Passing a newsagency in Sydney on Saturday I noticed that of the three signs on the front of the business, above the door and front windows, Newsagency was the smallest. It took around 20% of the space. Two daily newspaper brands took 40% each. With sales of one of the newspapers declining around 15% year on year and the other down 7% year on year I wonder about the value of the promotion of the mastheads on such prime real-estate.
Do signs of newspaper brand attract shoppers to a newsagency? Maybe. Maybe not. I am not aware of any research into tho. My personal view is that with newspapers now available in so many locations, the value of a masthead as a traffic driver is noir what it used to be.
While I am happy to sell newspapers and do promote them in-store, I think we are at a point where there is no value in using the newspaper brands to attract shoppers. I say this because the newspapers themselves are giving over considerable space in their pages to encourage readers of the print product to migrate to digital product.
Newspapers publishers through their own actions are showing us that the brand is not as connected to retail as it once was.
So, maybe it is time to take down the newspaper signs.
Newspaper publishers will say I am wrong. They will make a case to anyone who listen that they believe in the future of print and want to work with newsagents supporting print. They have to say this as the print product today is key to their future – whatever mediums they make deliver advertising and other content through. I’d point them back as the ads they are running in their own newspapers.
So, I think it’s time masthead signs came down. The problem for many newsagents will be what do you replace them with?
The newspaper signs are easy – newspaper companies pay for them, they are professional and they can cover unsightly parts of the building. That’s a short-sighted and lazy way to look at it.
An engaged retailer will think carefully about how they want to pitch and signpost their business. They will do it with a sign that attracts new shoppers, a sign that is relevant to the future of the business.
The choices you make about the signs you use at the front of your newsagency are about what your business is, who you want to attract and your unique selling proposition.
Whatever you do, it’s up to you. Your business must serve its shareholders above all others.
We make our own success.
Funny you blog about this. I am having a street artist come out this week to look at painting a design for my awning where these newspaper signs are to reflect the future of my shop.
Do Supermarkets cover their awning in Newspaper banner ads, do 7 11, do Coles Express, no they don’t but publishers are actively working with these channels to promote newspaper sales. Like the space at the front of your shop, it’s devaluing the most valuable resource we have on a low margin, declining volume product with a supplier that effectively has lost interest in the channel. Of course we should all ditch the signage.
Love the street artist idea.
My husband is a sign writer and we are going to re-paint our signs soon. I am still debating with myself weather to re-name our business and it is much more than a Newsagency.
Carol you have opened up a can of worms there. What should a newsagency be called now? It is hard as every newsagency is diversifying into different fields. In the “old days” you used to get the same stuff in each newsagency. This level of consistency is not there anymore. Good luck and let us know what you go for!
We have used multiple artists with contrasting styles to do up our back and side exterior walls. Looks great and we have people constantly commenting on it. The latest is an Italian Line artist / student from the local TAFE who is doing a design course, I know the tutor pretty well and offered up the wall space as part of a competition / assignment between students. Its Just another way of being involved with the community and it helps make our business unique.
The newspaper signs, N Logo and magazine poster frames went to the tip years ago.
Would love to see some photos of those who have commented who are trying different things.