Advertising on the Social Media of Spanish Newspapers: Traditional Media vs. Digital Natives

Abstract

Since the early 21st century, the press as a medium of communication has been facing continuous changes in its structure and conception. Technological advancements have led readers to a migrate from print editions to digital versions and, more recently, to social media. In this context, advertising has become a crucial source of funding, given the limited success of subscription-based models. The aim of this study is to identify the role of advertising on the social media accounts of Spanish newspapers and to establish whether there are differences between traditional newspapers and digital native newspapers. A double. Methodology approach was employed. The results have shown differences in relation to the quantitative data of the profiles on social media metrics: traditional newspapers have more followers and higher engagement than native ones. Despite this, the study shows that when it comes to addressing advertising as an element of financing, both types of outlets assign similar importance, work with similar advertisers and predict an increase in the number of commercial ads on social media in the coming years.