The recent difficulties at Trinity Mirror, Europe’s largest publisher, are indicitive of the extraordinary economic shift, and events, in the world currently.

With oil prices flying high and the Internet on the crest of a new wave, traditional publishers of magazines and newspapers are struggling to justify their position as the vehicle of choice for information delivery.

Sly Bailey, pictured, will struggle to find good news for her investors when she reports half year results at the end of this month.

When everything can be delivered faster, more economically and without any harm to the environment, online, why would advertisers and consumers continue to buy offline media.

Answer: They don’t.

We have already seen online advertising exceed TV revenues this year, and with bookstall sales declining 25% in 5 years in some sectors, the writing is on the wall for traditional newspapers and magazines.

And yet, when asked, most people say they prefer to read their information on paper than on screen. Everyone likes flicking the pages of a good magazine, and usually, the quality of editorial and photography is superior to that which you might find in a specialist blog.

But its a convenience thing. We live in the fast-food era, and even if the information isn’t high quality, we still consume it because its immediate.

Of course there is still room for offline media in this digital revolution. But it has been dangerously slow to embrace the online world in its marketing mix, and Trinity Mirror’s current problems are a sign for
all companies in the offline publishing sector to get a grip online.