“The Golden Age For Newspapers Is In The Future,” Says News Corp Boss

girl with a laptop sitting on newspapers

News Corp editorial director Campbell Reid reckons newspapers are yet to have their time, saying “the golden age of newspapers is a day in the future.”

He told B&T: “You can’t just say newspapers are going to be around as long as old people like reading them but currently my view is that the value and the importance of the ritual of the printed newspaper is actually becoming more authoritative in society, not less authoritative.”

He explained how when they broke the story with the pictures of Harley Bennell, Gold Coast Suns AFL player using drugs, the phrase that came up over and over again was ‘but it’s on the front page.’

“The fact that picture is on a permanently printed newspaper is a bold statement,” he added, explaining how we now live in a world of perpetual information, with people clicking, snacking and diving in and out of information all day, every day.

“It’s our challenge to meet their demands for information on whatever device, at whatever time of day and whatever mood they’re in.

“And if we can transfer the franchise or expand the franchise of journalism from newspaper companies to cope with everybody’s needs on whatever device they choose, that’s our challenge. As well as that, is the challenge of the newspaper companies themselves to understand the extraordinary purpose and ritual and role of the packaged, finished product.”

He goes on to explain how one of the areas newspapers have failed is pretending the printed newspaper is good at things it no longer is.

“In comparison to an iPhone,” he admitted, “a printed newspaper is not a very good mobile device, but in terms of a prioritized, curated, packaged product containing everything you need to know about what’s going on in your world, a newspaper is much better at that than an iPhone. We have to really embrace the specialness of them. If I post your picture on the internet, that’s kind of interesting. If I put it on the front page, that’s important.”

He explained that if you go back to that old adage ‘that every successful business makes someone’s life better’, a newspaper improves life by informing you, but also providing you with the commercial choices you can make today, either in terms of this food for the family tonight, or this house or this job, is an incredible package of value, “and I think the audience is ahead of us in understanding that value,” he added.

Reid also echoed the same view of The Newspaper Works CEO, Mark Hollands, who told B&T last week how newspaper readers are the only ones who really like advertising, due to on-screen ads being more intrusive.

“Sure, the hit in circulation is right there to be seen,” he said, “but if you think of the extraordinary capabilities of the digital revolution, and despite that, there is still that special connection with a printed newspaper, and most importantly, the special connection between a printed newspaper’s journalism and a printed newspaper’s advertisers both adding value to a consumer’s life in a unique way, newspaper readers are still the only consumers who really like advertising.”

 




Latest News

Archibald Williams Wins NBA Digital, Activation & Fan Engagement Accounts For APAC
  • Media

Archibald Williams Wins NBA Digital, Activation & Fan Engagement Accounts For APAC

Independent brand and digital agency, Archibald Williams (AW) has been appointed to lead the NBA account across the APAC region. The NBA is one of the most prestigious sporting leagues in the world and basketball is one of the fastest-growing sports in Australia. Effective immediately, AW said it was “excited” to work across all digital, […]

QMS Champions Creativity As First Most Contagious APAC 2023 Sponsor
  • Advertising

QMS Champions Creativity As First Most Contagious APAC 2023 Sponsor

Leading digital outdoor company QMS has announced it is the first-ever inaugural partner for Most Contagious APAC, the landmark London event by creative and strategic intelligence company Contagious, which will be showcased in Australia on Tuesday, 12 December in Sydney and Wednesday, 13 December in Melbourne. Most Contagious is an event that delivers key advertising […]

OMG’s Annalect First To Get Meta’s Advanced Analytics
  • Technology

OMG’s Annalect First To Get Meta’s Advanced Analytics

Omnicom’s data and analytics division Annalect has partnered with Meta, giving it access to Advanced Analytics (AA) – one of Meta’s privacy-focused measurement solutions – to provide Omnicom’s clients with future-proof, next-level measurement. Omnicom is the first holding company to have access to AA. AA allows advertisers to combine their first-party data with Meta’s ads […]

AKQA Launches Eco-Conscious AI DIY Assistant Encouraging People To Gift More Sustainably
  • Technology

AKQA Launches Eco-Conscious AI DIY Assistant Encouraging People To Gift More Sustainably

WPP’s AKQA has launched Fixmas.gift, an environmentally conscious AI-powered DIY assistant, affectionately known as Fixie, for a one-stop solution for all things repair. Fixmas.gift hosts an array of guides and inspiration to empower people to prolong the lives of their belongings or purchase pre-owned items that need a little love and care. Fixie can: Help […]

Marc Collister: AI & Automation Set To Revolutionise Creativity In 2024
  • Opinion

Marc Collister: AI & Automation Set To Revolutionise Creativity In 2024

Marc Collister (pictured) of P2 Content Creators spills the beans on his 2024 predictions drawing from two decades of experience in the advertising, film and television industry. I’m certain it will come as no surprise that in 2024, we can expect our industry to move at breakneck speed again. With even more rapid shifts in […]

Opinion

by B&T Magazine

B&T Magazine
Zeno Group Australia Bolsters Client Offerings With An Expanded Creative Services Portfolio & New Senior Leader
  • Marketing

Zeno Group Australia Bolsters Client Offerings With An Expanded Creative Services Portfolio & New Senior Leader

Zeno Australia has announced expanded creative design capabilities and the appointment of Jim Michell (lead image) to its senior leadership team. The new moves support strong growth in the region. Zeno Australia’s clients, including Abano Healthcare, Motorola and Yorkshire Tea, can now tap into a suite of creative design services to augment the agency’s work […]

Assembled Media Inks TikTok Creator Campaign for BIC
  • Campaigns

Assembled Media Inks TikTok Creator Campaign for BIC

Assembled Media, is drawing upon the creative power of TikTok Creator Marketplace to help generate unique, impactful content for iconic stationery brand, BIC. The social activation campaign titled ‘A Pen for Every Side of You’ promotes the flexibility of BIC’s 4 Colours pen and is active nationwide on the BIC Stationery TikTok account. The campaign […]

Big data and analytics visualization technology with scientist analyzing information structure on screen with machine learning to extract predictions for business, finance, internet of things
  • Media

IAB Launches Fourth Module In Its Marketing Measurement Innovation Series

IAB Australia has launched ‘Evolution in Market Mix Modelling’, the fourth module in its Marketing Measurement Innovation Series, which has been developed by IAB Australia’s Ad Effectiveness Council. The module explores what is driving the increased use of MMM and how the technique is evolving with advances in computing power and machine learning to provide […]

Aerial view of a coal fired power station with large cooling towers emitting co2 into the atmosphere. With its lights already turned on the power station is illuminated in moody twilight.
  • Media

Scope3 Expands Carbon Measurement Capabilities To Include DOOH Advertising

Scope3, the collaborative sustainability platform leading the decarbonisation of media and advertising,  announced the addition of digital out-of-home (DOOH) to its emissions measurement. With DOOH ad spending predicted to grow from $17B in 2023 to nearly $24B by 2028, measuring this channel brings us one step closer to understanding the total impact of digital advertising […]

January 14, 2023 - New York, New York, USA: 2023 NRF Big Show press conference with Composition 2024 NRF Singapore.    Photo by Ian Wagreich / © Ian Wagreich Photography
  • Marketing

Now Open For Registration – NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific

NRF 2024: Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific, is now open for online registrations for the main conference. Jointly organized by the National Retail Federation and Comexposium, Retail’s Big Show Asia Pacific will take place from 11 – 13 June, 2024 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore and is expected to draw thousands […]