Newspaper Society shows websites increase readership by 14%

Posted by Nestor Bailly on November 26, 2009 at 1:06 PM

The Newspapers Society has launched Locally Connected, 'the UK's first integrated print and online audience currency,' that measures combined print and online newspaper audience, according to a NS press release.

Seven of the largest local media groups, representing 70% of the industry, are already part of Locally Connected: Trinity Mirror, Northcliffe Media, Johnston Press, Newsquest, Guardian Media Group, Midland News Association and News Media.

NS president David Fordham said: "The development of a robust and reliable system of multimedia audience measurement has been one of the biggest challenges facing all media today. Locally Connected now gives advertisers a unique cross-media planning system, allowing them to effectively target local communities across the UK in print as well as online."

It has already provided valuable information, despite being just launched.

The Locally Connected service has shown from its combined data and analysis that local newspaper websites increase their reach within their circulation areas by 14%. Whether this translates into a direct increase in circulation or readers was not specified; nevertheless, this is important news for local papers.

"On average the research shows us that a monthly online campaign in conjunction with a single advertisement in the newspaper will increase reach by 14% - and in some cases much more," said Dick Dodson, managing director of Telmar Europe which was commissioned to develop the methodology for Locally Connected.

"This additional reach will be more upmarket and in the core 25-64 age group since the website audiences are significantly biased towards these groups compared to the newspaper audiences," Dodson continued.

The audience data are underpinned by audited web traffic data, survey data (combined sample size of 100,000+ adults) and statistical analysis and modeling, which is all scientific and fine at that.

NS began the Locally Connected project in 2006 with the aim of extending the JICREG regional press readership database to encompass newspapers' online audiences. This provides agencies and advertisers with a geographical system for analyzing the combined net reach of a newspaper and its website within circulation areas at the postcode level.

Source: NS press release