Why "traditional media" is far from dead in today's digital world

May 1, 2017

Yes! We have become the digital age predicted years ago. We do everything online; banking, retail purchases, education, entertainment, marketing and several forms of communication. New media such as social media platforms and apps have provided alternative methods to communicating messages. But that’s exactly what it is, "alternative methods".

So, what does that mean?

Each form of media, "traditional" or "new", has pros and cons on how information is communicated and presented. With Public Relations, it’s important to strategically deliver the message in ways that generate maximum coverage and impact. For this reason, traditional media is very much alive. Even in a digital world.

Radio is a media that is great in delivering messages throughout the day with a high reach potential and frequency. Which means people can be reached several times throughout the day or week. Radio is also mobile. It is often heard in the background while driving, shopping, or waiting at the doctor’s office.

Television is a multi-sense media. It combines visuals and sound, and is still the most influential and effective medium in getting a message across. It’s often perceived by the public to have higher credibility than the internet. Moreover, Television has high frequency potential, some demographic selectivity and coverage flexibility. According to CRTC 2014 report, although TV has slightly decreased in consumption, people continue to spend a noticeable amount of time watching TV throughout the week, averaging around 27.9 hours a week.

Print, which includes newspaper and magazines, provides opportunity to increase engagement with the reader. Readers pay complete attention and spend more time reading a traditional newspaper or magazine than they do on digital print platforms. The 2015 NADbank report revealed that newspaper readers are spending 46 minutes a day with print copies and only 30-40 minutes a day with digital copies. Additionally, print media is great for delivering messages to well-defined geographic areas, and generates high coverage and reach.

Overall, traditional media is very much relevant. A well-developed PR plan will implement strategies that consider both traditional and digital media to reach audiences that may spend more time on one media than the other. Additionally, one type of media may be better in communicating to a specific group than another. For example, developing a PR strategy that relies on social media will have difficulty communicating their message to immigrants whose first language is not English. However, traditional media with heavy concentration on print publications can reach those audiences successfully.

SOURCES takes advantage of the benefits associated with new media and technology. Utilizing networks such as RSS, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to relay information. Not to mention SEO (Search Engine Optimization) which allows SOURCES to continually connect organizations and news with journalist and experts.

But SOURCES also pays attention to traditional media. Information passed over the internet can sometimes come across as self-promotion or paid advertising. It is important to SOURCES that public information is credible, and media coverage is credible as it comes from an independent media source that reports on news you’ve provided.

SOURCES continues to makes it easier for organizations to get their information out by helping to connect them with experts and media spokesperson. When an organization has a media profile on SOURCES, they and their key issues are easily found in Google Searches. More than 4,000 journalist take advantage of the benefits SOURCES offers, including the postings of news releases which are widely viewed by media throughout Canada and on a global scale.


For more information contact:
Tasha Meeuwenoord
Sources
Phone: -
Website: www.sources.com