Advertising Overview

Advertising is the revenue stream most under pressure. While online advertising is relatively buoyant, it is not replacing the print advertising losses and CPMs are much lower online than in print, creating a long-term and structural change in ad rates.

Yet publishers are approaching the whole advertising offer in a much more rigorous and creative way, reassessing the editorial and creating added-value, multi-platform advertising packages, tailoring the service to the requirements of the key accounts.

There is a real sense of standing back from established practices to take a fresh look at the activities and the advertising sectors which really deliver the revenue. This is based on investing in the brand, refining the editorial and taking a more commercial view of the value of that editorial.

A recurring theme is that online is both the cause of much of the current volatility in the ad market and is also a key means of creating more advertising opportunities. While online competition is a major issue in specific markets, particularly in B2B and newspapers, it is still the competition between existing print products which is the central focus.

Yet a real question is whether the industry has the required staff skills and knowledge to make the most of the future?