Let’s launch a newspaper that caters for those who don’t read a newspaper.
This was the ambitious idea from publisher Trinity Mirror back in February that resulted in the birth of The New Day. Just two months down the line, the news broke that this venture had run its course and Friday 6th May would be the final print run. As the UK’s first standalone national newspaper to be launched in 30 years, this is both a sad and very quick demise.
In a statement on Thursday, Trinity Mirror stated it was disappointed, but circulation for the title was below their expectations. Although there have been no formal circulation figures released, it is estimated that sales had fallen sharply to around the 40,000 mark – well below their desires to shift 200,000 copies per day.
All Response Media Viewpoint
Why charge an audience 50p a day (£2.50 per week) for something that they can get for free either via other commuter titles such as the Metro or via numerous online products? Editor of The New Day, Alison Phillips, said: ‘The idea is that this paper should give you in 40 pages everything on any given day in a 30-minute read, without being bombarded with content you don’t need.’ Interesting…
Targeting a younger, female audience with a product that is all about editorial is a noble idea but unfortunately that same audience (and generation in general) has become adept at processing vast quantities of information at lightning speed, and a few ads are not going to put them off consuming the content they want to consume. With that in mind, Trinity Mirror’s research for this project was wide of the mark. They chose to favour a paid product over funding through advertising, where the likes of the Metro illustrate the appetite for free and fast news. Adverts only matter if they’re relevant and engaging… which is exactly how it should be.
Addressing the younger market has always been a complex challenge. Getting them to engage with your messaging has become increasingly complex with the advent of an increasingly diverse media landscape. However, that diversification has coincided with a huge increase in the abundance of data, which allows us to identify and target those audiences. By utilising a multi-channel approach we can increase targeting efficiency but crucially we can ensure that those eyeballs are converting to real sales. ‘Seeing’ is not always ‘believing’ and that ancient proverb has never been truer for the younger media savvy audiences we are trying to talk to today. Had the paper taken off – possibly by keeping the purchase price lower – it could have been a new and innovative title for clients to advertise in as part of that wider journey, but alas the opportunity came to a predictable end. Let’s see if Trinity Mirror’s optimism leads to them releasing any more new titles in the future.
