Abstract
Generally, the world remains surrounded by paper publications. However, people currently give minimal attention to the roles of print media and their significance throughout the history. Consequently, the present status and the future potentials of print media are unclear due to the emergence of internet and other relevant technologies.
Observably, there is need to analyze the historical confluences between the print and internet media. It is important to analyze basic factors behind the dominance of internet over print media in the present century. In addition, the critical examination of varied approaches to enhance and promote the dominance of print media in the present society is also important. Observably, it is required to have a substantial research on the reasons behind the closure of most libraries and their incompetency.
This occurs in comparison to the internet. Notably, the application of strategic management and marketing approaches can play a critical role in enhancing the performance of various print media within the present global society. The significance of the appropriate advertising mix cannot be ignored in this context.
Furthermore, critical research has to focus on the interplay between the social media, TV, and the website. The impacts of the changes in the influence and popularity of print media on most company’s marketing approaches and competitiveness is also critical. These factors include some of the significant areas described within the paper.
Introduction
Print media are symbolized through various forms including books, newspapers, magazines, and newsletters among others. The media might also include advertising, memos and business forms. Globally, media have played potential roles within the past and present society (Biagi, 2012).
Some of these roles include educating, notifying, entertaining, and manipulating peoples’ lives worldwide. The ability of the print media to visually stimulate and provide intellect by the help of text and facts enhances readers’ competencies. Print media remain an often applied term, which refers to the mode through which printed matter gets disseminated (Janoschka, 2004).
In the daily situation, individuals refer to print media as an industry or sector that does the printing and dispersion of information via a media meshwork that include newspapers and journals. Alternatively, individuals refer print media as the press. This is a transitional communicative channel that aims to cover a considerable number of individuals. Thus, this paper presents a critical review of the history of print media and its rivalry with the internet.
Historical analysis and the Present Situation
Historically, the print media revolution began in the 15th century. Johann Gutenberg is seen as the father of printing during these early centuries (Janoschka, 2004). Printing developed and grew into a potential mode for dispersing information, enhancing the discovery and application of print as well as mass media.
It is observable that the physical appearance of several publications and print media during the 20th century remains considerably. This resembles those that existed during the 18th and 19th century (Biagi, 2012). For quite a long time, the print media has also provided a potential storage mechanism for the vital information in the general society. However, the emergence of the internet (particularly within the present globalized societies) has changed the trend.
With the emergence of computers in the early 20th century, technology has increasingly transformed the media (Okrent, nd.). Print media remain one of the areas within the media industry that have undergone considerable suffering due to the emergence of the internet. Individuals, corporate agencies, governments, and other entities recurrently depict a tendency of dependence on the internet as a vital source of information.
People spend more time on the web reading journals, magazines, and other articles posted online. Consequently, minimal attention has been accorded to the earlier vibrant print media (Janoschka, 2004). Obviously, the significance of the print media can never be underscored. For instance, the print media help to draw individuals around a specific public theme and concerns. It is vital to note that this significant role is bound to last even in the future of print media.
Notably, there was a general opinion during the late 21st century that the print media was plunging (Egol, Hawkes & Springs, 2012). During the 21st century, the emergence and growth of the internet, electronic means of obtaining information, and online articles have led to considerable changes.
Although individuals can obtain information online from the internet, they still depict an urge to grasp the information and access it in a more trusted and solid manner. Perhaps, this explains the reason for adopting appropriate survival and competitive mechanisms by the print media and its personalities or fraternity.
As early as in the 2000s, several print media materials had recognized the importance of making their contents available online (Okrent, nd.). However, publishers began their operations online due to the basic discovery of computers and internet. Journalistic production has immensely revolved with the present capabilities to create instantaneous news online.
The Premise
Presently, most libraries are getting extinct due to their incompetency. They can hardly contend internet favorably. The extinction of the print media equally sends vital advertising and marketing messages to the potential companies (Janoschka, 2004). There is need for more strategic promotion endeavors to enhance competitiveness in the increasingly transforming global marketplace and organizational demands.
This is because the individual demands and preferences transform following the impacts of technological applications and advancements. The potential organizations have recognized the need of involving the diverse media sources or mechanisms for their marketing or brand promotion strategies (Egol, Hawkes & Springs, 2012). In order to capture target audiences in totality, there is great demand for companies to integrate the most popular sources of information transfer within their advertising and promotion endeavors.
It is still vital to recognize the significant roles eminent within the print media especially on product promotion. These observations are critical in the design of the companies’ advertising mix to enhance brand popularity. It is recognizable that the internet is never limited.
This means that both businesses and corporations have the capacity to register their personal and unique domains. Organizations ought to recognize the importance of Social Media Marketing (SMM) (Egol, Hawkes & Springs, 2012). This must presently form part of the extension of their internet marketing approach or strategy.
An organization’s management must adopt strategic marketing approaches including search engine optimization (SEO) advocacy and email marketing methodologies. Ideally, the SMM refers to the medium through which organizations can apply to send information with the most targeted audience or market. This innovative marketing strategy is very noble and enhances adequate access to the targeted market with minimal challenges (Biagi, 2012).
Competitive companies or organizations have to identify the present vibrant media types and integrate strategic advertising within them. An appropriate marketing mix involving the utilization of all relevant and vibrant media types makes a critical recipe for effective performance brand promotion (Okrent, nd.).
The print media might not provide a singular mode for product promotion particularly for companies that are keen to gain a considerable competitive advantage. Social media has particularly grown into dominance in the last period. This is because it has assisted people to develop solid associations organically through diverse internet channels (Janoschka, 2004).
The recent emergence of social media sights such as the facebook and twitter have led to a considerable transformation in marketing. Consequently, it is vital to note that organizations or companies that do not align their marketing initiatives to fit such transformations are more likely to be edged out of the stiff competition. The involvement of qualified and expert personnel in the design of completive marketing strategies remains important.
The company’s management, through the personnel unit ought to ensure that persons with the critical skills as well as expertise are engaged to provide the effective and appropriate marketing strategies (Kipphan, 2001). Alternatively, outsourcing and hiring of outside skilled personnel would also provide for the companies an important source of human resource that can steer forward the strategic marketing methodologies. Organizations should not allow vague social media approach or strategies.
Business plans must integrate the components of effective marketing mix by involving all the relevant media types within their schedules. For example, newspaper websites help in the interactive flout by enabling its consumers to give their comments. This has elicited enhanced debates on the issues related to print media.
Contrary to the print media that offer their personal comment pages, internet offers sufficient and instant interaction between the readers (Biagi, 2012). Therefore, consumers of various products are never in a position to provide instant comments on their opinion and feelings concerning specific products or company brands.
It should be realized that an effective marketing mix of all the types of media helps the concerned organizations/companies to obtain immediate feedback about their products as well as services. Certain unique features of the internet can enable companies to develop and create their own profiles from which they are able to display and communicate their advertisement and product promotion messages.
Television advertising has particularly become more common because it provides both the visual and message aspects to the viewers (Janoschka, 2004). More similar to the internet advertising, these two media provides the market with unique qualities of habit changing and preference setting. Basically, in television advertising, viewers can see, hear and get attracted to the brand on promotion. However, this is a distinct quality that the print media largely misses.
When an advertisement is done through the print media, the target groups are only able to appreciate the physical outlook or appearance of the product being promoted. However, this aspect is also largely restricted given the limited space and the capacity to show other unique features as evident within the TV as well as internet advertising. For most companies, it is critical to apply all the media types in advertisement and product promotion initiatives.
This is basically because not all the individuals within the targeted groups are able to access all types of media in their places of living or daily lives (Kipphan, 2001). The utilization of an advertisement mix involving all the media types is therefore critical. This is because this initiative helps to enhance the four Ps of marketing.
There are clear indications that the physical wares within the print media including the newspapers, books, as well as magazines among several others are bound to seize to be the elementary or most lucrative modes of dispersing information or interacting with the media. Generally, it should be noticed that these changes are never occurring on the premise that the print is not good (Biagi, 2012).
The simple fact here is that the digital media seems to be the best relative to the print. People generally like associating with trendy and modern stuff. With the increased rate of globalization, there is a great realization that no one accepts to be left behind even with technology.
The digital media or internet seems to draw so many merits over the print media. With the internet, the information can be obtained at a relatively high speed; there is the obvious advantage of ubiquity and permanence (Okrent, nd.). The internet also offers one with the capacity or room to update, remix and target particular areas, groups, or tar gets. There is an obvious ability to socialize and even conduct marketing through links.
Its ability to enhance data storage and aid the feedback processes perhaps provides it with the most admirable quality that the print media has potentially lacked from the time of its invention. The companies have to consider cost limitations and conduct a cost and benefit analysis when choosing an appropriate media for their advertising (Kipphan, 2001). This is because companies are entities that aim to achieve cost effectiveness as well as efficiency through all their domains of operation.
Arguably, the digital media minimizes the incremental expenses associated with production as well as dispersion of any content to very negligible costs. This is largely unlike the print media that has to incur such costs, including for the distribution. There have been observations that due to this, it might prove an expensive venture to advertise through the print media. Most organizations will continue to discover that a majority of their clients have gone digital.
There is also an increasing observation that conducting product promotion or advertising through the internet remains affordable and exponentially effective. This is particularly within the post-scarcity economies (Kipphan, 2001). Because technology as well as connectivity is increasingly advancing, there is a general presence of content in almost all places.
The print media is, thus, observed to be slowly and steadily facing the edge. The availability of most magazines online in soft copies is perhaps a better demonstration or indication of the fate of the print media. Even when it comes to storage, the internet revolution has led to the development of sophisticated technologies including cloud computing technology (Janoschka, 2004).
Cloud technology, for instance, has led to the efficient storage of information within the internet. Basically, this has solved the previous fears and risks associated with data losses within the print media through neglect, calamities or disasters within organizations. Competitive business entities, therefore, find it more effective to utilize the digital media in their management systems, operations as well as advertising mechanisms.
The ability of the print companies to indulge proper advertising strategies would enhance their presence within the media industry. Moreover, a transformational leadership and management approach within the print media companies would be preferable to help transform the feeling or opinion that the print material is no longer fashionable (Egol, Hawkes & Springs, 2012).
Developing creative brand promotion as well as advertising messages targeting the radio, television, the web, and other social media should be the main focus of the print media. It is vital to note that such a marketing mix would enhance their capacity to reach a wider capture of audience or clientele.
Consequently, when conducted in an appealing and appropriate way, it might transform the preferences of most persons and therefore change the trend that is currently notable. Companies that operate in print media services or activities ought to create an organizational culture and identify themselves and their products to be distinctly important and appropriate across all populations (Kipphan, 2001).
Brand development and d its consequent propagation within the market will be a critical step to all the print media companies. This is particularly in consideration of the present technological and globalization effects.
Design considerations would also be important aspects within the promotion of print media. With creative and unique design as well as contents, the print media is set to establish a powerful re-emergence into the social sector. The companies ought to understand that the marketplace presently has undergone significant evolution (Janoschka, 2004).
There initiatives towards effectively marketing the print material should thus focus on strategic methodologies that can significantly influence the market as well as the general population. The proper comprehension of notable market dynamics provides a critical stepping stone towards the revitalization of the print media by these companies or organizations (Egol, Hawkes & Springs, 2012).
The management of the companies within the print media domain should therefore ensure that their marketing plans are traceable within the relevant market pace. There is a great realization that it is never adequate to presently advertise specifically on radio, print material or television. The companies should thus consider the basic fact that in order to reach a considerable number of clientele; they have to socialize with them via the social media as well as the internet.
Adoption of a strategic marketing integrated with the social media marketing is necessary in the companies’ marketing projects (Egol, Hawkes & Springs, 2012). This would help them to develop marketing plans that will link them to their clients and yield full attention and recognition of their brands within the market.
Conclusion
Evidently, media industry is registering a continuous transformation. This has caused considerable shifts in the establishment and use of media services. The drastic budge from the print media to internet for information transfer is an important consideration. The print media players have been confronted by cyclical demerits with tremendous decline in business compared to other forms of media.
Generally, the present media environment remains intricate and extremely fragmented. Ideally, it has become extremely hard for organizations and business entities to effectively approach and indulge their clients and prospects. The wider variety of media alternatives and the market interplays have made the buying process more complicated.
There is need for the media companies to engage in strategic marketing initiatives in order to remain relevant and competitive in the market. This is a critical provision when considered critically in various aspects. Based on the history, print media has evolved considerably.
References
Biagi, S. (2012). Media/impact: An introduction to mass media. Ohio, OH: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Egol, M., Hawkes,H. & Springs, G. (2012). Reinventing Print Media. Four new strategies offer a path to future profits for today’s troubled newspaper and magazine companies. Web.
Janoschka, A. (2004). Web advertising: New forms of communication on the Internet. New York, NY: Benjamins.
Kipphan, H. (2001). Handbook of print media: Technologies and production methods. California, CA: Springer.
Okrent, D. (nd.). The Death of Print?. Web.