Broadcasting is the term most often used to describe the act of disseminating the news, but for some companies, narrowcasting the news may be a good business strategy.
People’s news gathering habits have changed drastically over the past few years. Businesses that use digital signage can benefit from adding a news feed to their signs. Not only will narrowcasting the news get more people’s attention, it fits right in with the way many coveted demographics (affluent, educated and under 40) get their news – on the fly and in small chunks.
Trends in News Gathering
It used to be that people got their news from their daily paper or their nightly national news broadcast. With the rise of the Internet, news seekers have shifted to online sources in huge numbers. According to an August, 2008 report by the Pew Center for the People & the Press, the changes have been dramatic:
• In 1998, 13% of the public went online for news three days a week. In 2008, that number had increased to 37%.
• In 1998 only 6% of respondents went online for news on a daily basis. In 2008, that number had increased to 25%.
• In 2008, 80% of people reported that they absorb news in some way every day. But traditional news sources (newspaper, TV networks and radio) saw their share of the news gathering audience shrink from 90% in 1994 to 73% in 1998.
What does all of this mean to companies with narrowcasting networks in their restaurants, bank branches, transit platforms and waiting rooms? People want to be informed. They want the latest news. And they are comfortable getting it from a wide range of sources, even those that might have been frowned upon as less than trustworthy a decade ago.
Including news in your narrowcasting network adds value. Instead of feeling they are being advertised to, people will appreciate the information being provided and gain a positive impression of your business.
And how does your business stand to gain? Again, we can extrapolate from the Pew Center study. The study divided groups into segments, including Integrators and Net-Newsers. The Integrators gather news from traditional and online sources. Net-Newsers rely much more heavily on online sources for their news.
It is what these segments have in common that is of most interest to creators of narrowcasting programming. They are both well-educated and affluent. Net-newsers are younger, but both groups combined represent a highly desired demographic in the eyes of advertisers.
How Narrowcasting the News Might Work in Your Business
News narrowcasting is not suited to every business. Busy grocery or department store shoppers will not stop to read news items on a digital sign. But for businesses where customers need to wait, narrowcasting the news makes sense: in a restaurant lounge where people wait for a table; in a medical office; in a bank branch; on a commuter train or subway platform.
The news feed can be incorporated as a small segment of the screen, leaving ample opportunity for your narrowcasting network to display video and images that promote your business. A balanced approach to informing and marketing will resonate strongly with your audience, and have a positive influence on your business.
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