The newspaper question: do you keep the paper?

Everyone knows that across the country newspaper circulation numbers are declining (although a cursory google search fails to turn up any hard data) as more people turn to the internet, or TV, or nothing for their daily news.

Newspapers, therefore, have to make a fundamental choice about which problem to tackle, which course to pursue:

Fight to bring classic newspaper circulation numbers back up
Find ways to effectively distribute and monetize their digital offerings

The sooner newspapers let go of option number one the better they will fare. The classic daily newspaper is, I think, unlikely to make a resurgence long-term, no matter how you spice it up. Beyond that, newspapers need to innovate to survive, and the internet is a far, far cheaper place to innovate.

I was thinking about this while I read Amy Webb’s post about QR codes in newspapers yesterday. Amy is absolutely dead-on: newspapers need to start using their print product to drive online interaction.

For the long version, you should go read her post. The short version is this: QR codes are mini bar-codes that can be scanned by cell phones. Insert coupons and rewards, or institute a point system based on scanning them, and people have a way to tie together web and mobile technology with reading a classic newspaper.

Sounds like a good idea to me. And you can bet the QR code people are ready to go.