DIRECT MARKETING STRATEGIES AND THEIR EFFECT ON INCREASING READERSHIP: AN INQUIRY INTO REVIVING THE DECLINING PRINT NEWSPAPER MARKET

Abstract

The print newspaper market has faced a significant decline in readership and circulation due to the rapid advancement of digital technologies and changing consumer behaviour. This study investigates the effectiveness of direct marketing strategies in revitalising the traditional newspaper sector, with a particular focus on the Sri Lankan context. Four key dimensions of direct marketing, namely direct selling, direct mail, telemarketing, and SMS marketing, were assessed to determine their influence on reviving newspaper readership. Adopting a positivist research paradigm and a deductive quantitative approach, data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 366 respondents using a judgmental sampling technique. Participants were selected based on their engagement with locally published newspapers within the past three months. Findings from simple linear regression analysis reveal that all four strategies exhibit a positive relationship with increased readership. Notably, direct selling, direct mail, and SMS marketing demonstrated moderate significance, while telemarketing showed a weaker yet positive effect. This research offers actionable insights for media houses struggling to remain relevant in a digital-first environment, particularly in emerging markets like Sri Lanka, where print still holds cultural value. It bridges an empirical gap in understanding the long-term impact of direct marketing on reader engagement and addresses a practical void in the development of cost-effective, targeted strategies for traditional media revival.