Check out the full page ad which appears in the current issue of The Groundsman magazine. Click on the image for a larger version. The publisher is clear with their message – stop buying The Groundsman magazine from your local newsagent. This is a disappointing message form a publisher who relies on the goodwill of newsagents to carry and promote the title. Indeed, it’s beyond disappointing, it is disrespectful.
I accept that publishers need subscriptions in their supply model and that they need to promote subscriptions in their magazines. However, publishers need to respect their retail partners.
I would’t be surprised in newsagents acted to stop carrying The Groundsman abased on reactions in the past to similar disrespect from publishers when promoting subscriptions.
All the publisher needs to do to make their subscriptions ad reasonable is to change the first two lines.
Mark we stopped carrying this title some time ago because it did not sell. Guess what it arrived again and will not go on the shelf.
Like a lot of suppliers, they have very little respect for us as their point of sale, I’m sure you will never see an ad that tells people to forget Coles/woolies and buy direct, so let groundsman get them to sell it.
just plain dumb, as has happened in the past, they will be penalised for their arrogance. Not a big seller for me, so wont miss it on the shelf.
If Newsagencies account for 50% or more of mag sales what business sense could be made of an action like this? I understand that the angle the publisher is taking in appealing for subscriptions but to do so by leveraging the offer against the channel that would have brought it to prominence sucks.
Yes, what to them was probably a quick decision is profoundly dumb.
Does this publisher have any other titles so I know which ones to early return
Not very nice really, however if you get time their website http://www.thegroundsman.com.au/index.php has a big flashing “get issue 54 at your Newsagent now”
Maybe a quick fix this morning after Mark’s post?
The Publisher is M.M.More Publications
and has been around since circa 2003, it is the companies only magazine I think.
The marketing departments (who are responsible for these ads) of publishers do not know who we are or what we do. We are just a label on a distribution schematic.
This is half our fault. We, as a group through the leadership of our associations, have been hanging around in the circulation department too much for too long. We need to address the business relationship with publishers more holistically
We went to great trouble to track down this title as a put away for a customer some years back. I don’t think he gets it any more but we still put it on our shelves. This will now be re-evaluated as there are other titles that could fill that space.
i have had it for a couple of years just had a look at my sales history , i always sold 4-6 but last few issues no sales at all , i must have lost them to subscriptions i presume . So i will be stopping my supply , i look at it like this no more free advertising for the groundsman . If they want me to restock it them they can also pay a fee for the browsers to read there subscription offer
Of course its not just this publication.
Was anyone aware that the current HMS Victory partworks was offering a free tool kit and other giveaways in the last couple of issues to get people to switch to direct subscription ? It was pointed out to me by one of my customers who has been getting it on putaway. Shes fortunately elected to stay with getting it from me but she commented on how sly they were in trying to get people to change over after the newsagents done all of the hard work.
Perhaps we as newsagents need to create a register with a list of the publishers that do this & then blanket black ban stocking any publishers that do this ?
Mark
We can jump up and down on this blog but
Subscriptions seem to be all the go. Better homes & gardens, style, country style etc, etc get pride of place in our store. Then advertise subs at a reduced price. How silly does that make us all look.
Greg I accept that subscriptions are part of the supply model. You mention Better Homes and Gardens. This is from Pacific. They invest heavily in our channel, driving traffic to our shops and running consumer campaigns for us. It balances out.
I think we should return this kind of magazine straight way to let them know what we can do.
Hi Mark,
The Groundsman are clearly offering their publication to people as a convenient option in the form of a subscription and i think your being over sensitive. this is simply a marketting ploy for a smaller business to generate much needed revenue before it all goes online anyway in the forseeable future.
Its a small niche the turf industry, So to suggest taking it off your shelves is only doing a diservice to consumers.
so what if theyve taken an angle to increase sales, I hardly think readers would interpret their offer in the same way you have and theyd simply subscribe if they wanted anyway.
While its a suggestive and edgy strategy i think they need to be congratulated for having a go.
I feel for newsagencies and people in the print media. Times are changing and its not only you guys feeling a bit helpless. from a consumers perspective the times already upon us that newsagencies are less about news and more about footy cards and lotto tickets anyway.
Basically, i think you bloggers are a bit jaded. time to move on and look at the bigger picture.
maybe you should all be working together somehow to strategise as a group to shore up your future instead of running down a small publication that is a vital link in the chain
of offering consumers choice.
go aussie
Tyson, I wrote this blog post in response to what the publisher of The groundsman had done against newsagents. If you want to ‘fix’ things I suggest you start there.