Today, newspaper brands are reaching out to two types of consumers: the ones who have abandoned them, and the younger ones they are hoping to attract.
What better way to do so than by marketing campaigns that remind the audience of what has made the newspaper desirable from the start.
This piece echoes various newspaper marketing campaigns of notice, from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and the Dallas Morning News, among others.
In each case, there is a sort of grassroots level message. Today, newspaper marketing is not so much about selling a specific newspaper, but about the marketing of journalism itself and why it is essential to a working democracy. Let’s take a look at these examples:
The Wall Street Journal: Read yourself better
For one of the world’s best known financial news brands, the message is Read Yourself Better.
The campaign launched last November with a 90-second spot directed by Juan Cabral, with a film showing individuals going about their day with interruptions from text messages, memes, pop-up advertisements and more. Aside from the film, the campaign consists of home, online video, social media, print and display advertising. This is what I call the journalism of everywhereness and interruptions, so the WSJ’s campaign acknowledges it and reminds you that you could get all the information better with one of its products.
The New York Times: Truth campaign
For its campaign, launched in 2017, the Times deals with the power of the good journalism it presents, via the so called
Truth campaign. At a time when the term “fake news” dominates, here is the Times reminding us why truth truly matters.
Here is their statement to accompany the campaign:
“For more than 160 years, The New York Times has pursued quality journalism. But with mounting business pressures, the rise of “fake news” and increased assaults on the independence of media, funding world-class reporting has become more difficult.
“The Times needed to tell the world why quality journalism matters and remind readers that their subscriptions pay for thousands of hardworking reporters on the ground all over the world whose reporting helps Times readers better understand the news.
The Dallas Morning News: What Matters
Following no the same news of campaigns that go for the simple wording, the Dallas Morning News’ campaign is named What Matters. I like this one a lot as it makes a point of emphasizing the importance of local news. As a result of the campaign, the news team began to emphasize stories that included family, love, friends, kindness and community. For the launch of the campaign, the newspaper held a community event, inviting feedback from the readers. For example, one common subject that came up was veterans, so the Morning News created a Military and Veterans section.
These campaigns are effective because they remind us why newspapers, a free an independent press, and a highly local emphasis matter, and why good content must be paid for. We are good for you, the messages win these campaigns seem to be saying. You need us. You need reliable, credible and authoritative journalism better than ever.
I can’t imagine that a newspaper marketing director of the 1950s and 1960s would have even dreamed of these campaigns. These messages were taking for granted, as is the statement Democracy Dies in Darkness, which The Washington Post mow displays on its nameplate. We need to be reminded of these messages and I personally find comfort in all of them.
Meanwhile at the Palace….
Well, Abuela the Queen approves of Megxit……Harry and Meghan can go their way. Will we see her as an actress in a movie soon? So sorry the beautiful Grace Kelly did not have the same idea decades ago. Here is how some of the London newspaper front pages tell the story.
Start the year with The Story
A good read to start the year 2020: The full trilogy of The Story now available–3 books to guide you through a mobile first strategy. Whether you’re a reporter, editor, designer, publisher, corporate communicator, The Story is for you! https://amazon
Mario’s speaking engagements
March 13, 2020
Keynote presentation at the National Media College Association Spring Convention, New York City, NY
March 27, 2020
Keynote
New York Press Association (NYPA), Saratoga Springs, NY.
TheMarioBlog post # 3185