Newspower sent out an email to newsagents today marketing their services:
News from the National Manager
We are very pleased to report an outstanding response to the Newspower Easter Colouring Competition this year with over 25,000 entries across Newspower stores. What a fantastic opportunity for newsagencies to engage with families and schools in their community. This Easter tradition, sponsored by Staedtler, is just one of many seasonal promotions we support at Newspower, with individual members able to work with their local primary schools and local media.
Newspower continues to measure the value of membership. We have drilled down to identify the costs to a newsagency business that can be reduced and avoided.
As an example of reduced costs, a member of Newspower gains significant savings, especially when it comes to design, printing and distribution of our seasonal marketing campaigns. Have you ever thought about what it costs in time and dollars to have posters and flyers/brochures designed, approved, printed and distributed every time? An example of this is our Mothers’ Day campaign that features glorious pink, crimson and yellow gerberas in eye-catching visual merchandising material. Posters feature the bright visual of the flowers with additional cut out flowers in different sizes, which can be utilised to build brilliant in store displays highlighting all the gifts & cards for Mother’s Day. Our proven approach helps you, our member sell more products to more customers more often!
Newspower’s real point of difference for you, our member is the increased brochures/flyer program. We keep up with industry research to make sure you get the best ‘bang for your buck’ with design and content – and brochures, delivered to homes, are consistently amongst the most cost effective forms of reaching your customers. The Australasian Catalogue Association reports that more Australians read a brochure every week than watch television or listen to commercial radio!
There are tremendous results from our Inkpower Program so far with some stores have more than doubled sales! For stores that have not carried ink before they are now positioned as an ink retailer – a destination for customers.
In 6 weeks since the brochure was distributed my ink sales have gone up 278% by units and 415% by dollar turnover. I am selling more genuine cartridges than ever, and still doing well with compatibles. This is the best return I have had on any Newspower promo – long may it continue! David Brindley – Angle Vale Newspower
Wishing you all a very successful month and you and your family a lovely Mothers’ Day this year.
Helen Dowling
National Manager
Newspower Australia
Great to see flower power is still alive and well.
Takes me back to the 60’s, where newspower still is eh!
what a milestone achievement!
Are they serious ??
Newspower is stuck in the past.
3 main promotions a year flogging off stationery at low margins ,great for Ancol they make more out of it than the newsagents
Ink power was copied from another Newsagent marketing group who has been doing it for years
Can Newspower grow your GP thats all that matters
Let’s not get personal. Newspower is what it is and the board determines that. Plenty must be happy as the numbers are stilt over 500.
I am a Newspower newsagent and I never get personal about other marketing groups as each group has their own pros and cons ( even Newspower (board of directors)). We all have our reasons for being in the groups we are in and this should be respected. Try to remain professional please.
Our Easter colouring in comp was a massive success this year. We had over 500 entries, free advertising throughout all local schools plus a free local newspaper articles concerning this competition. This is great for my business as parents are one of the target demographics I am marketing to to increase sales.
On the GP issue, yes Newspower has helped grow my GP through deals with various non- traditional suppliers where we receive trade discounts plus support.
I feel that all Newsagents should be part of a marketing group and if you are not in one you should join one asap as they provide new avenues to grow your business.
We were newspower for 3 years.
My comments may be taken personally, but my comments are as I see the industry, and the participants within the industry. Noone HAS to agree, but from where I stand I am correct.
Yes newspower are who they are. The description on toys on Christmas promotions were in very bad English translated from chinese, the toys were rubbish, margins were small on all promotions.
We run no promotions now, we sell less product in back to school and midyear, yet we put more money in the bank. Our Christmas season is larger than ever before. Whenever we sourced a product, newspower(ancol) would would have the product 6 months later.
Newspower are now copying other groups, is this their way of research?
Yes they are what they are, like a child’s security blanket for those who can’t let go and will never know what is in the big world out there until they cut the umbilical cord.
Peter I do think it is important to explain research when it is mentioned as Newspower has, to show it is genuine research, fresh and relevant. My opinion is I would not rate copying any other group as research.
Why isn’t the complete email shown? The email shown above does not include the paragraph about Newspower newsagents winning awards. Why? It disappoints me that was cut out, I hope it was an error as I have always thought that this blog was open and honest.
Chris … generally this blog is open and honest, Tatts colluders excepted. But we all have our vested interests……
Chris …. I have checked the email I received and my email is the same as above (I dont have a paragraph about winning awards)???
Same Chris, my email is exactly as written in the initial post.
Ok, I apologise if this is the case which I hope it is. Attached is the missing paragraph
“At the recent VANA Industry Awards Night, three Newspower Newsagents came away with awards. We would like to congratulate Barry and Janice Henwood from Blackburn South Newspower Post & Lotto for winning the Reader’s Choice Award. Clayton Newspower for winning the NParcel/Blueshyft Award, and Lisa McClare from Wonthaggi Newspower Newsagency for winning the Employee of the Year.
Congratulations also to all of the other winners; Lottery Agent winner – Klemm’s Authorised Newsagency, Distribution Agent of the Year – South Eastern Distribution Services, Retail Newsagent of the Year – East Geelong Newsagency and Congratulations also to John Mullenger the VANA Legend.”
Chris and Colin your comments are disappointing, an ignorant judgement on my integrity. Next time you want to accuse me of something, check the facts first. My email is mark@towersystems.com.au and my mobile number is 0418 321 338. But you both know that.
The email from Newspower I included in this post is exactly as received.
Mark,
Your response is a complete over reaction. My comment was neither about you nor addressed to you.
Keep up the good work.
Colin Chris … generally this blog is open and honest, Tatts colluders excepted. But we all have our vested interests…… appears to disagree with you.
Colin and Chris welcome to the world of moderated ones.
Peter, I can’t see where either Chris or Colin have been moderated in this blog.
Peter, comments here are not moderated, as you well know. Shame on you for the allegation.
Hi everyone, just to clarify that the above letter is the exactly the same as I received. If anyone would like a copy please email me at gympie@newsxpress.com.au so you all can see the truth.
Happy Retailing.
Here in SA Newspower is run by Ancol SA ,they control the members fees and run their own catalogues .
To put it bluntly the Ancol/Newspower staff do not have the skills to help newsagents with anything other than stationery.
Newspower is not a whole of business approach
I am also a Newspower member, been tempted by “the other” group occasionally, but I would never bag them.
To those who ARE bagging Newspower on here, full disclosure would be nice, eg, if you are a disgruntled former board member with an axe to grind.
Great job Warrick, I am so happy you can show everyone the truth!! The “truth” is that there must have been 2 emails sent out and somehow I received a different one to everyone who reads this blog.
As stated in my comments above I hoped it was an error which it was and I apologised.
I apologise Mark, you are right. I should have contacted you directly to make you aware of the email discrepancy.
Chris, perhaps you could ‘forward’ a copy of the email you received directly to Mark.
There are two different versions, sent several days apart. I have both.
My question, though, is why would anyone in Newspower want to pass on a member’s email to the head of a competing group? If you’re not happy in Newspower work to change it or leave; don’t white ant.
Well I’m glad that’s all sorted.
Now for the missing bit on the other email about the Newspower newsagents winning the awards. This is because they are voted by the traditional suppliers, and the newspower newsagencies conform to traditional ways. The new suppliers to the channel do not vote.
Those voted for do not necessarily have to be the best, nor even profitable for that matter, just conforming and saying in their own words that they meet the criteria.
Thanks Chris.
It guts me that people think I would edit the Newspower pitch when I have included the headline through to the sign off.
Chasing conspiracies is a waste of time.
The whole purpose of the post was to share with newsagents what Newspower are promoting as their role in the channel is an important one.
As for the association awards, the nomination process sets them up as being flawed. Good on those who win but the only award that matters is the money you made this year compared to last.
As for Newspower. My opinion is the organisation is as broken today as it was in seven years ago when they approached newsXpress to run the group for them. However, it continues to fulfil a role and that is why I was happy to publish their pitch, in whole, here.
Funny man David, You describe me as disgruntled ,you have no idea .
Yes I was on the board of Ancol for many years, 14 years service to the industry in fact ‘so I wouldn’t say I had a axe to grind we did achieve some good things
However I was mindful of the fact that Ancol is a Co-Operative and owned by you the Newsagent as such I worked hard to protect Newsagents interests.
But Ancol lost its focus with serving Newsagents and decided instead to focus more on supplying schools and students.
Ancol was supping schools at your cost price I was able to prove this as a parcel destined for a school was sent to my store .
Ancol wanted to set up a online website selling directly to students at retail thus by passing the Newsagent completely .
It was at that point I decided to leave as I could no longer sit there as a board member collecting directors fees seeing Ancol compete against its own shareholders.
Ancol’s line is that it’s a different market well I disagree ,its stationery and if students can buy online direct well thats a sale you miss out on.
David all of this happened before you came into the industry , I choose not to support Ancol or Newspower . If Ancol could offer a larger range of stationery at a better price than GNS I would support Ancol .
I wanted something better than Newspower and I have found that in newsXpress