Zeta Interactive, a leading full-service digital marketing agency, has announced the findings of "The Future of Media" study, in which they commissioned market research group Forrester Consulting to survey print media decision makers and marketers in North America on their challenges and needs in today's shifting media landscape.

As rising print costs collide with consumer migration to online channels, media and publishing decision makers are facing one of the most challenging periods in the history of print media. In order to help publishers and print marketers transition into the digital age, Zeta Interactive commissioned Forrester Consulting to find out how they are currently responding to this challenge and how they plan to remain competitive in the future.

The research - which was conducted over three months, and surveyed more than 150 executives from organizations and industries heavily invested in print such as publishers, catalogers, print marketers, etc. - illustrates a clear call to action for those who have yet to embrace the shift consumers are making from traditional to digital platforms. Among the key findings of the research were:

Publishers, catalogers and print marketers alike are feeling the pressures of the new media reality

Rising costs and budgetary restraints are the top challenges among print users today. 67% report rising print costs are a challenge of using print publications; 67% also report that budget constraints are forcing the need for more efficient, targeted efforts

Nearly half (47%) also report that their audiences are migrating online.

As audiences migrate online, so do budgets. In fact, respondents predict a dramatic shift in budgets, moving from approximately 70/30 print vs. online today to 60/40 online vs. print in five years.

In response to these challenges, the market has clearly embraced digital publishing--that is, the ability to create and distribute digital editions of convention printed publications--as a viable option to expand their audience online, increase reader engagement and reduce costs.

51% of print media decision makers already have a digital publishing solution in place.

26% expect to implement a solution in the next 12 to 18 months.

Saving expectations are high. Exactly half of respondents (50%) indicated they expect their organizations to save more than 20% of their traditional print budget utilizing digital publishing solutions.

"We are involved in an unprecedented shift of media ideologies that is completely changing the way traditional publishers and marketers engage with their audiences," said Al DiGuido, CEO of Zeta Interactive.

"Our 'Future of Media' study definitively shows that in order to survive and thrive in the digital age, marketers and publishers today must leverage digital tools that promote efficient and effective consumer engagement and drive ROI. As more consumers migrate to online channels, organizations and industries heavily invested in print media can no longer afford to deny the digital reality they are faced with."

While digital publishing is not new, the challenge until now has been in its adoption--getting users to actually open and interact with the digital products. "Digital publishing must go beyond replication to provide a complete communications and analytics solution that drives traffic and reader engagement in order to reach its full potential and spawn further adoption," said DiGuido.

Respondents to the commissioned survey agree that analytics - the ability to track user activity and behavior within a publication - is key to success, with 36 percent of those indicating this was the single most important internal feature of a digital publishing solution. Integration with other digital channels followed, with 17 percent citing it as the most important internal feature.


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