Advertising in traditional media leaves better impression
Monday, June 23, 2008

A study called "When Advertising Works" has revealed that consumers respond more positively to advertising found in traditional media compared to digital media. Of those polled, 56 percent said that traditional media ads left them with a positive impression, compared to 31 percent who favoured digital media.

In total, 16 types of media were included in the research, from television, newspapers, and radio to email messages, online banner ads, and video games.

Conducted by Yankelovich and Sequent Partners, with assistance from the Center for Media Design, the results also suggested that consumers who view digital media ads are more likely to be busy, or trying to solve a problem, which can be an obstacle for advertisers.

"Our clients have been telling us they’re shifting more and more of their budgets to the digital media," said J. Walker Smith, who is the president at Yankelovich Monitor, "but they feel they don’t have a handle on advertising in a digital context."

Read more about the study at the New York Times.

Study finds newspapers, Internet tie for media consumption
Monday, June 16, 2008

Online Canadians spend approximately 2.3 hours per day consuming news and information, according to a study by the Canadian Media Research Consortium. Of those polled, Internet and newspapers each accounted for 22 percent of the total time spent, while television accounted for 24 percent of media consumption.

Based on an online poll of 1000 adults between April 29 and May 5, and using a day-after-recall test, the study examined broad habits relating to media use and news consumption.

Examining media use for the previous day, 92 percent of respondents said that they had spent at least some time using the Internet, while 91 percent watched some television. "Reading or looking into a physical copy of a newspaper" was the third-highest response at 62 percent of those polled.

When broken down according to age groups, those over the age of 45 were even more likely to have read a newspaper the previous day. Sixty-seven percent of people between 45 and 59 years of age said they had read a newspaper, while 75 percent of those over the age of 60 read or looked at a newspaper.

Of the total amount of time spent consuming news and information the previous day, TV accounted for the most amount of time at 24 percent among all those polled, while newspapers and Internet tied at 22 percent, followed by magazines, radio, and wireless respectively.

Examining results based on particular top stories, and how people followed those stories, 17 percent said that they had first read about a story in a newspaper. Television was the top choice at 50 percent of those polled.

When asked to explain the reason they turned to newspapers for their news on top stories, 27 percent said they were a daily reader or subscriber, 24 percent wanted more details, background, or context, and 10 percent said it was convenient and easy to "get a hold of" a newspaper.

The CMRC is a partnership of the York/Ryerson Joint Graduate Programme in Culture and Communications, the UBC Graduate School of Journalism, and the Centre for Media Studies at Laval University.

Read the PDF report, Online Canadians and News Study, at the CMRC website.

Newspapers equal personal time
Monday, June 9, 2008

A study from Australia revealed newspapers serve as both informative and relaxing. The study done by Celsius Research, which surveyed 1010 people aged 14-69, found that newspapers “do more than entertain, they provide a sense of occasion and personal time that readers describe as ‘my space’”. Ninety per cent found that while reading a newspaper their attention was fully committed to the paper as opposed to watching television, which allowed people to multitask. This statistic showed that people are more “open to absorbing advertising messages” while reading a newspaper.
http://business.theage.com.au/report-sees-online-boost-for-the-papers-20080602-2kws.html

FDSA announces Board of Directors
Friday, June 6, 2008

The Flyer Distribution Standards Association has announced its 2008-2009 Board of Directors. The new board, which were elected by association member’s at its Annual General Meeting this week, will consist of 15 Advertisers/Media Management, Logistics and Distributors, which represent the three classes of FDSA members.

The board members are as follows:

• Abbas Homayed, OCNA President and Sudbury Northern Life Publisher
• Kathie Braid, VP Marketing and Corporate Sales for Metroland Media Group Inc
• Shannon McPeak, VP, Corporate Sales of Sun Media Corp
• Tom Andrew, Director, Print Media Distribution, Sears Canada Inc.
• Greg Baxter, Director, Newspaper Sales, CanWest Media Works
• Sue Borthwick, VP, National Sales, Black Press Group Ltd.
• John Burns, Manager, Db Marketing & Dealer Advertising, Canadian Tire Corp.
• Karen Hudson, Manager, Flyer Distribution and Media, Shoppers Drug Mart
• Scott Lawrence, President, Lawrence Media Sales
• Eric Lawson, Publisher, New Brunswick Distributors
• Spencer Levan, VP, Business Development, Van-Net
• Ted Mader, Senior Manager, HBC Print and Prepress, The Hudson’s Bay Company
• Clement Messere, President, Pro Distribution Services
• Ted Naish, VP, Geomedia Inc.
• Ronald Roy, Director, Ntl. Accounts, Transcontinental Media – Groupe Publi-Sac

adAtlantic/ACNA is a member of FDSA, http://www.fdsa-canada.org for more information.

Digital platforms of newspaper companies are growing at double-digit rates world-wide
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The digital platforms of newspaper companies are growing at double-digit rates world-wide, both in usage and revenue production, according to the World Digital Media Trends report unveiled at the World Newspaper Congress by the World Association of Newspapers.

The second annual report, which examines digital media advertising and usage trends and their impact on newspaper companies, showed:

Digital and mobile advertising revenues are projected to grow to more than 150 billion dollars by 2011, a 12-fold growth from 2002.

Wireless subscriptions continue to grow, from 1.1 billion in 2002 to a projected 3.4 billion in 2011, an expansion of more than three-fold.

Broadband is expected to grow from 51.38 million households world-wide in 2002 to nearly 540 million households in 2011, a growth of more than ten-fold.

The mobile customer base has grown from 945 million in 2001 to 2.6 billion in 2006.

The report includes studies from 71 research partners about digital usage and revenue patterns, and provides a map of “digital hot spots” where mobile and internet delivery are developing particularly rapidly. It also includes case studies of newspaper companies whose digital strategies are increasing revenue and audiences.

Full details of World Digital Media Trends, including excerpts, can be found at www.wan-press.org/worlddigitalmedia

World Press Trends: Newspapers Are A Growth Business
Monday, June 2, 2008

Newspaper circulations world-wide rose 2.57 percent in 2007 while rapid growth of both free titles and on-line platforms is expanding the reach of newspapers everywhere, the World Association of Newspapers announced today (Monday).

WAN said global newspaper sales were up +2.57 percent over the year, and had increased +9.39 percent over the past five years.

When free dailies are added to the paid newspaper circulation, global circulation increased +3.65 percent last year, and +14.3 percent over the past five years. Free dailies now account for nearly 7 percent of all global newspaper circulation and for 23 percent of circulation in Europe alone.

Advertising revenues in paid dailies were up +0.86 percent last year from a year earlier, and up +12.84 percent over five years, WAN said. Print remains the world’s largest advertising medium, with a 40 percent share.

“Newspaper circulation has been rising or stable in three-quarters of the world’s countries over the past five years and in nearly 80 percent of countries in the past year,” said Timothy Balding, Chief Executive Officer of the World Association of Newspapers.

“And even in places where paid-for circulation is declining, notably the United States and some countries in western Europe, newspapers continue to extend their reach through a wide variety of free and niche publications and through their rapidly developing multi-media platforms,” he said.

The new data, from WAN’s annual survey of world press trends, was released to more than 1,800 publishers, editors and other senior newspaper executives from 113 countries attending the 61st World Newspaper Congress and 15th World Editors Forum in Göteborg, Sweden - a record attendance for the global meetings of the world’s press.

Read the complete article: http://www.wan-press.org/article17377.html

CCNA and CNA enter into co-management agreement
Monday, May 12, 2008

Coleen Campbell, chairman of the board of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) and Alan Allnutt, chairman of the board of the Canadian Newspaper Association (CNA) are pleased to announce that the two associations have entered in to a co-management agreement. The goal of the arrangement is to provide more relevant services to all newspaper members at a reduced cost, while increasing the profile and effectiveness of the newspaper industry and its associations in Canada. As well, the new arrangement will better reflect the reality of the Canadian newspaper industry and create one strong industry voice for newspapers in Canada. The initial steps will involve co-locating the two offices and a co-management for both associations. Over the next two years, programs, staff and services will be integrated to provide a wider range of services to all members. “We believe an integrated association will better reflect the reality of the Canadian newspaper industry and create one strong industry voice for newspapers in Canada,” said Allnutt. Combined, the two associations represent over 830 daily, weekly, and community newspapers in every province and territory in Canada. “I am very encouraged to see our associations working together. This agreement preserves the uniqueness of the programs and services we provide to members, while creating a common voice to promote newspapers in Canada,” said Campbell. There will be no change in the governance structure of either association. For more information, please contact: Peter Josselyn, Communications Coordinator Canadian Community Newspapers Association, 1-877-305-2262 Ext. 24; pjosselyn@ccna.ca; www.communitynews.ca David Gollob, Senior Vice President, Policy and Communications, Canadian Newspaper Association, 1-800-563-7993, Cell: (613) 301-6162, dgollob@cna-acj.ca; www.cna-acj.ca

NAA analysis of new Google research finds newspaper advertising drives online traffic
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Research shows newspapers + Internet = more consumer purchasing power; Ads that appear in both mediums reinforce consumer confidence in products and services

WASHINGTON— New consumer research conducted by Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo and commissioned by Google indicates that consumers frequently combine use of newspapers and the Internet to evaluate and make purchases, the Newspaper Association of America said today. According to the study, among people who research products and services after seeing them advertised in newspapers, two-thirds (67 percent) use the Internet to find more information. Of that group, nearly 70 percent of consumers actually make a purchase following their additional research.

The research released today was the result of a wide-ranging study exploring the effectiveness of bringing new advertisers to the newspaper print environment through the Google Print Ads™ platform. Earlier NAA studies have shown that newspapers continue to serve as a major resource for U.S. consumers seeking advertising and shopping information.

“NAA research has repeatedly shown that newspaper advertising is incredibly effective in motivating consumers to make a purchase.  This new study lends powerful support to that notion, while demonstrating that print ads also drive people to conduct additional product research online,” said John F. Sturm, NAA president and CEO.  “The study also shows the trust consumers place in newspaper ads and the benefits of advertising in both mediums to reinforce consumer confidence in those products and services.”

“The results of the study confirm a core marketing principle – consumers’ exposure to advertising messages across mediums influences their subsequent research and purchasing behavior,” said Spencer Spinnell, head of Google’s Print Ads program. “Newspaper advertisements drive readers to the Web, where they search, find and obtain products. New advertising mediums have not evolved in a vacuum. Rather, they exist in a highly connected ecosystem and impact consumers’ daily experiences. Marketers deploying truly holistic and integrated advertising campaigns are actively aware of the high-value customer interactions that take place online, and are leveraging the branding and direct response nature of newsprint to effectively take advantage of that dynamic.”

Additional data from the research includes:

• Newspaper readers respond to ads in their newspapers. More than half (56 percent) of respondents either researched or purchased at least one product they saw in the newspaper in the last month.
• Newspaper advertising drives Web traffic. Of those who said they researched at least one product they saw in the newspaper, 67 percent said they conducted research online, compared with 48 percent who visited a store, 23 percent who called a store and 23 percent who asked a friend.
• Use of newspapers and the Internet reinforces consumer confidence. Around half of respondents (48 percent) said that seeing a product in the newspaper after seeing it online would make them trust the product more and be more likely to purchase, illustrating the value of reaching the same customer through multiple media. More than half of that group (52 percent) said they would be more likely to purchase the product.
• Of the more than half of respondents who said they either purchased or researched a product after seeing a newspaper ad in the last month, 42 percent reported they purchased a product and 44 percent said they researched at least one product (with some overlap between the groups).
• Overall, nearly 30 percent of Internet-using newspaper readers went online to research at least one product that they saw in the newspaper (on average, they researched nine).

The Google Print Ads program began in November 2006 with a test that included 50 newspapers and a small group of advertisers. Since then, the program has grown to include more than 750 newspapers representing 48 of the top 50 DMAs and covering 70 percent of U.S. paid circulation. Participating newspaper publishers include E.W. Scripps, Freedom Communications, Hearst Newspapers, GateHouse Media, Gannett, MediaNews Group, The New York Times, The Seattle Times Company, Tribune Publishing, and Washington Post among others.

NAA is a nonprofit organization representing the $59 billion newspaper industry and more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.

David Black to be honoured with Margaret Hennigar Award
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) and its board of directors are pleased to announce that David Black, president and owner of Black Press, has been selected as the recipient of the Margaret Hennigar Award for Exemplary Leadership for 2008. The award will be presented in Toronto during the CCNA Awards Gala on May 9, as part of the association’s 89th national conference.

The CCNA is also pleased to award David Black with an Honorary Life Membership for his valuable contribution and support of community journalism in Canada.

"David Black started his career in community journalism and remained true to his roots, despite growing the company from one newspaper in the Interior of B.C. to over 175 publications in B.C., Alberta, Washington state, Ohio and Hawaii," said CCNA President Coleen Campbell. "He gets just as excited about his newspaper’s editorial excellence awards as much as the financial performance of his business."

Black's first newspaper was the Williams Lake Tribune, which he purchased from his father in 1975.

Black has served as president of the British Columbia and Yukon Community Newspapers Association, director of the CCNA, and governor of the Canadian Newspaper Association.

Black is being honoured for his achievements within the newspaper industry as well as his work with a number of organizations, including the Rotary Club, the Commonwealth Games, and the BC Progress Board.

The Margaret Hennigar Award is named after the late Margaret Hennigar, a longtime CCNA member who was active in the association as well as in her community. Marg helped found the Atlantic Community Newspapers Association and served as a board member for both the CCNA and the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors (ISWNE).

The award was created by members of the association in 2007 to honour exemplary individuals in Canada’s community newspaper industry who have shown outstanding leadership in business and within their community. Margaret’s daughter, CCNA Past President Lynn Hennigar, was the recipient of the inaugural award and her company, Lighthouse Publishing, now sponsors the award in honour of her mother.

Canadian newspaper online ad revenue increased 29 percent over 2006
Monday, April 7, 2008

Don't believe everything you read about the imminent death of newspapers: robust growth in online advertising sales offset a mild decline in print ad revenue for Canadian papers last year, an industry trade group reported Monday.

The Canadian Newspaper Association said total 2007 revenues for the country's newspapers, including online operations, slipped 0.8 per cent to $3.6 billion.

Print advertising revenues fell by 2.4 per cent while online revenues increased 29 per cent over 2006.

"This is in sharp contrast to the U.S., where a contracting economy helped drive print ad revenues to the biggest year-over-year fall in more than half a century," the association noted.

Canadian newspaper circulation sales were down 1.2 per cent in 2007 to $808.9 million, after rising 3.8 per cent the previous year.

In the United States, print advertising revenues fell 9.4 per cent last year to $42 billion, according to the Newspaper Association of America - the steepest drop since the NAA began keeping its tally in 1950. U.S. online advertising growth was 18.8 per cent in 2007, down from 31.4 per cent in 2006.

"The real story is how well we are holding our own in an age of global media disruption," stated Anne Kothawala, president of the Canadian Newspaper Association.

"The narrative about newspapers in the U.S. has been consistently negative in recent years, and that negativity has unduly influenced perceptions of the health of the newspaper industry in Canada," Kothawala added.

"Advertisers and their agencies, many of whom are global businesses, should ensure that their Canadian buying decisions are not tainted by the U.S. data. In an age when consumers are increasingly tuning out advertising content, studies show they continue to find newspapers engaging."

Newspaper ad revenue up 2.7%: Statistics Canada
Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Canada's newspaper publishing industry experienced modest growth and stable profits in 2006.

Operating revenues in the industry amounted to $5.34 billion in 2006, up 2.6% from $5.21 billion in 2005. The pace of revenue growth in 2006 was slower than in each of the previous three years. However, the industry in Canada avoided the contraction that occurred in the United States, where newspaper publishing revenues declined 1.7%.

Industry revenue growth in 2006 was a close reflection of regional economic performance, as publishers in the West, and Alberta in particular, had the highest growth rates.

Operating revenues for publishers in Western Canada grew by 3.9%, nearly double the rate of 2.1% in Ontario and 2.0% in Quebec.

Operating revenue results for publishers in the Atlantic provinces were lower due to a restructuring of printing operations that, for statistical purposes, were formerly included in publishing industry estimates.

The operating profit margin for the industry held steady at 13.2%. Profit margins were also healthier in Western Canada, rising from 18.2% in 2005 to 21.1% in 2006.

In contrast, profit margins in Ontario declined from 10.0% in 2005 to 7.4% in 2006, under the weight of a 5.1% increase in operating expenses. Publishers in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces posted profit margins of 13.5% and 12.3% respectively.

Industry operating expenses rose 2.6% in 2006. Salaries, wages and benefits, which account for 39% of industry expenses, rose 3.6% while printing costs, the second largest expense item, held steady.

Estimates for advertising and circulation revenues, which follow, are based on the surveyed portion of the industry. The surveyed portion accounts for all daily newspaper operations and all but $132 million of operating revenues for community newspaper firms.

Advertising revenues, the source of three-quarters of industry revenue, rose 2.7% to $3.98 billion in 2006. Daily newspapers generated $2.85 billion in advertising revenues, compared with $1.13 billion for community newspapers.

Circulation revenues are the second largest revenue source for newspaper publishers, representing 17% of industry revenues. In recent years, competition from free news sources on the Internet and from the proliferation of free daily newspapers have contributed to a downward trend for print circulation figures among the paid daily newspapers.

Despite this, industry circulation revenues rose 1.5% to $862 million in 2006. The majority of the increase stemmed from changing accounting practices, as additional publishing firms switched to reporting gross circulation revenues instead of circulation revenues net of distribution expenses.

Price increases also contributed to the rise, as newspaper prices rose 2.5%, measured by the Consumer Price Index.

Google, Publicis, Woodbridge and Washington Post execs to speak at Ink & Beyond
Monday, March 17, 2008

Over 400 CEOs, publishers, editors and corporate executives from the Canadian newspaper, advertising and marketing industries will converge in Toronto this May for the annual Canadian Newspaper Association and Canadian Community Newspaper Association conference.

In line with its theme, Ink & Beyond, this year's joint conference, to be held May 7-9 at Toronto's Westin Harbour Castle, will highlight innovations newspapers are using to reach audiences through mobile and online technologies as well as print. Seminars and trade show exhibits will focus on Internet solutions and new technologies.

Canadian newspapers—both weekly and daily—remain a far-reaching medium with strong national and regional brands preferred by both advertisers and readers. According to just-released NADbank figures, 78 per cent of all Canadian adults read a daily newspaper last week either in print or online, while 74 per cent read the last edition of their community newspaper (ComBase 2005).

"The $4.3-billion newspaper industry is a powerful force that reaches 16 million Canadian adults weekly across the country," said Anne Kothawala, CEO of the Canadian Newspaper Association. "Ink & Beyond will be a milestone event for our industry, bringing together experts and innovators to share insights into the wave of new opportunities for newspapers unleashed by advances in technology."

"At Ink & Beyond, every newspaper large and small will hear the best national and international experts talk about the state and future of our dynamic industry," said John Hinds, Chief Executive Officer of CCNA. "The multi-streamed program is designed to allow delegates to participate in sessions on a broad range of topics about emerging trends and better business practices."

Conference speakers include:

• Rishad Tobaccowala, CEO of Denuo, a futures marketing agency, and chief innovation officer of Publicis Groupe Media (PGM), which oversees Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) and Zenith Optimedia, which together allocate over $45 billion in global media spending.

• Michael Raynor, author of The Strategy Paradox and co-author of The Innovator's Solution, is the Deloitte Research Distinguished Fellow and holds a doctorate in business administration from Harvard.

• Geoff Beattie, President, The Woodbridge Company Limited. Woodbridge, the private investment company of the Thomson family which controls The Thomson Corporation, is a global leader in providing integrated information solutions to business and professional customers, with over 40,000 employees and services in 130 countries.

• Candy Lee, president of loyalty services at the Washington Post and former publisher of Harlequin Enterprises.

• Josh Cohen, business product manager responsible for product strategy, marketing and publisher outreach for Google News.

• Piet Bakker, an expert in newspaper innovation and professor of Cross Media Content at the School of Journalism and Communication at the Hogeschool Utrecht and associate professor at the University of Amsterdam.

Other events scheduled as part of the conference include the annual Canadian Press Dinner on May 8, featuring speaker Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Research in Motion; and the National Newspaper Awards and CCNA Better Newspapers Competition Awards, both to be held Friday, May 9.

Visit the website for more details www.inkandbeyond.ca.

Newspaper industry stakeholders to attend ACNA conference
February 21, 2008

Weekly and daily newspaper industry stakeholders from across Atlantic Canada to attend the 2008 Atlantic Community Newspapers Association (ACNA) conference in Halifax

(Halifax, NS) February 21, 2008 – Encompassing an industry convention and awards gala, the ACNA conference, Change, Challenges… Opportunities is taking place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, May 30 - 31, 2008 at the Holiday Inn Select.  This annual conference of the Association affords a tremendous opportunity to nurture important relationships among members, suppliers and other stakeholders.

Attended by publishers, sales executives, editorial staff, administrators, service providers and other weekly newspaper industry stakeholders from across Atlantic Canada, the 2008 event will see the audience grow to include representatives of the region’s Daily newspapers!  The ACNA conference offers exceptional opportunities to learn from experts, share best practices and preview the latest supplier technology and tools to enhance business operations and client service delivery. 

“We have an exceptional program planned for this year’s conference” remarked Shawn Wells, Executive Director of ACNA. “We are excited to have representatives from the region’s Daily newspapers join us.”

Keynote speakers David Foot and Mike Blinder are highlights of the conference. David Foot is a Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto and co-authored the landmark book Boom Bust & Echo. Mike Blinder of the Blinder Group is known internationally for his expertise in media, sales and marketing.

For complete conference details: http://conference.acna.com

Questions regarding the conference may be directed to the conference secretariat;

Lynn Buckley
Agenda Managers
Telephone: (902) 422-1886
Fax: (902) 422-2535
Email: acna@agendamanagers.com

Other questions may be directed to the ACNA office:

Erin Ollenberger
Operations Manager
Atlantic Community Newspapers Association
Telephone: (902) 835-2210
Fax: (902) 832-4484
Email:  erin@acna.com

ComBase interviewing in full swing
Monday, February 11, 2008

Interviewing for ComBase's 2007/2008 study is well under way with scheduled starts across the country on a provincial/territorial basis. Looking at the entire schedule, ComBase will complete interviewing by the end of June and release the data in Fall 2008.

Atlantic markets were the first to begin in December, while many British Columbia markets started throughout the month of January. Markets in the northern territories also began last week, and Manitoba is scheduled to begin in mid-February. Alberta and Saskatchewan will soon be underway once market definitions are finalized, and Ontario will follow shortly thereafter.
 
New questions have been added to the survey, including reasons for reading community newspapers, flyer usage by categories, online readership, time spent online, Internet usage by categories and various life events.  ComBase is also actively recruiting respondents to build a web panel for future research opportunities.
 
As ComBase moves into the last two provinces to begin interviewing, last-minute market additions are still possible in Saskatchewan and Ontario. Please contact Kelly at kellylevson@combase.ca for more information on how to participate.
 
ComBase member newspapers are also reminded that extraordinary promotional activity designed to increase readership is prohibited during the survey period.  This includes anything that is not part of regular business practice. Please reference your member contract or contact Kelly at kellylevson@combase.ca for more details.

Newspaper website traffic increased in 2007
Monday, February 11, 2008

A report released by the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) on January 24, 2008, suggests that 2007 was a banner year for newspaper websites, with 39 percent of active Internet users visiting a newspaper website in the fourth quarter. The report also notes that average traffic to newspaper websites increased by six percent in 2007, or an increase of 3.6 million unique visitors.

For the fourth quarter of 2007, there were 62.8 million visitors to newspaper websites, up nine percent from 57.6 million in 2006.

"Newspapers continue to successfully transform themselves into multimedia companies, offering unparalleled content that reaches an audience growing in both size and sophistication," said NAA President and CEO John F. Sturm. "Newspapers' expanding print and digital portfolio offers value to advertisers by providing a targeted, comprehensive menu of choices for today’s discriminating consumer. As our industry’s transition accelerates, it is clear consumers recognize newspapers as their trusted source of information in an increasingly digital environment."

Data for the study was gathered from Nielsen Online Custom Analysis and represents home and work users with a non-shared computer. Users who might access a newspaper website at home and at work were only counted once.

Read more on the findings at the NAA website.

Study: Advertising inserts top purchase influencer
Monday, January 28, 2008

The influence of advertising inserts on adult purchasing decisions has risen in the last ten years, according to a study released by Vertis Communications on January 14, 2008. The study, Customer Focus: Decade of Data, surveyed 3,000 consumers in the U.S. and found that 27 percent of adults acknowledged that inserts affected their purchasing decisions. That is an increase of 19 percent compared to study results from 1998 which formerly recognized television advertising as the main influencer.

Eight percent of adults surveyed recognized television ads as their main influence, down from 22 percent in 1998.

The Vertis study also recognized the rising involvement women have in making purchasing decisions. Ninety-one percent of women between the ages of 18-24 reported that they were part of the decision-making process in purchasing items like cell phones, desktop computers and digital cameras, an increase of 22 percent from the 1998 study.

The findings are significant to the community newspaper industry, which is closely tied to the flyer distribution sector. With a weekly circulation of over 17 million copies across Canada, community newspapers are a major distribution vehicle for advertising inserts. According to the ComBase 2005 readership study, 74 percent of adults read the last issue of their community newspaper, while among women age 25-49, the readership figure increases to 76 percent. The ComBase study further found that readership levels are high for both paid- and controlled-circulation products and found lower readership levels for another flyer distribution vehicle, daily newspapers, at only 58 percent of all adults, and only 37 percent among women 25-49.

Read more on the study results at the Center for Media Research website

CRTC announces new media ownership rules
Tuesday, January 15, 2008

New media ownership rules announced on January 15 by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will restrict future cross-media acquisitions in order to ensure Canada's "diversity of voices" is protected.

In the new rules, no person or entity may own more than two of the three types of local media–radio, television and newspapers–in any given market. In addition, the CRTC will not allow anyone to own more than 45 per cent of the total television audience, or allow mergers or acquisitions that will allow one person or company to control the delivery of programming for a market.

The decision is a result of hearings that were held in September 2007, and the announcement from the CRTC notes that these changes are a result of increased consolidation among broadcasters.

"With these new policies, we have developed a clear approach to guide us in assessing future transactions in the broadcasting industry," said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., CRTC chairman. "It is an approach that will preserve the plurality of editorial voices and the diversity of programming available to Canadians, both locally and nationally, while allowing for a strong and competitive industry."

Read the full announcement on the CRTC website

ComBase starts interviewing
Monday, January 14, 2008

ComBase fieldwork has started on the most recent study. This means that telephone interviewing has begun. 

The study is being conducted by Leger Marketing who have a dedicated team of fifty interviewers based in Winnipeg. They have started interviewing in all 20 Atlantic markets and some BC markets are expected to start by the end of the week. Manitoba markets will start at the end of January, with Alberta in the field by early February.

The study will comprise over 41,000 interviews in over 230 markets across Canada. All provinces and territories are represented except Quebec and the Yukon.

Each market will be interviewed over a minimum of a 12 week period, and as more of the study is being done, the number of interviewers at the call centre could increase to almost 100.

"The process is working well," said Kelly Levson, general manager of ComBase, who was in Winnipeg last week, coordinating with interviewers and monitoring their work as the first calls began.

Data from the study is expected to be released in fall 2008.

Support Family Literacy Day on January 27
Monday, January 14, 2008

On January 27, Family Literacy Day will celebrate its tenth year of helping families learn together. The national initiative, which was founded by ABC Canada, encourages families to develop literacy and numeracy skills, including reading, writing and math.

"Family Literacy Day is one of many days when families can take the time to explore, share ideas and encourage each other’s hobbies and interests," said Margaret Eaton, president of ABC Canada.

ABC Canada says that 42 per cent of Canadians between the ages of 16 and 65 face literacy challenges, although the topic is not raised often enough among families who can make a difference in their own homes. To help celebrate Family Literacy Day, ABC Canada offered these 10 tips for activities your family can organize at home:

10. Create a family book club. Read and discuss the books together. 
9. Make a particular night board game night. Maybe invite another family for a challenge.
8. Have your kids create the map for your next road trip then they can navigate by reading signs and billboards. Create a trip journal.
7. Read news articles and magazines and then discuss current affairs together.
6. Volunteer as a family to read at a children’s hospital or at a senior’s centre.
5. Surf the Internet together to find great sites that support your hobbies. 
4. Read a classic adventure together. If your children like Survivor, they will love Treasure Island.
3. Research and write your family’s history. Use the Internet, family letters and documents as resources, and interview your relatives.
2. Sing favourite songs. Find out more about the songwriter or singer on the Internet. Make up your own songs.
1. Write your own adventure. Write a short story as a family with alternative endings written by each family member.

Magazines and newspapers from across the country will help promote the message through advertisements in their publications, which can be downloaded from the CCNA website at www.communitynews.ca/literacy. For more information on Family Literacy Day, please visit www.abc-canada.org/fld.

Verified Circulation becomes Canadian Media Circulation Audit
Friday, December 21, 2007

Verified Circulation is now Canadian Media Circulation Audit.

The new name was approved by the board of directors of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association in early 2007. The name Canadian Media Circulation Audit is a reflection of the growth and enhancements of the program and better positions it as a credible circulation auditing service with media, government, advertisers and agencies.
 
Over the years, Verified Circulation has built a reputation for itself with the community newspaper industry, advertisers and ad agencies as a reliable circulation auditing service.
More recently, this reputation has extended to consumer and business publications, and it continues to improve as the governing committee reviews policies and enforces stricter guidelines.

The program was launched in 1971 and today provides publishers, advertising agencies and advertisers with audited circulation figures for more than 600 publications, including community newspapers and business, consumer and farm publications.

The name change to CMCA in no way alters or affects the on-going process of the program. The program will continue to provide on-site audits, 12-month audit implementation, and online viewing of reports. However, members can expect more exciting initiatives to be developed in the coming year such as new program manual and a user friendly web site. We look forward to continue to work with you to provide efficient, friendly and dependable service.

CMCA members should display the CMCA logo on their mastheads and rate cards. The CMCA logo can be downloaded from the members section of the web site at  www.circulationaudit.ca. If you have any additional questions, contact CMCA Coordinator Winnie Legaspi by phone toll-free at 1-877-305-2262 ext. 23 or by email at  audit@ccna.ca

Past News

Monday, December 03, 2007
Global advertising set to rise in 2008
read more >

Monday, November 26, 2007
Springhill-Parrsboro Record sold to Transcontinental
read more >

past news >