Apps give print a second chance

A man sits in his kitchen over breakfast with his wife and children, reading the news and checking a live feed from a traffic camera on his iPad. And then the unthinkable happens. A fly, which had been buzzing around the room, lands on the table. Without giving the act a second thought, the man swats the fly with his iPad, smashing the expensive device into shards of glass.

The voiceover in this 30-second TV ad confidently reminds viewers that the iPad is pretty good, but even a staid old newspaper is capable of feats that Apple’s sleek device cannot perform with the ad proclaming, “The new Newsday app is better than a newspaper in all kinds of ways. Except for one.”

It has been only 14 months since Apple launched the iPad, but the company has already rolled out a second generation model, while rivals have now brought out their own versions.

For newspaper and magazine publishers, it’s clear that like the man in the ad for the New York newspaper iPad app, the tablet computer has revolutionised their traditional business models, while not necessarily delivering the negative blow or print media that many had predicted. 

The tablet - along with smartphones - has enabled print owners to sell digital issues of newspapers and magazines; to offer readers an altogether better looking version of the print edition, with slick graphics and video; and brands can book highly targeted, interactive ad campaigns. 

Catch the full article in the June issue of Campaign Asia-Pacific available to subscribers online today.