Merits and Demerits of Advertising in Newspapers

Advertising in Newspapers

It is almost impossible to imagine a life without newspapers. Newspapers give news, views, ideas, interpretations, opinions, comments and explanations covering social, economic, political, educational, moral, cultural, ecological and legal aspects. Of all the media, newspaper is considered as the one of the effective platform for advertising as it continues to remain the most powerful message carrier. Of the total space content of a newspaper, roughly 45% goes to advertisements and the rest for news items.

Newspaper Advertising - Merits and Demerits
Newspaper Advertising – Merits and Demerits

Merits of Advertising in Newspapers

The following are some of the advantages of newspaper advertising.

1. Wide coverage: Newspapers serve local, regional and national markets. They reach people of all age groups and all income levels, both in cities and rural areas.

2. Quick response: Newspapers are the carriers of current news. People read them to find out the various developments that take place daily. Newspaper advertisements have a sense of urgency. The public response to the advertisements is immediate as it reaches them while they are fresh and are in a receptive mood.

3. It is regular and frequent: For those manufacturers who are more particular about the frequency and regularity of their message, there is nothing like newspaper advertising. Newspaper advertising keeps the product or the service constantly before the readers. It reminds them of the product or the service.

4. Flexibility: Advertisements can be inserted or changed practically overnight. Retail advertisers often make last minute changes in their newspaper advertisements to take full advantage of newly arrived products, last minute concessions to boost the sales — Hence, flexibility is an unique aspect in newspaper adverting.

5. It is economical: Newspaper advertising, in view of the extent of coverage in terms of circulation has one of the lowest cost per reader.

Demerits of Advertising in Newspapers

The following are some of the disadvantages of newspaper advertising.

1. Newspapers have shortest life span: Newspapers have the shortest life. It has been estimated that the effective life of newspaper for an individual is about 15 to 20 minutes. None bothers to refer back the newspaper which becomes stale. Hence, to make the impression of advertisement lasting, the advertiser has to repeat his advertisements, involving additional costs.

2. It lacks quality reproduction: The paper in which newspapers are printed are of low quality, compared to magazines. Hence, the advertisements may not be very appealing, which is an essential factor for any advertisement.

3. Limited readership: As illiterate people cannot read the newspapers, the reach of the advertisement is confined only to the educated persons. Hence, this factor could pose a problem in rural India.

4. Element of uncertainty: As many readers ‘rush’ through their newspapers hurriedly, they may fail to see the advertisements totally. So, the number of people who may miss out the advertisement is more in newspapers.