by Corin Kelly, Editor of Australian Hospital & Healthcare Bulletin
…The daily press “would never have come into existence as a force in public and social life if it had not been for the need of men of commerce to advertise. Only through the growth of advertising did the press achieve independence.” This was the opinion of the noted historian of British newspapers, Francis Williams, described in his 1958 book, Dangerous Estate.
The interdependence of journalism and advertising has existed for most of this century and last. Journalists and editors understand that without advertising dollars, the opportunities to have their work published are restricted. Although there are plenty of good examples of independent media, they are dwarfed by commercial press.
If we flip this around, the same can be said of quality journalism and the vital role it plays in the success of advertising. In a time-poor culture, fast access to and consumption of content is the norm. Savvy media providers know that they need to engage with their audience across a wide range of print and digital media. There is nothing new about this – the salient point is that we only pay attention to the news items that interest us and we only pick up, click on or listen to media that speaks to us.
And this brings us to the inescapable truth that for advertisers to get a result for their spend, they must invest their resources with publishers who observe the 2 golden rules.
Know your audience and provide content that answers the right questions.
Don’t be rubbish. If you want eyes on your ads, invest with publishers like APRS Media who value consistent and quality journalism and design.
A publication’s reputation is everything and without a credible platform, your advertising can be as native as wattle, to little effect.