newspaper masthead desecration

The New York Times uses post-it notes to promote home delivery – but in a more respectful way of editorial and brand than in Australia. This note was in a back section and placed in the top left corner – covering editorial but not as much or important as in Australia.

The stuck on ad for Kohl’s posted on the front page of the Los Angeles Times yesterday covered the masthead of the newspaper. I love newspapers and disheartened to see such a respected masthead covered up in this way. Sure publishers need the money but why not carve out page one space in a way that respects the brand?

Part of the MH370 headline on the front page of the Herald Sun newspaper today is obscured with a post-it type ad for Bakers Delight. This junks the product and disrespects the news in my view.

It’s disappointing to see News Corp. stick a discount home delivery subscription ad over the top of the photo for the lead story – on the disappearance of MH370 on yesterday’s newspaper. This sticker and the offer it promotes disrespects news and trashes the brand by making the purchase about price.

News Corp. placed a house ad promoting discounted newspaper subscriptions on the front page of the Herald Sun yesterday.

Taking customers from proactive retailers is frustrating. Blocking the main headline and photo of the day is disappointing.

Here’s how one retail newsagent handled the subscription ads on the front of The Saturday Age today. I can understand this action given that customers complain about the stuck on ads and like their removal without damaging the editorial content.

For the record, here’s the front page of The Saturday Age newspaper today. There is a house ad promoting subscriptions for 50% off covering editorial content. I’ll keep posting about this when I see it as a record for the future.

Click here to see other newspaper mastheads trashed by advertising covering editorial.

Both The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald had their front and back pages covered yesterday with a four-page house ad promoting digital and print subscriptions – with print being pitched as the add-on loss-leader. So much for news selling news. The SMH hours ad itself was partially obscured by another ad for Notre Dame Uni – pushing the news further back.

Editorial content on the front cover of The Australian Financial Review today was partially covered with a house ad for their digital product.  Recent sales declines push the AFR closer to being a digital only product. Ads like this ‘help’.

Covering-up the headline with a stuck on not ad for Kogan on the front page of the Herald Sun today shows that News Corp. does not think headlines sells newspapers. It’s this disrespectful treatment of editorial content that maybe causes some newsagents to not regard newspapers as they one might have. Covering an AFL store in Victoria? Nuts!

The masthead of The Australian was well and truly trashed with a house post-it note type ad promoting subscriptions to the newspaper. Given the money they spend promoting their masthead I’m surprised they covered it up for this promotion.

The Sunday Mail in Adelaide yesterday had a hone delivery subscriptions ad stuck on the front page. I’d be surprised if any retailer was happy about this post-it note type ad covering part of the front page and pitching to retail customers that they should stop buying their newspaper there.

Money trumps editorial again today on the front cover of The Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Not sure why retailers put up with News trying to divert traffic away from their shops. We’re not paid enough margin to justify this type of activity in our space.

In Adelaide yesterday the front page of The Weekend Australia has a post-it note type ad stuck over the  the lead photo of the day. I guess the photo editor is wondering why bother when they see their work treated this way.

The front page headline on the Herald Sun newspaper was covered up with a post-it note type house ad promoting print and digital subscriptions. I call this shocking because it shows what little value News Corp. places in newspaper headlines now.

Besides that they are trying to get retail newsagents to direct revenue away from their businesses they are demonstrating little regard for the news of the day. Yes, shocking.

Check the placement of a post-it note type ad for Downton Abby stuck on the front of the New Zealand Herald today. It’s covering editorial content. If these ads work so well why put editorial content there to be covered up? Why not permanently carve out the ad space on the front page of the newspaper instead? This way you respect your editorial team.

While it’s disappointing to see Fairfax sell space covering news headlines for another post-it note ad on The Saturday Age, the ad for Harvey Norman is interesting. It asked people to redeem the note for a free mug … an interesting traffic generating promotion from the retailer.

The Herald Sun yesterday has an ad for home delivery stuck over editorial content on the front page. Thankfully removing the sticker did not damage the product … customers were only partially frustrated. I guess they work at shifting people from retail to home delivery. sigh.

The headline of the story on the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald this morning is covered with an political ad.

It’s disappointing to see the news of the day treated in this way by newspaper publishers. Many customers don’t like these stuck-on ads.