Advertising expenditures

Newspaper and magazines remain strong force

There’s been a lot written and spoken about the changes in advertising spend over the last couple of years, with plenty of articles taking the death of newspapers as their core theme. Using research carried out by ZenithOptimedia, we have evaluated the current commercial standing of print media in Europe, an evaluation that includes newspaper and magazine advertising.

Part of the Publicis group, ZenthOptimedia is one of the leading advertising agency groups in the world and their advertising spend research is used as a reference for media companies and organisations across the globe.

Print media holds the number one position in seven of 12 countries in Europe for the market share of newspaper and magazine advertising. It holds the number two position in the remaining five.

The market share of print media varies by country. This map shows the 2010 market print media share.

The relative importance of newspaper and magazine advertising (print media)

Europe exhibits a very different pattern when it comes to the media landscape. Culture, regulations, the importance of commercial television and penetration of broadband and internet all determine the position of print media as a channel for commercial messages. Latin countries are characterised by a lower market share for print media, while Germanic and Scandinavian countries present a high share of print media.

Consumers don’t change their media consumption pattern overnight, nor do advertisers and their agencies. They will adopt new media – the popularity of Facebook and Twitter demonstrates that – but remain enthusiastic readers of their trusted newspapers and magazines. Recent research from EMS showed the increase in readership among affluent people and young consumers in Europe. It seems that consumers occasionally want to escape the always-on state and read and relax at their own pace without looking at a screen. Advertisers understand this and are attracted by the prospect of reaching a consumer that pays full attention to this message.

Print Power