Classified Ads

The American newspaper has been vital in the building and success of our country as a world power. We have put our trust in our newspapers to connect to our world and in the course of over a century, they have become part of our society, our communities, our nation and our homes. As Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner held sway in the development of the West and Henry Grady’s Atlanta Constitution was instrumental in building the New South, America’s newspapers have had enormous influence and power. The Washington Post showed its duty to journalistic integrity when it broke the famous Watergate scandal, as the New York Times and the Cleveland Plain Dealer have served their readers with decades of award-winning excellence in journalism. While undoubtedly the largest and most successful papers will continue their service to their communities, many are feeling enormous financial strain in today’s economy.

Some contend that the overall lack of quality in journalism in today’s world and the attention span of readers have served to threaten newspapers today. Others note that operating budgets are the culprits with higher printing and distribution costs to blame. Still more point out that display advertising is drying up, eroding the bottom line of our favorite papers. While all of these factors certainly play a large role in the struggles of newspapers today, none are more important or compelling as the loss of classified advertisements.

Classified ads have long represented the way we talk to each other. Buy and sell, post a notice, reach out with a personal ad, these little ads are the way we connect and to the newspapers, were the lifeblood of the industry. In the first decade of this century classified advertising in newspapers dropped 70%, following a late-nineties decline that already saw the newspaper industry losing billions in lost classified advertising. The power of classified ads is not in their size but in their sheer volume. The power of this vast network of connection didn’t go away though, it just shifted.

We already know where the classified ads went. The most direct translation of the classified ad is now found on ebay and craigslist. Want to get more specific? Car Soup is one example of a provider who has taken over one of the classic uses of the classified ad: buying and selling cars. Facebook, MySpace and many other online services were savvy enough to see the need for personal connections for friends and families. Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings had trouble finding a place to live as he began his NFL career. He turned to his Twitter followers for recommendations and found a place in a matter of days.

The shift to online is not news though. What is surprising is that there remains the tendency to look to print formats to carry our message. Against all evidence, old habits and perceptions remain. For business owners, an argument can be made that some print presence is important. A stronger argument can be made that only by embracing online and social media can we connect, influence and persuade in the world today.