At a time when mobile and wireless platforms are attracting advertisers, it’s the traditional print media that is holding its own. Thanks to extraordinary growth in certain categories.
Consider this. Display retail shops, which were ranked as the 115th category in 2003 vis-a-vis ad spend in newspapers and magazines, jumped to 11th position in 2004. Vocational training institutes, which were 102nd on advertisers’ list in print media in 2003, are now a respectable 33rd. Election campaigns, which were way down at the 60th position, rose 43 places to reach 17th rank in the election year (2004).
Significantly, more and more companies/institutions are advertising either only in print or only on TV. Among those who advertised only in print in 2004, the top three were: general educational institutions, Sahara Entertainment TV and Maruti Udyog Ltd (retail), according to Adex. Top three among 100% TV loyalists were Joyco India, Procter & Gamble International and Sazhi Virasat Trust.
Industry experts like Genesis Films CEO Prahlad Kakkar point out why advertising in print is attractive. "Print media ads ensure long-term memorability. Also, while advertising in news-papers/magazines, the cost to the company could be as low as one-fifth of airing an ad on TV," Kakkar says. Television ads, on the other hand, may target instant impact, but they run the risk of being forgotten in the long-term.
If you compare the second best spenders in print and TV in 2004, again the difference is not much. According to Adex, corporate/brand image was at number two in print with an ad spend of Rs 196.7 crore, against toilet soap (TV’s number two) with ad spend of Rs 215.9 crore. Lintas, however, puts TV ad spend on soap at Rs 205 crore.
