Traditional media innovations keep industry strong amid online threat

The ability of top-level Nigerian traditional print media houses to adopt and improve on internet convergence in content delivery has assisted in checkmating the perceived threat posed by online media platforms.

With the rise of technology, there were strong concerns of the survival of print journalism but the convergence of content delivery, and largely, trust and credibility of the traditional media, according to analysts, will continue to keep traditional media active in the market.

Digital marketing practitioners, who assessed the trend in online media proliferation, say print media companies are evolving innovatively by utilising online technologies to ensure their content permeates through the society.

In his view on whether the growth in digital advert, especially online, will affect print industry such as newspapers, Abasiama Idaresit, CEO of Wild Fusion, a digital marketing agency, holds strongly that “digital advertising will continue to grow and print advertising will continue to innovate to align with the media consumption habit of its audience.”

Idaresit, who believes that access to technology and the need for communication and information are the primary drivers of proliferation to online media platforms, however, says that on any online platform “providing relevant content that resonates with the online audience attract and retain users on websites and this in turn attracts advertisers looking to reach users. Content is important and should be the focus.”

According to him, the print industry will continue to survive by innovating and ensuring that technology adoption is part of its growth strategy as technology in today’s world is here to stay.

In her assessment, Fiyin Williams, account manager of Sponge West Africa, also a digital marketing platform, says the proliferation of online media platforms will give rise to innovative thinking.

“For newspapers to stay afloat, publishers and print media owners will have to change their business model and adapt to market realities. They will have to invest more in their online media channel and be more target specific for their off-line media,” she says.

Daniel Obi