Why newspapers are better than iPhones

I love the confidence about this ad for Rupert Murdoch’s British tabloid, The Sun.

With a little more front foot behaviour like this, and everyone will be back in love with newspapers again.  

I particularly like the iPhone-style swipe gestures.

The ad is by London agency Glue.

Tim Burrowes

December 1st, 2009 at 1:43 pm

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Comments


  1. mal damkar
    1 Dec 09
    1:47 pm

    2. Yeah I tried to get some truth on the sun, but it was rejected by their crAPP store policy.

  2. Adam Joseph
    1 Dec 09
    1:51 pm

    3. Gold. They forgot to mention that it comes with a free PORN app on page 3

    “No Sun, No Fun” indeed :-)

  3. Gezza
    1 Dec 09
    1:52 pm

    4. Love the ad – but when did they stop doing the P3 girl? Or maybe they are just being coy.

    PS expect to see a version of this ad sponsored by The Newspaper Works sometime soon.

  4. Milorad
    1 Dec 09
    2:05 pm

    5. They’re pushing shit uphill of course. Print is dead and this is it’s swan song.

    100% recyclable would mean something if you could recycle it back into a tree, and if the distribution didn’t pollute or require oil.

    real journalism is long dead. Newspapers were convenient portable entertainment until something better came along. Now this is all just empty hype from an obsolete industry struggling to find a way to monetize a product which they themselves have devalued by abolishing journalistic principles so long ago.

    Charging for online news wouldn’t be a problem if it were more than regurgitation of wire posts and Twitter opinion, or if it had more substance than celebrity gossip.

  5. Gezza
    1 Dec 09
    3:06 pm

    6. Milorad@ Good rant but your understanding is questionable.

    1. No distribution method is entirley without environmental impact. Computers and digital dvices use many rare metals and long life pollutants. And obviously require dirty electric power to drive them.
    2. How can you claim real jounalism to be dead when there are probably more writers and photographers covering events around the globe than ever before.

    Most – in fact the vast majority of “real journalism” is funded and published by tradional mass media ie print and TV. Real jounalism is not dead it simply hasn’t found a new sponsor online because users have as yet proved unwilling to pay and most internet publishers are – almost by definiation – driven by short business objectives.

    3. Jounalistic principle – possibly an oxymoron. Newspapers and TV networks are commercial beasts. (yes even the BBC / ABC) They gather and distribute news for an agenda. Either to make money or to influence politics or self perpetuate their corporate DNA. The only principle of jounalism is that the content should be newsworthy and defensible as true. Fair and balanced doesn’t come into it. It’s all about getting readers and viewers and power. Why else would the most deadly war on the past decade with 5 million dead have recieved almost zero coverage.

  6. Daniel G
    1 Dec 09
    5:12 pm

    7. After seeing the headline for this article, I was hoping I’d read “you can’t wrap fish and chips in an iPhone”…

  7. Glenn
    1 Dec 09
    9:11 pm

    8. Newspapers are dead blah blah blah. Journalism is dead blah blah blah blah yawn.

    Elegantly argued, this is a great ad.

    One of the best I’ve seen in ages.

  8. SimonB
    1 Dec 09
    9:29 pm

    9. Very good, the agency responsible should win something for this! (Hehe, I’m learning)

  9. aplet
    1 Dec 09
    9:40 pm

    10. Its funny how many people foretell the death of journalism.

    Once upon a time, people travelled by horse & cart. Then came the car, and the horse & cart was promptly relegated to obscurity. The concept of transport prevailed, simply because it meets a human need. The horse & cart didn’t prevail because a better solution to the basic human need was found.

    There will always be a need for journalism – people crave the truth, just as they crave transportation. The medium may change – people may move away from broadsheets just as they moved away from the horse &cart, but at the end of the day the concept of journalism will last for some time yet.

    The question is, will over the longer term, bloggers provide the same answer to the need as journalists? In some case yes, in others no.

    There are bloggers that feel that their opinion is truth (read as Papworth), despite showing no real journalistic understanding, investigative insight or analysis. I’m tipping that the world will tire of these sort of self important bloggers really quickly.

    On the other hand, blogging frees up the journalistic spirit in people who may not have backing of a media empire, and therefore can voice a view that is truly independent. If this group can stay true to their ideals, then I tip that they will prosper over the longer term.

    Don’t mistake the death of the newspaper with the death of journalism!
    By the way – great ad!

  10. Ben Shepherd
    1 Dec 09
    10:43 pm

    11. good, clever ad. doesn’t quite have the smug, superior tone of the apple ads but they can always work on that.

  11. Gavin
    2 Dec 09
    8:55 am

    12. I was hoping it might include an apology for disgusting lies about Hillsbrough, but we wait in vain for that.
    BTW, I don’t believe the Sc*m has had a Page 3 girl for many years. THough I wouldn’t really know as I’ve never bought a copy

  12. Gezza
    2 Dec 09
    9:02 am

    13. @Gav: A scouser never forgets. Maybe Gordon Brown could apologise – he seems to be sorry for eveything eles that has nothing to do with him.

  13. Adam Joseph
    2 Dec 09
    9:09 am

    14. @Gavin

    Page 3 still going and has now developed into a political barometer:

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/medi.....ge-3-brown

  14. Warlach
    2 Dec 09
    11:22 am

    15. @Aplet Hear, hear!

  15. Tom
    2 Dec 09
    3:28 pm

    16. @ Aplet – People also crave looking at titties. So The Sun will probably be around for a while yet.

  16. Nigel Smith
    2 Dec 09
    5:21 pm

    17. No commentary on the politics and discussion of print v web. This is a bloody lovely ad.

  17. kaye blum
    2 Dec 09
    11:31 pm

    18. As a reader – and a writer – I love my iPhone. But I’ll never take it to the beach. Long live print. This ad rocks. Well done Glue.

  18. Mark
    3 Dec 09
    10:28 am

    19. Yes I am part of the huge conglomerate that is News Limited and I state that upfront. So have some personal insight. I have worked in Print, TV and Online so I almost uniquely placed to comment. Print isn’t dead is the same reason that Radio didn’t kill Print, TV didn’t kill the radio, Video/DVD didn’t kill TV and Online will not kill any of the above.

    Never underestimate the general public’s capacity to consume what ever you put in front of it. If you like; when it comes to Media we are obese but still show no signs of stopping consumption. The Sun is still around and as irrelevant but prevalent as it was in the 70’s because it delivers to you something that you don’t know you want; until you turn the page, and there it is another sub intellectual morsel. This applies to all media. Who needs another serving of “Groundhog Day” but off we go again? DDSS different day same shit, but we will consume it because we want it even though we never knew we wanted it. Ergo Human nature.

    When a reverse Google comes along and offers you upon entry a menu of choices relevant only to you and populated by your previous browsing pattern/s; well then all of the above maybe in jeopardy.

    The king then will be the content provider and the advertising agency that learns to integrate the advertising message within the content in order to deliver that content free of charge!!

    Until then we will just have to wait for the general public get to Monty Pythons Mr Creosote little mint moment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlfcF1I5e_g

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