A blog on issues affecting Australia's newsagents, media and small business generally. More ...

Month: September 2008

Magazine Week starts in the UK

Magazine Week started yesterday in the UK.  While I would like to see more coverage of newsagent engagement with the campaign a their website, it is good to see a week-long promotion aimed at increasing consumer engagement with magazines.  The Great Cover Debate, for example, is a good idea to drive engagement.  One newsagent, Steven Denham, launched a Magazine Club Card campaign to coincide with the start of Magazine Week.  He has recorded success already at his Village Counter Talk blog.

I would love to see us run a Magazine Week campaign here – but have it owned and run by newsagents as we are the true magazine specialists in Australia.

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magazines

Spring mini magazine

colesspring.JPGThis free mini magazine has been on display at Coles supermarket checkouts for the last few weeks – promoting their produce by focusing on the outcome. It includes a green pitch and other spring related products. The majors do this well. Even though we have 4,600 locations, newsagents do this poorly. Years ago the ANF published a free magazine – Nmag. Nmag ceased because of lack of newsagent support.

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newsagency marketing

TV commercial promoting newsagents

For those looking for the newsagent TV commercial, click on the image below:

The production and airing is being funded by Tower Systems as a contribution to all newsagents. I deeply appreciate a financial donation from one newsagent towards this as well as print space from the Herald Sun and Lovatts for the print version.The commercial aired 93 times in a pre-run this past weekend. The main campaign with over 300 airings will commence two weeks from this weekend.

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Newspaper marketing

More on the newsagent TV commercial

In response to the emails I have received in the last two days about the newsagent TV commercial and print ad which we have created at Tower Systems, I have some additional information to share:

The TV ad has been airing this weekend. The main airing will commence October 12.

  • We are preparing A4 and A3 artwork which people will be able to download from the Tower website and print in-store.
  • We are copying a broadcast copy of the ad to CD and will be sending this to all newsagents for playing in store for those who wish to support the initiative.
  • We are working on art and costings for a window decal.
  • We are working on art and costings for an A2 of the print ad.

We are also sending the TVC and print ad artwork to newsagent suppliers. Hopefully more will join the Herald Sun and Lovatts in supporting this initiative.

Key goals of mine in creating this ad was to get newsagents excited about their businesses and to show the ANF the kind of activity they ought to engage in on behalf of newsagents.

Over the last three days I have received some excellent feedback from newsagents who are getting excited.  How far this ad goes is up to newsagents.

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Newsagency challenges

Gulf News promotes being green

dsc04332.JPGThe front page of Gulf News in Dubai on Friday lead with a story about their plan to give two jute bags free to all subscribers in recognition of its 30 year anniversary. The Ministry for Water and Environment endorsed the campaign as did the Editor-in-Chief. The above the fold front page coverage for the carry-bag giveaway is a level of self promotion we thankfully don;t see too much of in Australian dailies.

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Newspapers

Nice pencil cases

nici_cases.JPGThis range of Nici pencil cases makes for a nice statement in-store, a welcome change from the traditional stationery offering. It shows that we are playing beyond the usual tartan pencil cases.  They certainly appeal to a younger demographic – this is why we have them displayed at an aisle end. Smiggle has done a great job showing that stationery can be fun – especially to new consumers in the 8 to 15 age range. Newsagents need to play in the space and offer fun stationery too – before we lose the opportunity altogether.  Australia Post has Smiggle in its corporate stores.

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Stationery

Going early with diaries

frankdiary.JPGWe have had diaries out for just over two weeks and sales have been fantastic – $2,600 at Forest Hill. Considering that we did not put diaries out last year until mid October, we are happy to already be ahead. Watching customer behaviour shows that the diary purchase at this time of the year is on impulse – hence the value in going early. It will be interesting to see the season total and whether going early pulled sales we would have got anyway or whether it achieved incremental sales – our sense is that it will be the latter given the diverse mix shopping centres attract.

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Diaries

Newsagent TV commercial

Here is the TV Commercial which we have created to promote newsagents. The commercail will air 93 times in a pre-run this weekend – on Arena, BIO, Fox Classics, History, Lifestyle, Hallmark, UK TV, W for Women and 10 in Sydney and 9 in Perth. The main campaign with over 300 airings will commence two weeks from this weekend.

The production and airing is being funded by Tower Systems as a contribution to all newsagents. I deeply appreciate a financial donation from one newsagent towards this as well as print space from the Herald Sun and Lovatts for the print version.

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newsagency marketing

Marketing newsagents in print

Here is the print version of the TV commercial we are running to promote newsagents. The ad has been designed by Tower Systems’ Marketing Manager Andrew Halpern and our Graphic Designer Vienna Chen. The folks at the Herald Sun have offered four full page placements of this ad in support of newsagents. A similar version will run in some Lovatts publications.

tv-hwt-ad-tower-ad-blog.jpg

It is a challenge to visually represent the small number of but diverse range of photos we were sent by newsagents. For a first go at anything like this in the channel we are happy with the end result. While the TVC has aired several times since Thursday evening, the actual run will not formally commence until October 12 – we are hopeful the print campaign will coincide with this.

Tower Systems is proud to be supporting newsagents through this campaign.

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newsagency marketing

Promoting Your Mortgage magazine

mortgage_mag.JPGGiven the success we had with Money magazine at the counter over the last week, we have decided to run with Your Mortgage magazine as our next counter-top feature title. Customising the unit to match the masthead makes it look purpose built. This display is geared to weekend sales – another reason for the title selection.

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magazines

Making the paper plane

paperplane.JPGThis paper plane set is one of the boxed calendars we have on offer for 2009. I like it because it loosely connects with newsagents and what we sell. Calendars like these separate us from other calendar retailers. The more we present ourselves as specialists the better.

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Calendars

Nice newspaper stand

newspaperstand_map.JPGCheck out this newspaper stand I saw a couple of days ago.  It is easy to move, holds a good range of products, easily handles bulk product and can be used to promote other products on the site an back easily.  I like the ability to move the stand the best – one reason customers become store blind is the set and forget approach to newspaper merchandising in newsagencies.  By moving the stand around we can easily refresh our offer.

This stand does not have a place for newspaper posters, something which would concern publishers.  There are ways to address this with screen technology and other poster placement strategies.

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Newsagency challenges

Publisher and game maker collaborate

Future, a UK publisher of games titles, and Sony, maker of games hardware and content, have collaborated to create a weekly on-console magazine to be distributes through Sony’s PlayStation network.  Read more at Game Infowire.  Computer game magazine sales are down.  Why buy content which is months out of date when you can get it online for free?  This Future / Sony move will further challenge the category.

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magazines

Promoting Popular Science

popular_science.JPGI have been talking with the Publishing Director of Popular Science, the new locally published men’s magazine. While we will be tempted to promote this new title in the science section, it deserves a more prominent position than this since it has the potential to extend the basket with male shoppers. The publishers recommend next to Men’s Health – Popular Science is the 5th biggest men’s magazine in the US.

I thought that readers here might like an insight into information put together by the publisher about the typical Popular Science reader:

Research has confirmed that there are 1.49M 25-49yr old males in Australia that fit thePopSci guy profile.

He is a high achiever, he is not price sensitive, if he wants something he will seek it out and pay the asking price.

He has diverse interests ranging from camping to computers, surfing to photography, from golf to gadgets.

He is a modern independent man (over 50% live alone) who does his own shopping & cooking – he contributes largely to the growth in the male grocery shopper.

This is the first general interest magazine to come to Australia that is not about business, cars, sport, girls or computers. The PopSci Guy can happily read it in front of his girlfriend or mother!

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magazines

Revising the counter offer

cal_candy.JPGWe have revised our counter offer at Forest Hill – introducing small magnetic day to a page calendars. This display has been in place for a week and is achieving good results. The high price and good margin make each calendar worth more than a candy bar. We have been careful in selecting the calendar titles to promote in this impulse position.

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Calendars

Flower Fairies partwork

flower_fairies.JPGNot to be left behind in partwork season, young girls are the target for Flower Fairies, a partwork collection of porcelain plates. Some of us in our newsagencies are not too sure how this one will go – but, then, we are not the target demographic. We have had it out for four days and sales are okay although the solar system partwork is doing better – the weekend will be the real test as it often is with partworks.

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partworks

Preparing for a quiet day

If tomorrow is like other AFL Grand Final days it will be busy until lunchtime and then dead.   While on most Saturdays trade is constant, on Grand Final Saturday the day is 85% over by lunchtime.  We have tried the day with the game on a big TV in-store.  We have also tried promotions to draw people in.  We have found we are better off using the quiet time to get work done.  With both teams from Melbourne we are sure to feel the impact more this year.

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retail

Pride at Women’s Weekly’s 75th

frank_aww_pride.JPGAustralian newsagents ought to feel tremendous pride at the success of Australian Women’s Weekly.  It was our channel which distributed and sole this title exclusively for decades.  Newsagents were key to the making the Weekly the success it was all those years ago and wile other retailers share tit title today, it was newsagent’s hard-yards which connected the title with consumers.

Remember, this grand of lady of publishing grew in a time without TV and mass electronic media advertising – the retail channel was crucial.  Newsagents actively promoted the title and nurtured loyalty around the masthead.

I bet there are people working in newsagencies today who remember fifty and even more years ago and the work newsagents did to support AWW.  These are real heroes for this title.  The displays we make this week and next in our stores ought to be a salute to the newsagents who made the title a success.

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magazines

The cost of home delivery

Posts here about newspaper distribution always attract plenty of comments from newsagents – usually around the same theme of the cost of the service versus the revenue. The challenge is that newsagents have contracts developed by publishers which control the model from start to end.

While some newsagents have handed back their runs, not enough have taken this step for publishers to be too worried. My feeling is that we are some way off a tipping point which would bring publishers to the negotiating table with fair offer. This is why I suggested a summit earlier this week. By taking the initiative, newsagents could set the agenda. The challenge is that industry associations, over the years, have not had the balls to take control of the relationship. I have heard industry association board members speak of the fear they feel of retribution if they work too hard for their members when talking to publishers.

Publishers are making money from newspapers, from advertising. They can afford to pay more. Newsagents need to find a way to negotiate around this.

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Newsagency challenges
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