As part of their Doombusters Campaign, the Gold Coast Bulletin is offering their Monday to Friday editions for half price. The consumer needs to clip a coupon and present this to the newsagent the next day to get the paper at half price. The newsagent has to collect the coupons and submit them to the Gold Coast Bulletin to be reimbursed for the discount.
While I am all for innovative marketing around newspapers, this campaign is administratively messy. It also, for a whole month, educates consumers that the newspaper is worth 50 cents and not the usual dollar. It will be interesting to see if this remains a February only deal. It will also be interesting to see if there is any counter offer – maybe not because of the Gold Coast location.
The newspaper publisher has not advised the QNF, the state association, of the campaign. Nor have they let the software companies know – those responsible for back end infrastructure to make the process financially accurate, efficient and easy for newsagents.
I am glad that this is a newsagent only offer but am frustrated at how it has been communicated and is proposed to be managed. To have the details released one working day prior to implementation is nuts. It feels desperate.
I’ve just officailly found out now, after your post and half a working day before it begins.
With the Courier Mail starting their Nat Geo DVD campaign these next few weeks will be coupon hell.
All the : having to explain it to people, whingers, cutting out coupons, kids crying, tight-arses, people that buy the paper somewhere else then try to cash in at my store, customer abuse from being out of papers earlier than normal, etc, etc, etc. I don’t think we are being paid for all the work we’re doing with these campaigns or the dramas involved with them.
Mark
is it true that the telegraph in nsw is going to do the same thing? we need to have a national body that has some power to act on these things.I bet woolies dont have dvds to hand out because they are asked not told like the newsagent channell.weather it be telegraph or fairfax they should come and ask us if we want to hand out footy cards /dvds\flags \hats or whatever and be paid a premium for the extra time it takes.if we dont get that courtsey then walk away from that particular prom.what are your thoughts
Andy,
While I have not heard this I would not be surprised to see other publishers play with cover price discounting.
No national body can act on these things because they do not have any mechanism of compliance. That opportunity was lost over the last three years and I doubt it can be recovered.
I am happy to hand out gifts as long as I get reasonable supply
Mark
Brad you’re exactly right.
I’ve told them before don’t do the coupon thing, just say at newsagents only. The traffic it drives to us compensates for all the dramas.
I’ll check out the supplies and reply.
I am taking the view that these publishes are being proactive and showing initiative.
The commission is very unfair.
The undersupply of the promo’s have in the past been frustrating.
However the overiding factor is the hope that it will drive people to our stores and while they are in their, they will buy something else.
We could promo with their promo also.
is commission the same as full priced paper as it was with the last 50c paper news limited did in newcastle?
A smart publisher would have worked with the software companies ot automate the process and eliminate paperwork. Unfortunately, newspaper publishers in this country engage with newsagent technology on an ad hoc basis.
Mark
Interesting. Have US newspapers not played with discounting models (different to the one above, but discounting models nonetheless) and shown they aren’t beneficial in the long term?
Coupons are just the proof newsaper publishers don’t know how to connect with consumers beyond the ‘free’ or ‘discount’ concept. Consumers hate coupons just as much as newsagents. Why would any publisher make the consumers endure the task of cutting a coupon for something as small as a 50c discount?
The concept isn’t innovative – its lazy. Marketing originality is nowhere to be seen at the publishing houses of Australian newspapers.
It is to hard not worth it
jarryd,
it is innovative in that it focuses on building loyalty to the newsagent as well. We don;t often see that.
However, I agree that a staright discount is not innovative.
It has been extensively used in the UK.
Mark
“Nor have they let the software companies know” – The newspaper suppliers seem to have an issue with sharing information. Our POS supplier quite often has not been informed of changes which I have had queries about.
On the other hand, I did receive – a week + in advance – notice of impending price increase to The Australian (M-F) to $1.50 from 9 Feb. Lucky I don’t have any queries.
Thanks for that Wendy, Qld news hadn’t told us that.
I seem to hear everthing from this site before any of my direct suppliers!
Wendy,
How did you hear about the australian price increase. It would be nice to know in advance so that we can forewarn our customers.
Love the lack of communication.
Good luck to everyone tomorrow dealing with the dvds with the sunday mail, music dvd with the sunday herald, and late comers wanting the recipe book from todays telegraph.