You always make a cogent argument, but once again we’ll have to agree to disagree.

I really don’t see the evidence that print is better at marketing than the web. You can reach far more potential customers inexpensively online than you could possibly afford to in print. And I don’t think the economy is driving the clear move from print to web, though we’ll find out who’s right when the economy eventually recovers. Just as I don’t expect consumers to resume their spendthrift ways, I don’t expect vendors to resume throwing big bucks at print ads when they can get a lot better–and measurable–ROI online.

Online ad spend is huge and growing dramatically. This isn’t the flavor of the month, it’s the flavor of the decade. If you assume a zero sum game for ad spend, online ad growth is coming at the expense of print ads. The current rationing of money between shows, print and online is a legacy that’s changing, though not as quickly for the big dogs, who aren’t often at the leading edge. You see a reaction, I see a trend.

What you’re doing is exactly what I recommend–diversify your revenue streams by offering a variety of complementary products: shows, print and online. The trick is maintaining your margins as the marketing mix changes. Everyone from Rupert Murdoch to a legion of web startups is trying to rethink their approach in a changing publishing environment. Natural selection is in full swing.

We definitely live in interesting times.

I always enjoy your take on the market, but you continue to confuse the art of marketing with that of sales. This coupled with a changing economy leaves you with a false conclusion.

The reasons that print is able to charge dollars when when web achieves only dimes is for the simple reason it is better at marketing. Don’t confuse the slow economy’s effect on print to a shift towards the web.

In the past year we have heard more and more Web sites focused on lead generation. And although they are more efficient at recording leads, they haven’t been all that great at the delivery.

RTC does events, does print and does web. The revenue and the best reflection of a companies spending goes in the same order – events, print and web. This reflects the spending habits of most “marketing” people as indicated by Folio magazine.

So in conclusion, don’t confuse lead generation with marketing, don’t confuse the recording of leads as delivering value, and don’t discount your clients spending habits as irrelevant – as your client’s are willing to spend 10 times as much on print as they are on the web. (according to Adscope).

John Reardon
The RTC Group