Craig Nayman Highlights Power of Local Media for Advertisers

Local Media Works chairman Craig Nayman, Archant chief commercial officer, has highlighted the power of local media for advertisers in the cluttered media landscape.

In a piece for ExchangeWire this week, Mr Nayman argues that the deep and trusted relationship local media enjoys with its audiences makes it a compelling proposition for advertisers which too often is overlooked.

Mr Nayman writes: “Demonstrated by a wide-reaching portfolio of brands (there are 1,000 local newspapers and 1,700 associated websites in the UK, according to Local Media Works, 2016), regional media still sits at the heart of communities up and down the country.

“But, in a world where attention spans are declining, trust in media is being questioned and the news market becomes more cluttered, media owners must continue to take pride in creating content that makes a real difference to people’s lives – all driven by emotion and connection to community. We need to make sure that the right tools are in place to ensure we evolve as consumer behaviour changes and prevent threats, such as ad-blockers, becoming dominant.

“By really getting under the skin of a community, regional media owners are able to offer advertisers an engaged, targeted audience. Regional media hosts some of the oldest and most respected news titles with extraordinary brand heritage that have built up trust with readers over hundreds of years.

“This brand loyalty has transferred to digital and, in turn, has given regional media owners a new path to reach new audiences, with data from Local Media Works showing that local media websites attract 97 million unique users each month. This translates into action too – local media is the most effective combination for driving consumer action, according to Consumer Catalyst research.

“Digital has only enhanced this passion and hasn’t changed the need for great stories to be told in the most compelling way. It is this personal connection that national and local brands can tap into – using it to create meaningful engagement, both on a local level and as a scalable national proposition.

“Our offering as a regional media owner has grown to match the needs of both local and national brands. There are opportunities for both to reach a targeted and loyal audience, heightened by a boom in digital and technology. We are also developing further ad tech products later next year to continue to deliver valuable local audiences for advertising customers. We exist to make a difference to communities; and it is this unique environment, alongside the deep audience relationships, that advertisers should look to take advantage of.”