It is fascinating watching the commuter rush here in Hong Kong. You soon see how The Standard has become so successful with its free newspaper – excellent locations at all high traffic transit positions. Their people are easy to spot and they are good at what they do. It’s all about fast and efficient distribution.
Watching the process this morning it’s clear to me that in large cities with enough commuter traffic the free morning newspaper model is better than a paid model. Being free you can cut some costs out of the supply chain – at the publisher end as well as at the retailer / distributor end.
The geographic spread in Australia and our small size makes the free morning newspaper more challenging for publishers. While they can get city workers, it’s in the suburbs and country where they would be challenged. However, in the US there is one publisher doing very well with a free home delivery model. These are trends newsagents need to remain across.
I wonder how many newsagents have even seen a copy of MX.
Thomas,
Now thats just plain rude.
I don’t think it is rude. MX circulates only in the CBD and immediate surrounds. Many suburban agents, and country businesses, would never have even sighted a copy of MX.
Who cares if newsagents have seen mx or not. What is relevant is the growth in the free newspaper model.
Guardians Roy Greenslade is commenting on the elderly people that make a living by gathering discarded papers on the street. The price of old paper is high enough to make some money of it. Advertisers should be less pleased of course because some papers end up at the recycling center without ever being opened.
Gee, you can be an arrogant person, Mark. No wonder a number of people are turned off by your business manner.
My comments re this post are not arrogant Thomas. My post is about the growth of free newspapers in Hong Kong. You have tried to make it about newsagents not having seen MX. It doesn’t matter if they have, there is a wealth of information online and here about free newspapers. This is what real people would want to discuss.
So now you are the authority on what “real people” would want to discuss. MY comments are about the free newspaper model. YOUR comments also mention Australia and US. Understanding the model actually does include assessing the product. Mark, for an intelligent man, you should realise that everytime you make a smarta*** reply to contributors, you wreck any goodwill that your company may have built. Your blog smacks of you being a smug know-it-all – and no-one enjoys doing commerce with a Mr Perfect. That’s what “real people’ are about.
It is fascinating watching the commuter rush here in Hong Kong. You soon see how The Standard has become so successful with its free newspaper – excellent locations at all high traffic transit positions. Their people are easy to spot and they are good at what they do. It’s all about fast and efficient distribution.
Watching the process this morning it’s clear to me that in large cities with enough commuter traffic the free morning newspaper model is better than a paid model. Being free you can cut some costs out of the supply chain – at the publisher end as well as at the retailer / distributor end.
The geographic spread in Australia and our small size makes the free morning newspaper more challenging for publishers. While they can get city workers, it’s in the suburbs and country where they would be challenged. However, in the US there is one publisher doing very well with a free home delivery model. These are trends newsagents need to remain across.