It’s hard to walk any of London’s major streets in the afternoon without being offered a copy of the london paper – the free newspaper launched by News International eight weeks ago. Strategically located distributors (often outside a supermarket or convenience store) stand next to the trademark purple umbrella and thrust the newspaper in front of anyone walking within a few feet of their position. Today’s 40 page edition feels nothing like the free commuter papers I am used to – MX in Melbourne and Sydney. Indeed, comparing it page by page with the Evening Standard (50 pence) it’s a very competitive offering. Sure it provides more celebrity and fashion coverage than hard news but the key news stories are well covered. Mind you, the Standard had its fare share of celebrity coverage.
I also picked up a copy of London Lite, a free daily launched ten weeks ago by Associated Newspapers and distributed throughout the City. It’s from the publishers of the Evening Standard. London Lite today is 48 pages long. It shares key stories with the Standard and in a couple of instances today, provided more detail than its paid for stable-mate. Maybe I am missing something but I don’t get the strategy of giving away a product which is 75% of your paid-for product – unless it’s an advertising play, assuring advertisers of a certain number of eyeballs you can only deliver through a free version. London Lite is playing in the user generated content space and carries some content provided by readers.
These free London newspapers are very different to MX, the only capital city free daily in Australia. They read as if they are targeting a broader demographic than that of MX.
By creating such good free offerings, publishers are presenting a product which must cannibalise the market for newspapers with a cover price.
As one who relies on consumer habits to purchase newspapers I’d be unhappy if free newspapers like these two from London came to Australia. However, I suspect it is only a matter of time. People don’t have the time for bigger newspapers. When sales are flat or fall I am sure publishers will use the learnings from London and the many other cities where free daily newspapers are a key part of their consumer offering.
Newsagents I talk to are not concerned about MX. They see it as not competing with anything they offer. The two free newspapers in London which I have seen today would compete and that’s what newsagents need to be aware of and, maybe, plan for.
“that it’s paid for stable mate” should be “that its paid for stable mate”
“its” is a possessive pronoun like “his” or “her”.
What you have actually written is “that it is paid for stable mate” which does not make sense.
Thanks. Fixed.
I made one of my infrequent daytime visits to the CBD yesterday and was handed a copy of MX. What a complete and utter waste of trees and newsprint it is.
There was not one article of substance in it and the bits and pieces that constituted the “content” only served to hold apart ads mostly from the usual corporate advertisers Qantas, Star City, Telstra etc.
The photos used were chiefly old ones drawn form the publisher’s library (very cheap) or from the low cost end of the agencies offering like an incomprehensible image of a farmer wandering among chilli plants used to illustrate a one sentence “story” on reform of collective farm adminsitrative reform in China. (No doubt inserted to make you feel better about buying imprted fruit & veg at the supermarket.)
I did not see anyone on the long train ride home read a copy.
The people who hand out MX seem very lacklustre and were mostly ignored. One wonders what happens to the piles of copies not distributed – there were huge stacks still on the Wynyard concourse at 6:15 pm.
It would also be interesting to know what sort of rate is being paid for the real estate of the MX pitches.
I should have noted in the original blog entry that the folks I encountered handing out the london paper did so with a smile – which I thought odd at the time in this city of many frowns.