Circulation Marketing -- Insights from Research
Article by Deanne Termini, President

Continuing downward trends in newspaper readership and circulation penetration in many markets have created increased demand for strategic research to investigate how to better market and position the daily newspaper in an increasingly competitive media environment. Increased research attention has been paid to factors related to circulation marketing.

As in the past, research has investigated reasons for not subscribing to the local newspaper, reasons for stopping the paper, and reasons for purchasing single copies instead of subscribing. And, as in the past, results indicate two primary reasons: delivery service problems and "no time to read every day." When we dig beneath the surface of this perception of not enough time to read, we know that the consumer is really saying that he is choosing to spend his time doing something other than reading the newspaper. This means that newspaper circulation marketing needs to be more effective in promoting the value of the newspaper.

Circulation marketing insights from recent research include:

• The power of the newspaper's brand directly leverages the effectiveness of any marketing effort. The perceived value of the newspaper is the foundation of any sale, either subscription or single copy, with other attractants operating on top of this foundation.

• The other attractants relate primarily to the newspaper's content.

• Content opportunity topics can be identified by relating reader interests and their ratings of the performance of the newspaper in covering those topics. Using gap analysis, major opportunity topics can be identified for expansion, enhancement and promotion.

• Section readership (what is read regularly) and point-of-entry analysis (what is read first, second) provide useful information to develop in-paper marketing strategies.

• Consumers actually are segmented in their motivations for using the newspaper. Reader motivation segmentation provides tactical information for optimum content and section marketing.

• Other consumer segmentations provide additional layers to the multi-dimensional analysis. Segmentation by lifestyle, lifestages, level of subscriber prospect (prime prospect, remote prospect, etc.) provides additional ammunition for the marketing warfare. The segments may be developed from local consumer research or from geo-demographic databases such as Claritas PRIZM or Microvision.
  

• Circulation marketing must be targeted to be effective, and target marketing should reflect knowledge of consumer segmentation, opportunity topics and newspaper branding.

• Newspapers should use local market research to guide direct mail creative and copy, telemarketing scripts for acquisition and retention calling, and for other multi-media promotion decisions.

• The newspaper should integrate the top content opportunity topics in any brand promotion campaign. They compliment the brand promotion objectives. The brand and content campaign should be wrapped into an overall momentum campaign to bolster the newspapers image.
  

Examples from Recent Belden Research

Research in many markets indicates that one brand element that needs to be strengthened is the "personally pertinent" brand element, which includes these types of images:

Is a newspaper for people like you.
Shows how some news stories affect you personally.
Understands the concerns of its readers and is responsive to their needs.
Provides news and information that is important to you and other members of your family.
Other "brand elements" relate to credibility, community service, being engaging, among others..

Universal opportunity topics identified in recent studies include:

• Local community news
• Education and schools
• Health, fitness and medicine
• Environmental issues
• Families and parenting

The content opportunity topics relate to the brand elements as follows:

• Local community news - Personally pertinent
• Education and schools - Personally pertinent
• Health, fitness, medicine - Personally pertinent
• Environmental issues - Community service
• Families and parenting - Personally pertinent

The brand elements can be strengthened through expansion, enhancement and promotion of the opportunity topics.

Promotion should be targeted to reader segments based on their distinct patterns of newspaper usage. Recent studies have identified these types of segments, among others:

• Time for Ads Only
• Read When Need
• National, World, Sports Only

In conclusion, all of these various elements -- reader segments, brand elements, content opportunity topics, and others -- should be related through multi-dimensional analysis and utilized in targeted circulation marketing.

Termini is President of Belden Associates, Dallas, Texas, a newspaper research and strategic consulting company. E-mail, dtermini@beldenassociates.com; phone (214) 640-3107; fax (214) 522-0926.