Visual Editors
Visual Editors, NFP was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2004.
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Megan Lavey
Maestro
Joined: 30 Apr 2004
Posts: 788
Location: Arizona Daily Star
Posted:
Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:40 pm
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Cavendish said everything I was going to say.
To be perfectly honest, 99 percent of the Bakersfield promos shown are papers that I would most likely ignore. Why? Because all of those promos: Shrek, the Simpsons, Pirates, Ratatoulle, etc. are all big national stories that I can find in every single other paper in the U.S. Bakersfield's promos aren't unique. They're just really big. Show me papers that promo their local news like that and I'll be willing to buy into the market.
Yes, those numbers might be up. However, there might also be other factors playing into it. Is Bakersfield's population higher than a year ago? If so, that means more potential newspaper buyers. Where exactly did the increase in rack sales occur - actual racks or places like gas stations, bookstores and the grocery store where you can actually open the paper and see what local news there is?
Yeah, I do love the big Harry Potter promos and things like that. But not all the time. Please, if you're going to drive this down our throats, use papers that consistently show strong local examples, not the hot movie of the week.
_________________
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." - Mauraders Map from Harry Potter |
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John Zhu
Maestro
Joined: 12 May 2004
Posts: 275
Location: Durham, NC
Posted:
Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:33 pm
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I agree with the assertion that we don't know for certain how much of the increased sales can be attributed to visual impact of promos. However, I don't think visual impact hurts sales, whereas I do believe weak/bland visual presentation will not help sales.
Consider:
Stronger visual impact = increased likelihood of people noticing the paper on the rack = increased likelihood of people taking the time to look at the paper = increased likelihood of people liking the content of the paper = increased likelihood of people buying the paper
How much more likely? I don't think we can say for certain. But if you're seeing increased sales, you're doing something right. Also, if we say that we don't know for certain what is leading to the increased sales, then how can we say with any more certainty that it's not visual impact?
| Jim McBee wrote:: | | One thing I would caution all of us not to do is to judge these questions based on our own preferences and experiences. I think that's part of why newspapers are dying -- we give readers what we like, not what they like. And journalists are just not a broad slice of the pie. We are atypical readers. |
I agree with Jim's point about not assuming others like the same thing you do. However, suggesting that journalists are atypical readers implies that there is such a thing as a typical reader, as if the reading habits can be broken down into just two groups: journalists and non-journalists. The fact is that the readership is infinitely diverse, and so are their reading preferences and habits. If journalists' reading habits aren't typical, then whose are? Doctors? Construction workers? Cops? Students? And of course, within each of those groups lies even more diversity.
For instance, we talk about courting "young readers" as if they all fall under one face and one set of habits. Walk onto any college campus or into any high school, and you'll see that this is not the case. You'll see that they are marked more by how they are different than how they are alike -- and that they embrace their individuality -- and that difference is reflected in the wide range of reading habits and preferences. Yet, here are newspapers, trying to select content by focus groups and telling an individual, "This is was what people who are about your age and income bracket say you like." Quite frankly, it's a bit insulting. IMHO, the Internet is successful not because it gives readers more of what they like, but rather because it gives them EVERYTHING and allows them to pick and choose from infinite amount of information and consume the few that interests them. It's something that any medium with a limited amount of space cannot compete with.
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Let this be a lesson to you: Never Try. |
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