Newspaper advertising: online growth continues to outpace print
While spending for print advertising in newspapers remained essentially flat in the first quarter of 2006, versus the same period in 2005, up only 0.3%, spending for online advertising at newspaper Web sites increased almost 35%, according to NAA, the Newspaper Association of America. It is the eighth consecutive quarter of double digit online increases for newspapers. Strength online bolstered overall newspaper performance: print and online newspaper advertising, combined, grew a total of 1.8%.
NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm said:
Newspaper publishers are winning on the Web and their efforts to attract visitors, build leading Internet properties and monetize their online investments are being recognized by advertisers and consumers – as shown by a full two years worth of outstanding consecutive gains. Meanwhile, newspaper print advertising continues to hold its own in the face of overall ad softness, reflecting our industry’s ongoing dialogue with the advertising community to demonstrate the enduring value of newspapers’ reach and engagement with consumer audiences.
Among the three categories of print advertising in newspapers--retail, national and classified—only classifieds showed a positive performance, up close to 5%. Within the print classified category, real estate showed the strongest performance, increasing about 26%; recruitment advertising increased a little over 2% and automotive decreased almost 15%. Category performance within the print classifieds may reflect sector dynamics; a relatively strong housing market and concerns over gas prices.
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