AUTUMN 2016_PROMOTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PRINT MEDIA THROUGHOUT EUROPE
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?
How print feeds the appetite for food marketing
BEST FRIENDS FOREVER How print inspires loyalty, devotion and commitment HOT OFF THE PRESSES Create topical print campaigns with fast turnaround ads THE 360-DEGREE REVOLUTION We explore how print is working with virtual reality THE LIONS THAT ROARED The best print campaigns from this year’s Cannes festival
42_ PRINT POWER | www.printpower.eu
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/ FREE PRESS
KOSTENLOS
FREE! GRATIS
ILMAISEKSI
Wherever you are, one of the most powerful words in marketing is ‘free’, and nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the thriving sector of free newspapers and magazines. But what’s the secret to their success and how can you and your brand make the most of this publishing sensation? — By Ashley Norris
GRATUITO KOSTNADSFRI INGYENES
www.printpower.eu | PRINT POWER _43
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Läuft bei mir. Ganz neu tilllate.com
Zürich
Taktfahrplan ist den SBB nicht mehr heilig
17°/ 25°
MITTWOCH, 17. AUGUST 2016
Schweiz
Basel 27°
Auftakt 3 Gegen Simon S. wurde schon 2011 ermittelt Neuenburg 26°
Genf 28°
Aussichten
Zürich 25°
St. Gallen 22°
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Schwyz 25°
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15
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St. Moritz 17°
28
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Zentren aufzuweichen. Pro Bahn geht auf die Barrikaden: Die Kundenorganisation befürchtet unregelmässige Fahrpläne und den Abbau von Verbindungen am späten Abend. Seite 2
Europa
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< 10 % 60-90 %
25 16
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Weltwetter Hörnli
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17
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wetter.20min.ch 31° 31° 22°
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22° 25° 22°
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(1950m)
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(1133m)
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40-60 %
MeteoNews AG | Peter Wick | meteonews.ch Das Schweizer Wetter Fernsehen: meteonews.tv MeteoNews iPhone App: iphone.meteonews.ch Wetter fürs Handy: meteonews.mobi Bei Unwettern: warnung.meteonews.ch Ihre persönliche Wetterberatung: 0900 575 775 (CHF 2.80/Min. vom Schweizer Festnetz)
Frauenfeld 16
25
10-40 % > 90 %
Rom
Andelfingen
Bülach
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Warschau
Berlin
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Interlaken 24° Sitten 29°
Niederschlagsrisiko (heute)
People Sara Hildebrand über ihren Wechsel zum Zirkus
Sonntag
17
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BERN. Züge fahren heute in den grossen Bahnhöfen im Takt in alle Richtungen – selbst wenn Süden sie zu Randstunden nicht voll sind. Die SBB denken nun laut darüber nach, das Prinzip in den
Luzern 25° Bern 26°
Unteriberg
O S
Zürichsee Tiefenbrunnen Mythenquai Oberer Letten Greifensee Katzensee Türlersee Bodensee
25° 25° 25° 22° 24° 26° 25° 23°
Sport 39 Champions League: YB steht vor dem Out
Aus der App Beliebt Der neue Bachelor kann austeilen
17
6 Kontrovers Skandal-Satiriker Thiel findet kaum noch Jobs
Rücktritt auf dem Höhepunkt: Michael Phelps hat in Rio de Janeiro fünf goldene und eine silberne Medaille gewonnen. GETTY RIO DE JANEIRO. Nach 23 olympischen Gold-
medaillen, dreimal Silber und zweimal Bronze tritt US-Schwimmstar Michael Phelps (31) als glücklicher Mensch ab. Im
Exklusivinterview mit 20 Minuten spricht der erfolgreichste Olympionike aller Zeiten über Triumphe und Enttäuschungen, über Opfer, über seinen Sohn und über
die Zeit nach der Sportkarriere: «Ich glaube, dass jeder Athlet, der auf einem Höhepunkt abtritt, auf einen gewaltigen Tiefpunkt zusteuert.» Seite 35
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DS_front
18L_Ausgabe
17 August 2016 12:31 vorm.
1
DECADE AGO, the future of free newspapers looked uncertain. Spiralling print costs, the growth of digital media and social platforms, and an uneasy relationship with marketers – many of whom perceived them to be of little value in targeting premium consumers – meant that some pundits predicted that the freesheets were living on borrowed time. Fast forward ten years and a remarkable transformation has taken place. Virtually every major European city has a thriving free newspaper, from 20 Minuten in Switzerland to Destak in Portugal, while several previously successful magazines have swapped their paid-for business model for a free one. Most have also become known in their territory not just for editorial excellence but for successful commercial experimentation. And while the print publications continue to grow, it’s digital magazines that have struggled to generate income as they face the rise of ad blockers, the fall in ad revenue thanks to programmatic buying, and a reluctance of consumers to pay for online content.
A
Scale and engagement So why have free publications become so popular with European consumers and marketers? The most recent survey, from 2014, suggests that 28.5m people across the continent read a free newspaper on a daily basis. The Metro Group alone claims over seven million readers from the nine
countries it’s active in, while France’s major player, 20 Minutes, which also has newspapers in Spain and Switzerland, boasts 3.7m readers on a daily basis. Italy’s key title Leggo, which is distributed in many cities in the country, has a circulation of almost one million. “Free magazines fit well into the lifestyles of the digital generation, alongside the digital media where they spend most of their time,” argues Tim Ewington, cofounder of Shortlist Media, which boasts several successful free magazines in the UK. “Free print can have scale and power, punching through the media clutter, and it’s a great way to build a new brand.” Technology, or rather its limitations, may have helped too, since in some European cities free newspapers have thrived because consumers can’t access the web on their smartphones or tablets because of poor-quality signals. Yet consumers wouldn’t pick up the papers if they were poor quality. Ed Needham, editor of Coach, a free men’s lifestyle publication launched last year by Dennis Publishing in the UK, thinks that to succeed, freebies need “quality design, an engaging tone and genuine usefulness for people.” Also, freesheets haven’t been slow to borrow a few tricks from digital media. So clickbait headlines, listicles and punchy Q&A-style interviews proliferate. Yet it isn’t just the urban young who are enthusing about free publications – there’s also been a fundamental shift in terms of attitudes towards free newspapers and magazines from marketers.
Freedom of information Europe’s leading free newspapers, such as 20 Minuten (top left), Destak (top middle) and Leggo (above) have a powerful reach
44_ PRINT POWER | www.printpower.eu
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/ FREE PRESS
“Free newspapers combine the engagement of print with the possibility of huge reach” Mark Jones, Account Director at Amplifi
Commuters’ friends The UK in particular has seen big freesheet growth, with daily newspapers such as Metro (top) and free magazines such as Coach (above) boasting huge circulations
“There was a stigma about free newspapers that they were low quality and attracted low-end readers. That has now gone,” explains Mark Jones, Account Director at Amplifi , which has delivered many branded campaigns for free publications. “In fact, the freesheets are now one of the best places to reach young urban, affluent consumers. The free newspapers’ major advantage is their reach. They combine the engagement of print with the possibility of huge reach. It is very hard to get that quality and quantity of audience.” A 2016 study from CMPA ONE Global study backs up Jones’ claims, citing 20 Minutes as one of the most powerful brands in France for reaching young audiences, with a reach of 4.7m 18-30 year olds regularly seeing the brand. Meanwhile Portugal’s Destak claims that 54% of its readers are under 35 years old, with 64% being middle, upper-middle and upper class. There also appears to be a happy compromise between publishers and readers, with the latter understanding that the content is funded entirely by ads. “This means that the whole concept of church and state in publishing is largely redundant,” says Jones. “And it seems that consumers are quite happy with brand activity that they wouldn’t necessarily stomach if they were paying for a print title.” Front page news The gold standard for freesheet engagement is the cover takeover, where a brand substitutes the actual cover for a wraparound advertisement. Countless brands have taken advantage of this, from FMCG and travel companies through to consumer electronics giants. One of the most imaginative was the Metro newspaper campaign run in France, Italy and Spain. Produced in collaboration with HP, the newspaper asked readers to create their own campaign based around the concept of ‘What Do You Have To Say About Your City?’. The competition attracted thousands of entries and won the M&M award for Best Contribution by a Media Owner. There were over 80,000 unique visitors to the bespoke microsite and almost 70,000 readers reacted to the campaign. Customising the front page of free newspapers is a tactic that’s worked effectively for other brands too. In Spain, Korean Airlines recently created a front page with a die-cut hole that resembled the
window from a plane. The airline claimed that 95% of readers recalled seeing the activity and that 50% of respondents said they were going to fi nd out about Korean Air fares or check out their website. Some brands have even gone beyond the cover by sponsoring a whole issue of a publication. Carat worked with British Airways and Time Out on a US-themed issue, which featured a glossy cover and full-page British Airways ads on all cover sites, accompanied by a dedicated six-page advertorial feature written by Time Out writers in cities across the US. Over 300,000 copies of the issue were distributed, with the publisher claiming a readership of over 1.1 million. The rise and rise of branded content In many ways, the growth of branded content in free newspapers has mirrored the rise of native advertising in online publications. As traditional display advertising has declined as the major online revenue source – largely due to the growth of ad blockers and pre-eminence of advertising on social platforms such as Facebook – media brands have been more eager to work with companies on branded content. It’s still early days for this, as Mark Jones explains. “There are still more opportunities,” he says. “I think the revenue is only about 20% from branded content, with the bulk still from traditional advertising.” Yet as brands see spectacular results from dedicated native advertising, so demand for branded content in free newspapers is sure to increase. Overall, the future for free newspapers remains buoyant throughout Europe, with brands and agencies continuing to develop clever, intelligent and engaging campaigns to place in them. But might their popularity ultimately lead to market saturation? Ed Needham of Coach doesn’t agree. “Yes, the market is limited by the number of days in the week and the amount of space available outside tube and rail stations, but these are distribution issues.” Needham believes the key is that good editorial content will always connect readers to brands. “In terms of editorial opportunities,” he says, “they are as plentiful as ever. And with the demise of the paid-for men’s market, advertisers are eager to explore new ways to connect with large numbers of readers, as they aren’t exactly spoilt for choice.” www.printpower.eu | PRINT POWER _45
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