Google out-earns US print but it’s apples-to-oranges

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GoogleA new report from CNET pointed out that internet giant Google has brought in more advertising revenue in the first half of 2012 than did the entire US print industry, including newspaper and magazine. But it wasn’t a totally fair comparison.


According to the article, Google raked in $20.8B. US newspapers and magazines combined for $19.2B.

If you are a member of the print media, your reaction may possibly be summed up in a single word: Ouch!

However, there are two playing fields used for this comparison. The US print media operate in the US. Google, on the other hand, is a global entity, and its advertising revenue is comprised of income gathered from every corner of the globe. Apples to oranges.

However, CNET points out that as recently as six years ago, US print media advertising totals would have dwarfed Google’s income despite its global presence, so in that respect, the comparison clearly shows the migration of cash away from print and to the internet.

CNET also points out that Google is itself hitting a rough patch. Times are tough, even for an internet giant.

RBR-TVBR observation: Remember, traditional media, there is nothing stopping you from establishing a presence on the internet. If that’s where the money is going, that’s where you need to be. Your traditional media assets can help make your internet assets a success.

For so many reasons, we believe that a multiplatform approach to business is the recipe for success in a rapidly-changing world, if only because staying as current as possible will make it that much easier for your company to transition to the next big thing that we haven’t even heard of yet but which may be all the rage as soon as four years from now.