Print isn’t dead – it’s just a redundant format

by | Mar 23, 2016 | digital, featured, magazines, media, newspapers, south africa

When cassette tapes or Walkmans made way to portable CD players in the 90s, nobody cried “music is dead.”

The content remained.  Major music artists did exactly what they were accustomed to doing, except no longer supplied their music in the now-redundant cassette format, but the new, improved CD format.

With the greatest amount of respect to my many colleagues in the field, I really do feel that repeatedly attempting to answer the question “is print dead?” is a purposeless discussion around the format (printed on a paper derived from a tree) as opposed to the content (the quality of which remains whether printed or delivered electronically).

attempting to answer the question “is print dead?” is a purposeless discussion around the format as opposed to the content

In my home market, South Africa, almost every single major newspaper and news broadcaster has already successfully provided their entire service to consumers in a digital format.  Frankly, at first, some of them were a bit lacking in layout and design but, after presumably downloading a good WordPress template or two, they all stand up to global standards.

Many magazines have struggled with the transition.  A struggle, I believe, which is due not to the lack of a shiny cover but an inherent and long-standing problem with the content.  Those who have been able to make the transition (and there are good examples particularly those who have found their bite-sized content is actually better-suited to social media posts as opposed to blog entries) have succeeded with not only a better, newer format, but also attracted new consumers and new territories.

It is reported by the various paper pulp industry associations in South Africa that we produce 316,000 tonnes of newsprint each year (and that’s just for newspapers).  At an industry estimate of 12 trees per tonne of newsprint, that means we are cutting down almost 4 million trees a year.  Surely in our twenty-first century understanding of our fragile and precious environment, this cannot continue for much longer.

we cut down 4 million trees a year in South Africa just to provide the paper for newsprint

Records were replaced by cassettes, then CDs, then MP3s, and now streaming services.  Printed newspapers and magazines are being replaced by online news and online magazine services.  Books by tablets.  Houses lost the TV aerials and replaced them with satellite dishes – these too will be taken down as everyone finds it easier just to stream the same content from the same provider through the internet.  Telephone wires above-ground have disappeared as fibre has burrowed under our streets.

Just as the photographic-film makers who thought they were providing film, rather than helping people store memories, ceased to be, media businesses who think the purpose of media is to sell ads, will crumble too.

media businesses who think the purpose of media is to sell ads, will crumble

Successful content providers will easily transition to new formats and consumers who love that content will pay for that content, whether through superbly-targeted and relevant advertising, offering up their data, or paying good-old subscription fees.

Infographic: Profile of Internet users in South Africa – debunking misconceptions

by | Feb 18, 2016 | digital, infographic, south africa

A common misconception amongst marketers is around the ages, race, and income level of people using the Internet in South Africa. We take an objective look at who is using the Internet.

More than one-third of us are Internet users. Use is spread evenly through age-groups. Two-thirds of users of the Internet are black.  Almost two-thirds are in households with under R12k per month income.  Within each race group, just over one-fifth of black and coloured people are Internet users. For white people, more than two-thirds are Internet users.  Within age-groups, almost two-thirds of 25-34’s are Internet users, whereas less than one-fifth of 50+’s are Internet users.

Of all Internet users, 50% are accessing using their mobile phone (smartphone or feature phone) and 10% are accessing using their tablet.  Half of white people access using their mobile phone or tablet, while two-thirds of black people access using their tablet.  Two-thirds of 15-24’s access using their tablet or mobile phone, while just under half of the 50+’s access using their mobile phone or tablet.   About two-thirds of the lowest household income group access via their mobile phone or tablet, while half of the highest income group access via their mobile phone or tablet.

While, sadly, there is a disparity between income groups, race-groups, and age-groups, it is clear that a large portion of South Africans are using the Internet and increasingly more are using the Internet via their mobile phones

Infographic: Cape Town versus Joburg (media habits)

by | Oct 7, 2015 | digital, infographic, magazines, media, newspapers, radio, south africa

With so many creative agencies and publishers in Cape Town creating brand content (mostly advertising and magazine publishing) for a nation with a business and commerce hub in Greater Johannesburg, there is always a chance that marketing is viewed through a city-centric lens.

We have a look at what, objectively, makes the two cities so very different.

The data is sourced from 2,215 urban respondents living in Greater Johannesburg or Cape Town as well as all TomTom users compared to 200 cities around the world. Only data points with sufficiently stable sample sizes have been used.

The Internet: real consumer opinions

by | Aug 31, 2015 | digital, infographic, south africa

South African is a digitally-engaged nation.  Regardless of the country of comparison, the splicing of the market, we are all regularly using various digital channels and have strong, positive, opinions about those channels.

It is true, however, that most of the digital data available to us is used for the purpose of selling various digital channels and, hence, a little rose-tinted.  As media agencies, we need to fulfil the role of impartial, objective analysis – regardless of how exciting the medium might be.  For this analysis, we have referred to Target Group Index (TGI) from the 2014 South Africa for impartial research on what consumers feel about digital channels and the Internet.

Firstly, it is clear that the Internet is an important part of most South Africans’ lives regardless of their income level.  In the upper end, city dwellers in LSM 10, 51% are heavy users of the Internet which is ahead of TV, newspapers, and radio and 50% claim to regularly post online (remember that Facebook updates would be considered by most as posting).  On the other end of the scale, township residents are also highly engaged.  25% of adults say that they cannot do without mobile communication, and half of township adults say that updating social media profiles is important.

Given the recent press coverage on South African subscribers to dodgy dating sites, it’s not surprising that 40% of adults say meeting people online is a good opportunity to build lasting relationships.

Online clickthrough rates can effectively be as low as 0.5% and it’s mirrored by the claim by consumers that only 2% of adults click on online adverts more than twice a day, however 41% of adults claim they pay more attention to advertising on the Internet than in any other media.

We’re also engaging in conversation.  46% of all urban adults regularly post online whereas 44% tend to be influenced by comments/reviews online.

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