Medium Matters ---- ‘The medium is the message’ Marshall McLuhan

There is little research in the public domain regarding print v online regarding B2B ‘corporate’ communications However, there are significant pieces of research that look at the difference in consumption of news content online v print It can be argued that consumption of B2B content sits closely to that of news content In terms of editorial tone, approach and rigour Both have the aim of delivering information rather than just entertainment Both can be perceived as improving the knowledge of an individual, therefore consumption can be seen as broadly similar Therefore it is worth looking at distinctions academics have made between consuming news content via online and print media and how this has developed over time Why consider print?

‘Facts from news stories presented by newspaper or computer screen were recalled at a significantly higher level than were facts from the same stories when presented via radio or television.’ Audience Recall of News Stories Presented by Newspaper, Computer, Television, and Radio (DeFleur & Davenport 1992) Early research showed print and online delivered higher recall than broadcast media

“The mode of delivery had its greatest impact on the most prominent stories of the day. That the channel had less impact on relatively trivial events should come as no comfort to those worried about the impact of Internet news reading.” Differences in Knowledge Acquisition among Readers of the Paper and Online Versions of a National Newspaper (Tewksbury & Althus, 2000) Research in 2000 showed the mode of delivery impacted upon ‘serious’ content

‘Readers were apt to read deep into a story, including the jump text, in print and online if the story was of particular interest to them.’ ‘Online readers tended to scan stories while print readers tended to be more methodical... overall, researchers found that print readers remembered more than online readers.’ Eyetracking the News : A Study of Print and Online Reading (Poynter Institute ) Research from the Poynter Institute showed higher recall levels for print

‘These studies supported the idea that online readers are generally creating their own list of top stories without the agenda-setting influence of the news organization, a practice that has an effect on their ability to remember what they read.’ Reference to the following research: Eyetracking the News : A Study of Print and Online Reading (Poynter Institute ) "Today's Top Story? An Agenda-Setting and Recall Experiment Involving Television and Internet News,“ (Conway and Patterson, 2008) Recent research hints at lower recall for online consumption

Research published in 2011 looked to explore these theories further Researchers at the University of Oregon looked to update previous research by comparing consumption of print and online versions of the New York Times in controlled conditions The New York Times chosen due to its reputation for trustworthy, considered and balanced content and also that it is the most visited newspaper site in the world The key finding from the research was the following: ‘Print readers remember significantly more stories (+31%) than online newsreaders’ Medium Matters: Newsreaders Recall and Engagement with Online and Print Newspapers University of Oregon (2011) Potential reasons for this are explored on the next slide

Why does print linger? (i) ‘The very nature of the Web as a medium that has subsumed virtually all others makes it a site for a variety of uses, including commerce, communication, news consumption, gaming and other entertainment. The print newspaper*, however, is generally dedicated to news, thus in choosing a particular media, users bring pre- formed attitudes about what to expect.’ Medium Matters: Newsreaders Recall and Engagement with Online and Print Newspapers University of Oregon (2011) *Note: The same can be applied to a B2B / ‘thought leadership’ title

Why does print linger? (ii) ‘Unlike print news, online news is ephemeral; it can appear and disappear without warning, thus creating an element of distraction’ It can also hasten the impression that since the text and headlines — things Poynter researchers found to be the entry point for Web readers — are apt to vanish, they are perhaps not worth remembering. At the same time, the knowledge that the information they can find online, even if it disappears, is immediately archived and thus imminently retrievable may make readers less apt to feel they need to store it in their memory.’ Medium Matters: Newsreaders Recall and Engagement with Online and Print Newspapers University of Oregon (2011)

Key things to consider for B2B Comms ‘The extent to which someone not just becomes informed, but remains informed — an inherent function of a person’s memory insomuch as a person’s ability to know something is based on a person’s ability to recall it.’ Medium Matters: Newsreaders Recall and Engagement with Online and Print Newspapers University of Oregon (2011) --- Potential ‘KPIs’ for B2B magazines be to stand out, differentiate from other communication and resonate with the reader – print is more likely to ensure the recipient remains informed and remains impacted by the title

Key things to consider for B2B Comms(ii) ‘If an item, for example, slips out of a person’s memory, has that information served any useful purpose other than to satisfy some fleeting gratification of information consumption?.’ Medium Matters: Newsreaders Recall and Engagement with Online and Print Newspapers University of Oregon (2011) --- B2B magazines, with superior branding, editorial content and design compared to other media is even more likely to be kept, referred to on a frequent basis, and recalled.’ Subsequent slides show that B2B titles are kept for a significant period of time and referred to on several occasions. The following charts are taken from the APA B2B presentation showing the effect of B2B titles in terms of readership and impact.

Customer publishing as a B2B solution

Strategies behind using magazines as a B2B marketing tool A magazine is able to bestow credibility and authority upon your brand A way to differentiate and separate your brand An ideal platform to position a brand as thought leaders to their key clients Can act as a flagship for an overall B2B communications programme including lead generation A way to enhance or strengthen existing brand values and perceptions Allows brands to showcase new developments and product benefits in a creative manner Delivers key messaging in an appropriate manner to clients Can be used to collect and build upon existing customer data

Relevant content for a B2B audience Source: Advantage Study / Kantar Media 66% of B2B readers say the content is relevant to them

Compared to 46% for B2C titles Relevant content drives positive action Source: Advantage Study / Kantar Media Made an enquiry Booked an event Joined a committee or group Bought a product or service Visited a website Example actions: 74% of B2B readers take positive action as a result of reading

Readers engage with B2B titles Source: Advantage Study / Kantar Media Time is devoted to B2B titles Average time spent reading of 27 minutes

Lasts longer than just a train journey Source: Advantage Study / Kantar Media Referred to and read on multiple occasions Per copy picked up on average 3.4 times Kept for a prolonged period of time Per copy kept 3 weeks on average

Customer publishing as a B2B solution

Medium Matters ---- ‘The medium is the message’ Marshall McLuhan