That's Entertainment

Written June 25

Every morning I scroll through my on-line version of The New York Times. If I see something interesting, I'll click and read the article.

On Sunday morning, the Times takes on an entirely different role in my life as I gather the hefty, hard-copy from my front lawn and, coffee in hand, retire to my back deck to read each section of the paper from front to back.

These are two different experiences...one is functional and information-driven. The other is for relaxation and enjoyment...with information secondary. I almost never see or pay attention to a banner ad on NYT.com. But the advertising in the "real" NY Times is actually part of the reading experience. I particularly love ads for store like Barney's.

Last week, the Times ran a story about a recently-released Yankelovich study called When Advertising Works The study revealed that advertising which appears in traditional media is "much more likely" to make a positive impression than ads in digital media.

The reason for this is simple...and relates to my New York Times story. People who are involved with traditional media are "in a more positive mood and more likely to be interested in entertainment and relaxation." By contrast, people who are using digital media are "in more busy moods, seeking control or solving problems."

Entertainment and "release" have always been the cornerstones of traditional media...and the reason why advertising has prospered. Digital platforms are essentially about information gathering...even within the world of social networking.

Indeed, these two worlds are colliding and people will continue to have many choices as to how they are entertained...many of which sans advertising. But I believe there will always be a place for media that allows people to take a break from information overload...and relax with the Sunday Times or the semi-finals of American Idol.