Archive for February, 2012

While digital technologies are giving rise to new forms of newspaper distribution, print continues to be the primary format for Canadian adults when it comes to reading newspapers.

A new study conducted by Totum Research on behalf of Newspaper Canada revealed that the majority of adult readers prefers print over other formats, such as websites, phones or tablets, although many of those are also used over the course of a day.

As the research points out, print continues to be unabated in mornings and evenings, with digital formats gaining momentum at different times of a day. The dominance of physical newspaper is particularly noticeable in the boomers’ age group, where 63 per cent choose print over other formats.

On a weekend morning, all adult age groups favour print newspaper over other formats, particularly during breakfast and before lunch. And the time of day seems to be the primary factor also when it comes to information interests.

Click here to read the full study.

The National Post and The Grid, a free weekly paper owned by Torstar, have been named the World’s Best-Designed newspapers by the Society for News Design. The two Canadian papers were among five publications singled out by the SND for their outstanding print design at the 33rd annual Best of News Design Creative Competition. Judges evaluated entries from over 70 countries around the world and awarded prizes based on a number of criteria including writing, visual storytelling, photography/graphics, headlines and overall design.

The World’s Best-Designed category is one part of the larger Best of News Design competition which includes 18 other categories. The National Post received a total of 59 awards at the annual competition, second only to the Los Angeles Times which received 62. A number of other Canadian papers were honoured with awards of excellence, the Toronto Star received 10 while The Globe and Mail received nine.

Click here to read more.

By John Foust, Raleigh, NC

Ad agency legend David Ogilvy once wrote, “Advertising is a business of words.” The same can be said for selling. The right word can make a sale, and the wrong word can lose a sale.

Sharp sales people are aware that certain words call for special handling. Generally speaking, these are common expressions that seem harmless at first glance – but can communicate the wrong message or the wrong tone. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

1. “Advertising cost.” Cost suggests spending. When it comes to money, business people don’t like to think of spending. “Investment” is a better word, because it indicates that there will be a return on their money.

Don’t send the wrong signal. Talk about investing, instead of spending. After all, ROI (return on investment) has been a hot business acronym for years.

2. “Sign here.” When it’s time to close the sale, some prospects flinch at words that suggest an iron-clad, formal agreement. “Sign” is cold. It makes the document sound like a treaty.

It’s better to say, “Just approve here,” or “All we need is your autograph here.” It’s even stronger to follow up with a benefit statement like, “…and we’ll get to work on that ad idea we’ve worked out.”

3. “But.” This little word has big implications. Consider what happens when a sales person says, “I like your idea, BUT it might work better with a change in the headline.”

The word “but” voids the first part of the statement. It says, “Forget what I just said. Here’s the bad news.” And it can make the speaker sound condescending and corrective.

It’s better to substitute “and” for “but.” The statement now becomes, “I like your idea, AND it might work even better with a change in the headline.” See the difference? Although only one word has changed, the statement is less confrontational.

4. Waffle words. “Kinda,” “sorta,” and “basically” are puny words that have joined “you know” in the fuzzy thinker’s vocabulary.

What do these words say about a sales person? At best, they are evidence of bad communication habits. At worst, they suggest that he or she is an indecisive person who has a hard time being specific.

I laugh every time I hear an athlete say, “Basically, we were trying to keep our momentum going.” What does “basically” add to this sentence? Nothing.

5. “You’ll have to…” This phrase creeps into a lot of conversations:

Advertiser: “I need help with my ad design.”

Sales person: “You’ll have to talk to someone in our creative department.”

In reality, your advertisers don’t “have to” do anything. By placing ads in your publication – or on your website – they have put their trust in you to help them grow their businesses. It’s more respectful to substitute “I’ll be glad to” for “You’ll have to.”

Advertiser: “I need help with my ad design.”

Sales person: “I’ll be glad to introduce you to our design team. Let’s set an appointment.”

It’s all a matter of using the right words.

(c) Copyright 2012 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: jfoust@mindspring.com

Community media continue to be vitally important to the communities they serve. At least that is the conclusion of Compass24, an extensive study of community media conducted by Ads24. While aiming to uncover recent shifts in readership, demographics and spend patterns of community newspapers, the study also serves as an important tool for advertisers.

Linda Gibson, the CEO of Ads24, pointed out in an interview with Glenda Nevill how “community newspapers provide the perfect opportunity for brands to be more specific, less generic and to showcase their commitment to their customers by being present and involved in their communities.” By understanding the consumption patterns of community newspapers, advertisers are hence able to direct their investment more effectively.

The Compass24 highlights the pertaining relevance of community media, which are expected to provide a differentiated editorial offering from what readers would find in general newspapers. With their focus on local happenings, community newspapers also tend to attract readers, who do not read mainstream newspapers regularly. Although the study focused on South African market, the scale of the study, which included 72 titles, indicates a larger pattern of consumption that could be relevant to other media landscapes.

Click here to read the full article.