From the buzz it’s generating, you might think that the iPad, Apple's tablet computer, is transforming the marketing landscape by the minute. Phrases like “paradigm shift” and “revolutionary” are among the superlatives ad execs toss around when they describe its potential effect on the media and advertising industries.
To quote Huey Lewis and the News, print media could use a new drug. And few need it more than your local newspaper.
In the six months that ended March 31, the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) reported that weekday circulation of newspapers plunged by 8.7 percent, compared to the same period a year prior. Sunday circulation also plummeted by 6.5 percent.
And don’t look to magazines for a happier story. The ABC reported that retail purchases of U.S. magazines dove 9 percent in the second half of 2009.
All of which paints the iPad as the digital savior of everything that is fit to print, and a seemingly must-have media buy for agencies and their clients.
So, do you need to include the iPad in your media buy today? If your shop isn't buying digital editions of major mags, are you behind the eight ball already?
For perspective, I spoke with representatives of two media buying and planner companies.
A Tale of Two iPads: International Media Conglomerate vs. Big Regional Media Shop
On LinkedIn, OMD describes itself as “the largest full-service media company in the world.” That’s an easy claim to make when you have over 5,000 employees in 80 countries, and clients like Gatorade, Dockers, McDonald’s, Fedex, Showtime, and Monster.
Shortly after the iPad launched, Fran Pessagno, director of operations for OMD, adopted a wait-and-see attitude in a New York Times article, stating that, “Until anything goes to market, it’s always viewed through the lens of, ‘it’s short term.’ ”
A few months and an a few iPad media buys later, Pesssagno was gung ho, touting the tablet during our conversation as a natural for client FedEx.
“Some marketers are not culturally suited to be first movers, but with Fedex being a leader in innovation, the iPad was perfect fit,” said Pessagno.
In addition to matching the company’s brand equity, the iPad also suited FedEx’s user profile, as the FedEx audience, said Pessagno, “is looking for up-to-the-minute information.”
To satisfy that info junkie behavior, OMD picked three news providers “we felt had good offerings on the iPad, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and Reuters. The ability to download evolving news stories instantly was very appealing.”
Equally attractive is the ability to grab a metric for pretty everything. “We have tracking in place. You can look at video, and audio, and it’s measurable. You have various ways to identify evaluate the characteristics of the user…” what they are downloading, how long they spend on your screen, what stories drew who, and, of course, what they bought from your ad.
Pessagno's obvious enthusiasm seemed well founded. “The iPad is going to a be game changer for publishing, and for consumers and their need to access mobile content.”