It's budget time in many organizations, so NOW is the perfect time to plant what we hope ends up being very fertile research seeds which just happen to have the incredibly short germination cycle. The sense of urgency is twofold:

1. Some of the issues we'll mention have been on the minds (and, even asked about) of our advertising clients for ages.
2. We're running out of time!

CAVEAT: Whether these are tempting research subjects or not, now truly IS the time to act. As much as it pains us to say so, we'd MUCH RATHER see our clients and the industry TAKE STEPS or ROLL OUT NEW or REACT IMMEDIATELY or JUST DO SOMETHING, than conduct time consuming research and neglect to act upon the findings.

It has been almost two years since we sat down with several advertiser's and asked them this: "Since you see more newspaper presentations than anyone, what ELSE would you like to see addressed from a research standpoint?"

The range of responses is very interesting. Things like...
...research that proves the value of frequency.
...better broadcast comparisons.
...Real ROI research that compels.
...Readership vs. GRP's.
...day of week.
...ad size, shape, color, position, above or below the fold, online vs. offline.
...section readership.
...this includes preprint readership and pass-along and shelf life and whether or not preprints are a customer retention or acquisition tool? There are a whole host of measures connected to this subject that warrant exploration.
...including TMC readership. How often does the TMC product actually get read? How does that segment and compare to the subscriber household? Does editorial content truly make a difference? Is carrier or mail distribution preferable?
...of course, the key comparison here is to Direct Mail. Which do the consumers prefer? And, if different consumers prefer different vehicles for different products and/or services, which works best?
...what are the differences between the subscriber and the single copy buyer?
...can the right ad content convert the passive reader to an active shopper? Prove it.

I can hear the grumbling already. Get over it. If we don't begin to answer these very legitimate questions, care to guess who will answer them for us?

In the most favorable case scenario, those same good advertising clients will begin to conduct bits and pieces of this research themselves. This will give them even more reason to question the findings the industry presents unless they dovetail closely with their own proprietary inquiry. They have relied on us to arm them with key research findings, why would we give them one more reason NOT to contact us for help? Just about every VP of Advertising or Ad Director strives to build a more "consultative" staff...one that serves as councilor and media advisor. But, if clients routinely for information and we say "no" how long will they rely upon us?

Even worse, our competitors will conduct research against all these issues and paint OUR story in their own biased way. Oh, that's right what, this is already happening!

Advo talks about the 'value gap' in newspaper advertising. This is their way of highlighting our steadily increasing rates and declining circulation. They go on to point out to their highly trained and well commissioned and technologically adept sales force that in most retail categories, NEWSPAPERS are the dominant ad medium. So, guess where nearly all their focus is?

If we don't begin to provide answers to all these questions (and what about upcoming challenges our clients are just now encountering...) our value proposition will be framed by those who might not care quite as much about our future as those within this industry. We're cannot stand-by and let that happen.

Now, as much as we'd like to believe this newsletter will inspire a trusted client or motivate a just-looking- for-a-reason-to-say-"yes"-prospect to call (our switchboard is open!) seeking a new engagement, that has yet to happen. However, we DO have a suggestion or two that won't cost a thing.

• ACKNOWLEDGE that newspapers are the world's best direct response medium and act like it. Yes, we CAN brand too, but our forte is to publish information which causes readers to act. Let's build on that strength!


• BETTER CREATIVE. What percent of your local display customer based do you retain annually? Most major markets typically lose 60 - 70% of their local customer base annually. We call this advertiser retention! We'd keep 'em happier IF service improved and we published better creative (we CAN help with both!) and,


• Convince advertisers to run with MORE FREQUENCY. It really IS content, but content with enough frequency to work! To get the required frequency (yes, a subject to be researched, but we all know in our bones this is true) we might have to look long and hard at our rates are structure or our distribution patterns and mechanisms, but we must find a way.