newspaper masthead desecration

While the folks at The Age have spared their masthead, they have allowed the National Australia Bank to pay to cover park of the photo on the front page of the Domain section of today’s newspaper.

Beyond my dislike of these stuck-on ads, they disrespect the creative team behind the newspaper and they frustrate customers. The folks at NAB will win themselves no friends from this ad today.

Stuck on top of the coat of arms on the masthead for The Age newspaper is this garish post it type ad. It defiles the newspaper brand. This ad also seeks to take sales away from retailers and shift them to home delivery. As a retail only newsagent I am not happy about this. Given the evolving financial model for home delivery it is not ideal either since newsagents are carrying more risk from these publisher deals. That aside, my main issue is with the desecration of the masthead.

While newspaper professionals in the US debate whether to include advertisements on the front page, the advertising department at The Age demonstrates, again, its dominance over design and editorial with a bold post it note type ad stuck over the masthead for the Mt Buller ski resort. Customers hate these ads. They increase trash and the damage the product when ripped off.

The Age today has another GIO ad stuck on its masthead and partially covering its branding.

The folks obviously think putting the photo of Sandra Nori on the front page of yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald newspaper was a waste. Why else cover her image with a post-it type stuck on ad for GIO?

The Age newspaper today has another stuck on ad across the masthead on page one:

Here is the damage caused by lifting the Commonwealth Bank Mastercard ad from the masthead:

There are two slight tears along the lines of the adhesive. I can’t tell what Epicure “goes”. I can’t see the second person in the photo on the right.

There are not many professional newspaper people who would put advertising revenue ahead of their newspaper product in this way.