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Some newsagents concerned about lack of Disney story book collateral

disI’m opening this thread for a newsagent concerned about the collateral received from News Corp. for promoting the Disney story books. They say the one blow up character and two posters are not enough for what appears to be a big promotion.

My advice if you’re concerned about the collateral received is to contact News.

If you comment here and want more collateral, include your store details so News Corp. people reading this can contact you.

This is the first time I have noticed the blow up collateral. It’s a good idea but challenging to display if you don’t fill it with helium as some are finding.

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Newspaper marketing

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  1. MAX

    Blow Up Character ?????
    You got more than I did.
    I got 2 posters.

    1 likes

  2. pat

    more than me too 1 poster

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  3. shauns

    More than enough posters here and floor stickers as well, no blow up animals but heaps of balloons

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  4. Chris

    And only 15% commission. I am going to promote it but not go over the top as I have other products that have a better margin I prefer to promote. We are being screwed by News Ltd yet again. They would be making mega bucks from these yet screwing us with 15%. News Partner my butt

    7 likes

  5. Carol

    We got plenty of posters from both Cairns Post and Courier Mail. I would have liked a emailed file that I could use on Facebook but the Pdf files did not want to convert to pictures. I ended up taking a photo of the poster and I have got 5 orders from this and they are young family people who we don’t see often in the Newsagency. Over $200 worth of sale from little work so far.

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  6. Gary

    Agree with you Chris. The whole sentiment of Marks blog says that there has to be a seismic shift away from agency to retail. Here we are falling over ourselves promoting 15% agency again.
    And to add insult News have given Woolworths, directly across from my newsagency, the promo as well.
    Do you think I’m going to promote this? Pigs arse. I’ve got valentines day powering on.

    3 likes

  7. Steve

    I’m with Chris and Gary. I dont even Know what collateral I’ve got because I’m not wasting my time opening it and having look for 15% margin. If I remember rightly the David Attenborough DVD’s were 16.5% margin,which isn’t much better but why the drop to 15%?

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  8. Glenn

    15% commission!! You guys have it too good. We are only getting 7.5% here in the west. I am filthy about this promotion and fed up with News Limited. We are being used and abused as a channel to promote their lousy Sunday rag and they tell us we only get 7.5% but the promotion is a fantastic traffic driver and will assist in building incremental sales!! What a crock!

    2 likes

  9. eric tjie

    i am not promoting any, infact i hide it like the cigs. i know it will sell out ( recieve only 10) but i want take my time , before the customers get upset as it will sellout in the morning.

    1 likes

  10. Andrew b

    I’ve a got a blow up doll if anyone is interested.
    I’m using my usual email.

    0 likes

  11. Andrew T

    I’ve got a blow up doll if anyone is short of collateral.
    I’m using my usual email.

    0 likes

  12. Mark Fletcher

    Andrew(s) email addresses are cap sensitive – the first one (#10) was not your usual email address. Stop jumping at shadows.

    0 likes

  13. Andrew T

    Hissy fit!

    1 likes

  14. Mark Fletcher

    No Andrew. You said I deleted your comment. I did not. You said you used the right email address. You did not. I think you;re quick to accuse and slow to say, oops.

    1 likes

  15. Andrew T

    All I’m saying is don’t be such a drama queen. Well a drama anyway.

    0 likes

  16. Publisher

    Methinks you are the drama queen. Andrew.

    1 likes

  17. Andrew T

    I’m shocked Mr Publisher. What an odd name.

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  18. Gary

    Yes Andrew, give it a break and play games somewhere else.

    0 likes

  19. Lance

    Don’t waste any more time on Andrew T.
    This thread is too important to be burnt.
    You all have an immediate opportunity to get a genuine message to News.
    Do that, or don’t waste space here.

    0 likes

  20. Steve Sharman

    Lots of posters, a blow up character, floor stickers & free standing hoarding. We encourage customers to order to whole collection and insist on pre payment – at $56.40 per order and up to 50 orders expected (we had 40+ for the Attenborough DVD’s) its a significant cash input. My concern is about the digital marketing of the promotion – there is no associated hashtag, or picture files for Newsagents to put on their Facebook / Twitter postings. I will be using #BringHomeSomeMagic …

    1 likes

  21. Carol

    If we all say we are not going to push these promotions and whinge and carry on then why do you think the magazine and newspaper publishers are moving to Supermarkets and other our lets? Why bother with a lot of whinge old newsagents?

    2 likes

  22. Kim Maney

    Hi Steve, first off thanks to you & all the other newsagents for your outstanding support of the Disney campaign. We’re expecting it to drive huge traffic into your stores. We’re using the hashtag #bringhomemagic. Spread the word!

    Cheers & here’s to a strong launch on Sunday. Let’s make some magic.

    4 likes

  23. ken

    I received no promotional material whatsoever but that’s nothing unusual from news. What I would like to know is how do digital readers get this or any other promotion without coupons etc. or are they only available to print customers

    0 likes

  24. Dennis Robertson

    Kim Maney@post22

    Good for you Kim, nice to see someone from News Corp come onto this site and lend tangible support. Not sure what state you are from. Qld perhaps.

    Here in SA, as a Distribution only Newsagent we are fully supporting this Disney Campaign by ensuring the 2 Retail Newsagency’s we supply are getting stock delivered within the hour of when we receive them from News Corp Area Reps.

    We also supply to Coles and Woolworths and I can assure Retail Newsagents that proportionately, Newsagents are receiving far and away the majority of available stock. At least in this state. So from where I sit News Corp is strongly supporting Retail Newsagents in this campaign.

    Here’s to a successful campaign. 🙂

    2 likes

  25. Gary

    Am I alone in VIC where supply (even with Supermarkets) are half compared the last 2 promos?

    Apparently new allocation system, but considering I ran out last time, not sure why a 50% cut was required.

    0 likes

  26. Mark Fletcher

    Gary contact H&WT immediately and sort it out. I’ve found them responsive.

    0 likes

  27. Tracey

    We stopped doing putaways for these promos (even pre-paid because it was getting out of hand). And it really defeats the purpose of trying to get customers through the door on a daily basis – they were just coming in once at the end of promos, picking it up and walking out the door without purchasing anything else.

    Although, we hate the 15% commission, need to try and feed off the traffic that the promos bring in (especially kids based). We got heaps of point of sale.

    0 likes

  28. June

    Tracey we only get 12.5% on these promos.
    I really object to the divide and conquer
    stuff that News Ltd use.
    We have huge rents to pay and wages etc
    so why don’t we all get the same commission for these books.

    0 likes

  29. June

    I just noticed that Glenn (WA) said he only got 7.5% for the Disney books.
    How does this work when we are all using manpower to unpack, sell, repack, count
    etc etc.
    News Ltd will probably call it the “tyranny of distance” but that doesn’t work for me.

    0 likes

  30. Glenn

    @ Carol @21
    If we don’t air our concerns how will the message get through? My view is that 7.5% to do this promotion is woeful and not worth the time and effort. To do a display and promote it how News would like it done means other high margin stock needs to move out the way. I cannot afford to do this.

    If they want us to engage as professional retailers I am all for it and will participate enthusiastically – I just need to be fairly remunerated for it. In the interim, as a professional retailer, the space I have needs to pay its’ own way and this means something else gets the space and attention.

    This is not just a whinge, just highlighting the fact that the current remuneration model is woefully inadequate.

    5 likes

  31. Glenn

    And yes, in WA we only get 7.5%

    1 likes

  32. Peter B

    It is VERY CLEAR in reading the distribution figures in South Australia that Newspower Newsagencies get more than other newsagencies.
    Our allocation is down by half in what we used to get in a shopping centre, but Newspower Newsagents around us, even those on suburban streets get double what we do now.

    1 likes

  33. Tracey

    Sub agents receive 7.5%. If you’re not a subagent and only receiving 7.5%, there is something seriously wrong.

    2 likes

  34. Glenn

    Virtually every retail newsagent in WA is a sub agent, meaning that the entire newsagency retail network for these items in WA get 7.5%. Not sure what the likes of Woolies gets but i assume it is the same.

    It does not matter what or who you are, 7.5% does not work.

    0 likes

  35. Gary

    Terminology is the thing here. To make it sound warm and fuzzy News Ltd has branded those who don’t do delivery “Retail Newsagents”. Nothing to do with retail but it sounds very commercial.
    We “retail newsagents” receive 7.5%, the same as subagents and, supposedly, Woolworths and Coles, although we are newsagents selling the same product.
    Very confusing, very deflating.

    0 likes

  36. shauns

    The whole system is bull#$it , I chose to be a retail only after years of delivering papers for peanuts , so now I get a direct supply from qld news which is great because I don’t have to deal with another newsagent supplying me but why should he get the rest of my commission ? he is not doing anything at all no returns no drop off no pickups ,how does this work . What fool came up with this idea.

    0 likes

  37. Gary

    Agree Shauns. Frustrating part with these promos is the delivery agent gets 25% plus delivery fee (and I don’t begrudge them this as I was a delivery agent in a past life) for their delivered papers and the 15% for the promo. We spend all day handing out Disney stuff for coupons taken out of delivered papers for 7.5%.
    Fool isn’t the name I was thinking of, maybe D*#@head would fit better.

    1 likes

  38. shauns

    Same good on the delivery agent they deserve all the commission they can get ,but the system is wrong .they need to scrap it and give us full commission and actually pay the delivery newsagent for what he does

    0 likes

  39. ADRIAN

    Anyone else check the boxes for day 2-7 to find each box has 10 books each from all 7 days in them? I was wondering what I was going to do for the next half hour

    1 likes

  40. david@anglevalenews

    Yes Adrian, I did, and find it terribly frustrating. I will have to open every box just to get one day’s issue. FSM only knows who came up with that idea!

    However, sales were good today – had to get a top up on Advertisers – so have high hopes for the rest of the series. Also gained a few new customers, especially loved the one who said ” I didn’t know you stocked this. No need to go to Officeworks anymore”.

    @ PeterB – a good reason to be Newspower. 😉

    1 likes

  41. Peter B

    That may well be the only benefit of being Newspower, getting a few more sales at 12.5%, so we didn’t even bother to complain to the powers that be, not that it did much good complaining last time.

    Valentines is this season now, not newspapers.
    Bad timing by Newscorp again, as before Christmas, clogging our shops with home delivery customers buying a cheap book for their grandchildren and nothing else.
    Am happy to do these promotions outside of seasons.

    0 likes

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