When publishers were first dipping their chubby ink-smudged fingers in online, I was the art director of a magazine in Perth. The primary motivation for publishers then was to use online as an enticement in bundle deals with print media. That could be formalised in packages like “buy 6 print ads and get a free listing in our online directory”, or it could be just a random carrot used by salespeople to tip reluctant advertisers. The thought was always that paper was worth money, by the square cm, but that online space was essentially free and so the value was only what you placed on it.
It was an interesting turn-around to see this deal by The New York Times reported in Mashable. Now it’s online that has the value, and the print gets thrown in as an enticement.
The tides have turned.
