a uniform FLAT RATE
   to all national advertisers. Some offer a quantity discount or an alternative time/frequency
   discount. The advertiser chooses whichever discount structure that is best for him. The
   highest rate against which discounts are calculated is called – open rate or one-time rate
   or basic rate.