To celebrate the launch of the Woolacombe Bay Wave Rider – an amazing surf simulator – we arranged for the Heart Angels to come along and have a go.
As well as donning a wetsuit and riding the wave, the Angels brought their deckchairs and parasols, offering riders the chance to win a family holiday. The Angels were just the tip of the campaign with radio, local press, outdoor and surf magazines all playing their part. Groovy.
There’s no getting away from the growing drama surrounding News International and the closure of the News of The World. With new revelations each day and a growing number of high profile individuals falling on their swords we are being exposed to the kind of drama normally played out on screen.
So what happens to clients that relied upon the News of the World as one of their key national press titles for advertising? Where should they go now? As you can imagine, these are key questions that have been floating around our office and between us and clients since the NOTW closure. NOTW delivered a large audience across a wide demographic – it was a tabloid yet still managed to hit the ABC1 market. No other Sunday came close to the 7.5m readers each week and only the Mail on Sunday pipped it’s ABC1 readership (3.17m vs 2.93m). In comparison, the Sunday Times only manages 2.87m ABC1s.
The public will be testing different titles to see what they like & what they don’t like and in the next few weeks they will probably be picking titles by headline/front page alone. It will take a while for the dust to settle and for the public to establish a new relationship with a Sunday tabloid.
As you would guess the other Sunday Tabloids are hot on the tails of this new ‘floating’ audience – the Mail have run a direct mail campaign, the Mirror have been doing a massive push for new readers and the Sunday Express have reduced their cover price. But has it paid off? Well early indications are that it may have done…
Sunday Mirror
Circulated 1.94 million that’s 835,000 extra copies sold = 75.6% increase
The People
Circulated 890,000 that’s 411,00 extra copies sold = 86.0% increase
Mail On Sunday
Circulated 2.4 million that’s 400,000 extra copies = 19.3% increase
Sunday Express
Circulated 650,248 that’s 100,000 extra copies = 15.19% increase
So does this mean you should plough your budget into The People / Sunday Mirror? Not necessarily. Over the coming weeks you need to assess the consistency of the circulation, the accuracy of the readership and the content within these titles. It is then a case of planning your media strategy in the national press in all the usual ways. If you don’t advertise in the tabloids at this time of year you don’t need to jump on board these bigger circulations now. It is still all about the Target Audience and what is right for you.
It’s a funny old time in the world of national press and we’re watching closely to see what’s on the cards for national press and what further revelations will continue to shape the media as we know it…and that’s without the likely launch of a new Sunday from News Int in due course or even the new red top from Associated, called “Sunday”. What’s next?
Refreshing design and engaging accessibility combine to deliver a stunning new website for Visit Exmoor (Managed by the Exmoor Tourism Partnership in association with West Somerset Council) www.visit-exmoor.co.uk
Bluesoup were challenged to design and deliver a visually engaging website that provided stand out in an increasingly competitive UK tourism market. Supported with a content management system that provides the Exmoor Tourism Partnership with a site they can manage and update with ease they are delighted with their new site.
Well done to all the team for delivering such a great site on time and importantly on budget.
