Jingle the dog, the dog which interacts as you read the accompanying book, has sold out for us so we have ordered more stock.
I love these products which are promoted on TV. Customers come in, they comment that they saw it on TV and purchase without a second thought. Sales of this product have been a reminder of the power of TV. The sales also speak to the value of branded products. Shoppers trust the Hallmark brand. They would have less trust for a cheap unbranded product.
The sales success of Jingle reinforces my preference for branded products.
It would be great if all newsagents were equal and had access these items. When I became a newsagent I expected to belong to a group that sourced all sorts of wonderful thing for us. There must be more newsagents in Australia then Post Offices and look at what they have to offer from a central buying office.
Carol, any newsagent with a Hallmark account can access this.
Carol I am not part of a group and I have these .well had these I sold the last one two days ago
Carol I do get what you are saying though
chemists have this sort of strong unity. thats why they have surived the supermarkets trying to get into their products better than newsagents did and they won that fight against both the coles/wollies and the huge international drug companies…. newsagencies let governments deregulate, and the publishers sell to anyone.
Peter it was not that newsagents let Govt deregulate it was the huge pressure coles/woolies put on the Govt so they could get into mags and then once the foot was in the door then cards, stationery and everything else flowed in. but I also get what you say about chemist, for all the groups there is also a single brand that keeps the wolves from eating the lambs.
Peter,
The pharmacy industry united only to fight for their protected market of certain medicines. In all other areas of their product range pharmacies are HIGHLY competitive with one another. Pharmacies are also more likely to belong to a marketing group or franchise.
Pharmacies also lost a quite reasonable amount of margin on some of the medications when (Pfizer – I think_ or whoever the distributing conglomerate for that brand is ) removed wholesalers/distributors and now sell direct to pharmacies at reduced margin.
” Pharmacies are also more likely to belong to a marketing group or franchise”
I thought that was a really pertinant point Jarryd. I think thats why there’s less strength in the newsagency channel. Less overall unity.
Paul,
Im not sure if you’re advocating for marketing groups and the unity they create within their own group, or against them and the division they create within the industry as a whole?
Jarryd,
Just a question, why do you think a group creates a division within the industry?
Al
Allan,
I say it creates a division in the sense that those in a group are less likely to want to associate themselves with the industry as a whole. They are more likely to identify first and foremost as part of their brand than as part of the industry. I think this particular kind of division is a good thing. It encourages competition and innovation.
Thanks Jarryd,
I was hoping that is what you had meant. As a member of a group i can agree wholeheartedly with what you say about putting the group first but also think there is an upside to wanting to support the industry as a whole. My dream would be full unity…..then we could take control of the channel and have it sit atop of the retail ladder.
Cheers
Al
According to the ANF website there are about 5000 individual newsagents in the country and some marketing groups have less then say 200-250 members (less then 5% of the whole), each pulling in there own direction without a overall strong association like the pharmacy guild to act on the big issues and we wonder why we get the shaft on most issues.
I’m not for or against marketing groups but to compare them to chemist is getting a little ahead of ourselves.
Those that do not want to associate with the newsagent industry first need to ask why they call themselves newsagents and not just general retailers, it is my opinion that they want the benefits of the history of newsagencies that has built a strong brand and consumer sentiment over the generations.
Customers associate Newsagents with local family owned business and they have a connection with community, this is a legacy back further then groups and in the face of bad leadership from the ANF and state bodies over the years.
Sure there are bad newsagents as well but the BRAND NEWSAGENCY still has a pulling effect bigger then the individual groups it is just not being used well.
Just my opinion and I know there are those out there that only value their own opinions and will want to argue so feel free not to reply to my post as it is again only my opinion from my experience.
Luke I agree with your argument about Newsagency – it WAS a brand all by itself.
However, and I am open to criticism here – I firmly believe that we need to re-invent
our industry and the word NEWSAGENCY has to go.
We need national unity urgently and we need a change of direction – papers are simply coming to the end of their lifetime
and we have to acknowledge that fact.
AGENCY has given rise to us being cajoled by principals into having Ticketek, WU, Lotteries, bus tickets – recharge cards etc etc – all at a very poor return to our businesses.
We need to find a new banner under which
we can all perform to our best.
NEWSLINK did it very successfully and we need to do the same.
NEWSLINE is my first offering.
My daughter just asked me what I was thinking (she is 46) and she was aghast at my opinion.
She says the word “NEWSAGENCY” is an
international brand and should NEVER be
removed. Two girls, same family, different
opinions – interesting?????
Interesting seeing the comments stray so far from an innocuous post about success with a dog and a book.
On the channel itself and what it’s called, as I have written previously, the term newsagency is irrelevant. Marketing groups will continue to unite, strengthen and trade away from the term newsagency. They will still be newsagents but not in a way connected with all.
We have all created the current situation.
here are some posts over recent years which relate to this topic:
http://www.newsagencyblog.com.au/2009/09/06/junk-shop-newsagencies/
http://www.newsagencyblog.com.au/2008/05/27/tough-decisions-for-newsagents-part-1/
http://www.newsagencyblog.com.au/2008/03/23/reinventing-newspapers-reinventing-newsagents/
http://www.newsagencyblog.com.au/2007/09/15/trashing_brand/
Jarryd I’m saying that marketing groups (and I’m not a member of a newsagency group ) should be great from a purchasing, marketing and retail positioning aspect. I tend to think that there are too many groups and independents within this industry to really leverage the coverage & benefits that this number of businesses should be attaining.
Competition and innovation should for us (newsagents) be driven by our desire to be better than our other non channel retail competitors. If we keep looking inwards then we’ll wither. If we look outwards at what other competing industries/channels are doing and consider how we could do that and do it better we would be better served.
For me I keep coming back to the Aus Post side of my business and look at the singular branding, the way AP keeps looking to innovate or move into new areas (travel the latest one). There seems to be more purpose and no/less wasted effort in misdirection and infighting.
If newsagents all stood together as a single, or even as two blocks, as a unified entity I doubt we would have the issues with magazine & newspaper distribution that exist now for a start.
Jingles, sold out and re-ordered. Copper should go at least as well. Well done Hallmark.
As for marketing groups and their place in the industry, they unify like minded newsagents and make the individual businesses stronger than they would be on their own. They cannot divide an industry that has never had any strong cohesion anyway. The state and national bodies have a lot to answer for here as their porr performance created the need for groups.
As for those complaining about group members getting special deals, join a group and contribute and benefit from a better trading arrangement, you’d be more than welcomed by them and if you think your better off on your own, thats fair enough too but don’t whinge about what the groups do acheive for their members.
Strike Copper for Cooper, it’s not a police bear.
Well said Brendan, very well said indeed !!!!
Good to see this debate from my first comment. It just confirms to me that we need all our newsagent to belong to a stong group ( 1 group ) not groups with in the group. A group that promotes and markets for us all. I’m a share holder of GNS yet it has groups within it . We are not all equal , we are competing against one another instead of working together. Strenghth is in the family unit.
i have been offered by many groups to be 1 of them for free for number of years or PLus plus. i am happy not in any groups cause i know my market and customers’ needs. i would support a unify marketing group if one day available.
this year we sold over 100 recordable story books , but only 2 jingles , i wonder whats wrong with my area????? i display them nicely and in the best location.
my customers either elders or young adult couples, i think Jingles are for young family oriented market.
Carol,
There is no comparable industry that I know of that successfully markets itself under one banner. It simply can’t be done.
Competing against one another is what makes those who belong to ‘agressive’ groups strong. Lack of competition within the industry is a major contributing factor in the consolidation of newsagencies. It has made many newsagents lazy and complacent.
Eric,
Marketing groups do not assume to know your customers or their needs. Most are reasonably flexible in what you offer. Some groups have minimum participation requirements/expectations but these are not overly stringent.
Newsagents will never buy as one. The power of GNS has been diluted further recently by at least one, and maybe two, newsagency buying groups switching to purchase from Staples (Corporate Express).