Communicating Through the Internet:
Can On-line Advertising be as Effective as Print?

By Lynne Mosman

The following is a reprint of a thesis written for a college course, E-Rhetoric, at the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio.

Imagine that one newspaper could be distributed all over the world. Every person who reads a newspaper would read that one. Wouldn’t it be a company’s dream to advertise in that one publication? Now imagine the Internet. The World Wide Web is available to people all over the globe. Couldn’t it be a company’s dream to advertise on the Internet? The Internet connects people with businesses in a way that has never before been possible. Any person who has access to a computer has access to an advertisement placed on the web. Alternatively, said another way, any company who advertises on the web can have as an audience anyone who has access to the Internet. This new medium of communicating has raised some eyebrows in the marketing world. Contrary to reports that state otherwise, Internet advertising is as effective, and in some ways more effective, than print advertising.

More people all around the globe are using the Internet, both personally and professionally, and advertisers have a chance to capitalize on this form of communication. Concerns that have arisen, though, are exactly how should this advertising be executed, and more importantly to the advertiser, will this ad be as effective as the same ad in print? Dori Jones Yang reports in The August 21, 2000 issue of U.S. News online that "concerns about online advertising run deep. Traditional banner ads have for the most part proved ineffective." (Yang) Internet server providers were issuing reports showing that the banner ads, which are graphics placed as buttons at the top, bottom or side of an Internet site were not being "clicked into". So, what’s a company to do? The Internet site Success with Internet Marketing & Promotion gives 246 "tips, tricks, techniques and tools" and points out that "successful marketing on the Internet isn’t just luck but comes from the use of effective strategies." (Success with Internet Marketing & Promotion)

Part of the discord around Internet communication is that it is a new concept to many people. With print advertising, the consumer simply needs to know how to read. With the Internet, new users are joining the World Wide Web daily, and each user progresses at a different pace of application and understanding. Even though a majority of the audience is the same for both print and online communication, each may be at starkly different stages of computer and Internet practical understanding. These differences in Internet skills can mean the difference in an advertising audience. If a department store advertises a Holiday sale in Thursday’s edition of the newspaper, everyone who subscribes to that newspaper and knows how to read, could see the ad. If the same department store advertises the same sale on the Internet, anyone with access to the Internet could see that site. However, if the knowledge or application of how to access the Internet is not present, the only people who will see the ad are those computer users who know how to access the Internet. And, back to the banner ad, even if the Internet user sees the ad, will he know he can "click" into it? The audience for the online ad becomes automatically smaller based on the skill level of the Internet user.

Marketing and sales professionals employed by print publications have viable arguments against Internet advertising. When a company buys ad space in print form, the company purchases a tangible product. A quick trip to the newsstand and the ad can be seen. This magazine or newspaper has a somewhat unlimited shelf life, too. It could, quite possibly, still be lying on the end table of your physician’s reception area a year from now. A question to the advertiser becomes, do you really want your audience to be reading a year old ad?

That is essentially the problem with a print ad. Yes, it is tangible. Yes, it is permanent. Yes, that can be a problem. Products and pricing are constantly changing. Can it be truly relevant for you to see an ad for last year’s model Lexus, or, for that matter, last week’s Starbucks coffee of the week? No, what is relevant is to know what products are available and at what price they are being sold for, now. With online advertising, the advertiser has the ability to change copy instantaneously. The advantages of being able to take a hard copy with you are real. With a remote laptop computer or a handheld wireless PDA (Personal Data Assistant) you can access a publication from anywhere. If an ad in that publication has changed since you received your hard copy, you have the most up-to-date information in front of you immediately. Still want a copy to leave on the airplane? Most online publications can easily be printed for reading on the go.

There is, however, a credible feeling of value that comes with purchasing print ad space. One such point of credibility is knowing the circulation numbers of the publication in which your company is advertising. For example, if you are advertising in Better Homes and Gardens, you know, for certain, that 7.6 million households will receive and eventually hold in their hand your advertisement because Better Homes and Gardens publicizes their circulation numbers and people like Patt Johnson of the Gannett News Service tracks this information. (Johnson) You also know that in addition to that circulation number, many readers pass their magazine to a neighbor, or leave it on an airplane where the next passenger reads it. Circulation numbers, though, are often times more exaggerated than accurate. Counting the number of magazines mailed to subscription holders is easy. But what about the number of magazines that are sold in grocery stores, drug stores and newsstands? Publishers may record the quantity placed in a venue, but might not subtract how many remained on the shelf. Some publishers also add a secondary readership estimate (remember the issue you left on the airplane), which further inflates their reported circulation.

Selling the magazine to readers is just the beginning. Better Homes and Gardens can report to potential advertisers that 7.6 million people will receive this year’s magazines, they cannot, however, tell the advertiser how many of those people actually looked at a particular advertisement. With Internet advertising, circulation numbers are also available, but an added benefit to advertising on line is the ability to tell the advertiser exactly how many readers entered the web site. The numbers with online viewing are much more accurate than print. In an interview with Andrea Orr of Reuters.Com, U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray analyst Safa Rashtchy was quoted as stating, "In some ways, the thing that hurt [initial] Internet banner ads was that companies were able to count the number of people who clicked on the ads. It’s never been possible to count the number of people who are watching television ads with the same kind of accuracy." (Orr)

Print advertising can sometimes be a work of art. Picture the glossy back cover of a magazine displaying a sharp photograph of a vodka bottle. The bottle is clear, the liquid inviting. Viewers can envision themselves pouring this beverage into a lead crystal glass and lifting the glass to their lips. Or think about opening the center of a favorite magazine and finding a two page, glossy photograph of a shiny new pick-up truck cruising down a deserted highway (except for the lone chestnut quarter horse in the background) somewhere in the gorgeous terrain of Montana. The sun has begun to set and the sky is like a painting with hues of red, pink and violet. The ad copy reads "Like a Rock", and you can picture yourself sitting in that driver’s seat, steering that truck to a lifetime of security and strength. An ad like that is definitely effective, and is hard to top. What improvement could possibly be made?

Picture the truck again. What if the truck were moving? What if you could see the wind from the open window blowing through the driver’s hair, or hear the horse galloping in the open field? With an online advertisement, you can do just that. Internet advertising can communicate to the audience by video, animation, flash, audio or all four at the same time. The message can actually come to life and literally jump around on the page to get the attention of the reader. It can also do something else that print cannot do. The icing on the cake to Internet advertising is the ability for the reader to "click-through" from the advertisement to the advertiser’s web site. An Internet ad is an invitation into a company’s web site or specially designed web page. This secondary phase of the ad, although not used by every reader, is one of the biggest advantages of Internet advertising over print. These readers were not only interested enough to glance at the ad, but also "clicked in" to learn more. In addition there might be a "contact us" link on the web site the reader "clicked" to, or even a link to "add this item to your shopping cart". No need to cut out the ad, pick up a phone, or drive to the nearest retail outlet. The idea for a sale has not only been planted, the final deal may have just been closed. Communicating through advertising just became interactive. (It should be noted here, that an advantage of print advertising over online advertising would certainly be apparent in the case of a "scratch and sniff" perfume ad sample. As of yet, scratching the computer monitor will only smear the screen.)

Statistical reports suggest that consumers are not responding to online marketing campaigns but personal experience is showing otherwise. Currently employed as the advertising manager of an online trade publication for the amusement and attractions industry, I am pleased to report sales for 2002 advertising in our publication increased almost 6 % over 2001. Discussions with past, current and potential advertisers support our feelings that the wariness of the Internet is fading, and companies are realizing the effectiveness of communicating to a global audience over the Internet. Stephanie Olsen, a staff writer for CNET News.com reports "Net publishers are testing various ways of accommodating advertisers so they can draw in scarce online marketing dollars. So desperate are they to make money that otherwise conservative Web sites are using bigger, more-obtrusive ads to catch buyers’ eyes – and the early results show that such ads are effective." (Olsen)

Ironic as it is, one of the biggest sources of support for the argument of print advertising over on line came from the demise of the first Internet companies. Previous research claimed that advertising on line, although similar in cost to print advertisements, was both ineffective for the advertiser and a revenue disappointment for dot.com companies; with a change in strategy, though, online advertising can do for the dot com companies what print advertising has done for newspapers and magazines. When it comes to the dot coms, the first ventures into online advertising, did not work. Just like print newspapers and print magazines rely on a good deal of their operating revenue from the sales of the print ads, many dot coms started their businesses relying on the sales of online advertising. Unfortunately, companies were scared of the online advertising not being effective so they would not buy ad space. Therefore, many of the online dot coms failed because their ad revenue plan did not work. As we convince people that online advertising can be as effective (or more effective) than print, companies are changing their attitude about spending money for on line space to reach their target consumers. With the addition of animation, video and audio to an online ad, the ad becomes more "alive" than a print ad. Dot coms can now rethink their strategy and once again, include money from ad sales in their anticipated revenues.

Online advertising was initially confusing, expensive and ineffective. Now, efforts are being made to create more uniform online advertising opportunities by standardizing terminology, sizes and prices. These efforts are based, in part, from the research of people like Olsen who also writes "What do advertisers want for the new online marketing? Bigger, flashier and harder-to-ignore formats that in some cases go farther even that television in intruding on their audience." Olsen describes a 2001 instance where the search engine site " "Ask Jeeves" transformed its home page to a tropical theme for two days to promote 20th Century Fox’s video release of the Tom Hanks hit "Cast Away". Among other things, an animated volleyball – a prop in the movie – bounced across the company’s home page as an added attention-grabber." (Olsen) A 1/28/03 press release from New York City-based DoubleClick, Inc., reported "Fourth Quarter Ad Serving Report Attests to the Continued Effectiveness of The Online Advertising Medium…. DoubleClick Inc. (Nasdaq: DCLK), the leading provider of marketing tools for advertisers, direct marketers and web publishers, today announced results of the…year 2002…based on more than 630 billion ads from their clients. The data reveals the continued effectiveness of online advertising, in terms of planning and creative." Doug Knopper, Vice President and General Manager goes on to say "It is encouraging to see from the data that online advertising is becoming just like any other established advertising medium, adopting techniques, borrowed from the print and television worlds." (DoubleClick)

With continued research, adaptation and steady support, in a few years, the argument might be that contrary to reports that state otherwise, print (and television and radio) advertising can be as effective as internet advertising.

Works Cited

DoubleClick: Press Releases. DoubleClick Archives. 28 Jan. 2003.
<http://www.doubleclick/default.asp?asp_object_1=&press%5Frelease%5Fid=264>.

Johnson, Patt. "Magazine publisher finds gold in niches." The Cincinnati Enquirer
16 Feb. 2003.

Olsen, Stephanie. "Online ads get in your face." CNET News.com. 13 Jun. 2001.
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-202-6269719.html>.

Orr, Andrea. "Yahoo Tries Mining Gold From Web Data." Reuters.com
15 Dec. 2001
<http://www.reuters.com/printerfriendly.jhtml?type+internetnews&StoryID=457182>.

"Success with Internet Marketing & Promotion." Success! Internet Success Stories. 19 Mar. 2001.
<http://www.satcom.net.au/success/tips-tricks-tools.html>.

Yang, Dori Jones. "Still yippee for Yahoo?" U.S. News Online 21 Aug. 2000.
<http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/000821/yahoo.htm>.