Newsprint has to adapt to the ever changing world

Gone are the days when a newspaper publisher just offered newspapers! Thanks to technology, changing media consumption behaviour and the nature of business, newsprint has to adapt. And it has.  

Caxton Local Media is so much more than just newspapers. “We’re constantly changing and adapting, we’re not just a newsprint company anymore – we’re everything local media!” says Jaco Koekemoer, MD of Caxton Local Media & Coldset Printing. “Caxton Local Media are also specialists in social media campaigns, digital display advertising and even an events ‘builder’ within local towns.”

The recent Great Benoni Bakeoff is an excellent example of a local event managed by Caxton Local Media.  The local newspaper, The Benoni City Times, teamed up with a school in its community, sold tables to vendors, assisted with event logistics and provided pre and post event coverage.

Local media is the perfect medium to advertise similar community based events. “We provide the opportunity for local people to connect and also promote local employment. For example, at this event we made use of local sound engineers and of course our Benoni based journalists helped create a full 360 degree localised event. This recipe can be replicated in any community.”

Local printed content is effectively supplemented with digital. “The digital environment and era has provided us with so much more opportunity to engage with our communities,” explains Irma Green, Group Editor, Caxton Local Media. “We can reach people so much faster because of all the platforms we have at our disposal. In addition to that, we are a trusted medium that provides immediacy, coupled with authentic and credible reporting.”

#DidYouKnow that Caxton Local Media is now the second biggest digital publisher in South Africa? Immediate news is extremely relevant to a local community and because of this relevance the publisher now boasts over 6.5 million unique visitors. Combine that with 3.5 million households where local newspapers are delivered and advertisers and brands have access to significant reach!

Consumers go to their local newspapers and websites for local news. Retailers have branches in many of the same areas. Besides the engagement, the ability to connect residents with retailers and other businesses in a localised manner is one the biggest advantages that this advertising platform has.

In a recent Nielsen research programme* that the Publisher Research Council (PRC) made available to the industry, it was clear that reading platforms (digital and print) provides the best Return on Investment for every Rand spent – better even than Television and Radio! “The Print and Digital combination is a potent permutation, especially when there is strong evidence delivered by a truly robust survey,” says Koekemoer.

“We are a multiplatform media company for local communities,” concludes Koekemoer. “Caxton is no longer just a newsprint company, we’re local media and we’re constantly adapting – offering advertisers newspapers, social media campaigns, digital display advertising and even local events managed by our teams on the ground within that community.

There has never been a more exciting time for the publishing and newsprint industries, it’s just up to us to take it to the next level and take full advantage of it.”

*http://www.prc.za.com/2018/10/17/digital-and-print-combined-consistently-deliver-the-greatest-roi/