THE FRONT PAGE : The only constant is change

Being the oldest medium in the world, newspapers are no stranger to a changing media landscape with the emergence of many new media such as radio and television.

But in the current media climate, rapid technological advancement has meant the speed of change has increased. Media companies are

Looking at the penetration of new media in the marketplace over the last century, nothing has been as formid-able as the internet. Since its introduction in the early 1990s, it has been on an almost vertical climb in reaching millions of people, forcing traditional media owners to embrace and adapt.

Worldwide, newspapers are transforming themselves. It's not about either/or, but rather producing a multi-media platform of printed and digital product. Here in New Zealand our newspaper publishers continue to evolve the newspaper footprint to incorporate a host of digital offerings, including replicating daily editions online.

All of the 25 daily newspapers are available in this way, as well as dedicated news sites such as www.stuff.co.nz and www.nzherald.co.nz

Expenditure for online advertising continues to nip at the heels of traditional media, but also newspaper websites' adspend has increased significantly worldwide, indicating the growing importance of investment in these sites. Advertisers know that newspaper websites are ideal for reaching online users with the most attractive demographics.

The latest research report produced by the Newspaper Advertising Bureau looks at newspaper and online reader engagement, both locally and internationally. How readers use a soft and hard copy of their daily edition and how newspapers are evolving to meet their needs.

The research shows there is a difference in attitude and demographic between online newspaper readers and printed newspaper readers, but it also shows a large group of people who actively use both - 1.7 million New Zealanders!

However a recent international poll by Morgan Stanley revealed that consumers trust and purchase more from traditional media. Newspapers are a passive read, a starting point for information to be digested and acted upon. With the internet, people go online for a purpose; to look something up, research something, find out more information.

Combine with the trust factor of newspapers and it demonstrates the importance of both channels in complementing each other. A newspaper ad can be the catalyst for driving traffic to a website/online. Equally online can drive back to the printed product. So the combination of both traditional and digital is the way forward.

In a fast-paced, changing media world, the one constant is the ability of newspaper publishers to continue to deliver award-winning, innovative content that makes newspapers the most trusted source of news and information.

That equates to an impressive number of consumers for advertisers to reach quickly and efficiently, in both online and in printed format.

For a copy of the latest NAB research presentation, visit www.nabs.co.nz

Lexie Ribot is the Creative Manager of the Newspaper Advertising Bureau.