Which is the better form of Advertising: Newspaper, Television, or the Internet?

The advertising field has seen tremendous changes over the past fifty years. The advent of television has created a massive impact in this industry. While television reached out to an audience of 50 million in a span of 13 years, the Internet reached out to 50 million in merely 4 years. Internet advertising is the clear winner in this battle between Internet ads/websites vs newspaper vs television. This article explains why Internet advertising has gained popularity over the years.

So, let’s consider the following parameters:

Cost: Cost is usually of primary concern while considering the various advertising options. Internet advertising, whether it is through search engine ads or setting up a website, tends to be less expensive than TV and newspaper advertisements. For instance, buying keywords from search engines is less expensive and costs only a few dollars, whereas purchasing a full-page in the local newspaper for an ad can cost tens of thousands of dollars. However, not all forms of Internet ads are cheap. There are several sites which charge a small fortune to post ads.

Range: Another important factor that needs to be considered for an advertising strategy is the range your advertising will span i.e. the number of visitors who sees your ad. Based on the usage pattern, ads will be suggested to them. Internet ads could be used to reach out to a local as well as a worldwide audience. Although newspapers and television also reach out to a larger audience, the number of Internet users are on the rise. The truth is that newspapers are seeing a record decline in subscribers and people have the option of skipping television ads now.

Targeting: Although advertising range is important, you have to keep in mind that it should be targeted. A major benefit of Internet ads is that you can target your audience. Targeting specific demographics is very important to your strategy. Television advertising is useful in this category, but results usually vary since the "type" of customer you target may not be tuned in when your commercial runs. Targeting a specific group of customers is very difficult in newspaper ads. As Internet advertising utilizes associated keywords, it can target more consumers when compared to television and newspaper ads.

Trends: According to research conducted by TNS Media on advertising spending patterns, Internet advertising surged to 33% in 2007. Internet ad revenue went up to 36% from 2011 to 2013 (86.4 billion to 117.6 billion). On the other hand, newspaper ad revenue saw a significant decline. It’s estimated that by 2016, online ad spend in the US will have doubled, hitting 67.4 billion dollars per year.

Considering these factors, we can say that the Internet advertising industry is here to stay.