The 2021 AdClub Newspaper Day that took place on April 27 and was moderated by John Tory, had 300 registrants and 260 attendees – a resounding success for its first virtual event. Discussion topics included how publishers can work in partnership with businesses in the reopening of the economy and how to support them for the rest of 2021 and into 2022. As we’re all too familiar now, many businesses and non-profit organizations have been shut down or have been operating at limited capacity for months due to COVID-19. Understandably, a lot of business owners were eager to start up again and resume serving their customers more fully. We heard directly from advertisers on how newspapers can assist and nurture their existing partnerships during this process. This year’s event made it clear the vital role that newspaper media has in navigating the new normal.

It was agreed amongst the panelists that collaboration and partnerships are paramount in the development of the new innovation and creativity needed to break through to audiences across all Canadian publishers. Over the past year, the ability to brainstorm in person during face-to-face meetings or at an event has been unsurprisingly impacted. Advertisers also made it very clear that while budgets in most cases have been cut or dramatically reduced, the biggest value newspaper media can provide is the ability to reach consumers with the right messaging at the right time. In order for this to occur, it requires the development of a NEW go-to-market strategy that works with the new normal. Advertisers are really looking for publishers to be a resource and an ally as we ramp up for the economy to reopen fully, working together to make sure we see the best results possible.

We, the newspaper media industry, look forward to working with our clients using a more collaborative approach as we navigate the new normal together.

Check out the event here: https://adclub.local/our-events/newspaper-day-2021/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ad-club-central-edition-4&utm_term=newspaper-day&utm_content=blog%20post