Does video + video = money?

Our thanks to Steve Gunn of The Charlotte Observer for making us aware of this item. Steve writes:

A couple of students at Stanford are looking at ways to put videos within videos, which the newspaper industry could adapt to put ads into videos online -- even those not on their own website. Whether this particular thing is the answer or not, this is a very interesting idea and raises others, including simply embedding advertising text on the bottom of a video put up by a newspaper -- even when its not on their site. It seems to me a small paper might find this really something to think about trying.

Here is a video from Stanford University about the process.



The technology is indeed cool, but I can foresee a huge ethics debate on this for newspaper Web sites. Most every newsroom would agree that adding elements such as those shown in the video into still photography is a huge taboo. What about when it's video?

I'm thinking papers could find a way of incorporating this technology into videos while making it clear that what you are seeing is a paid advertisement, not a part of the news video itself. Confining the ads to a space that is consistent on every video, such as across the bottom, might be one way to do that.

Certainly newspapers should be interested in beginning the discussion and finding a way of marrying the advertising with the news content without sacrificing our reputation and trust.

Thanks again, Steve!

The follow up on making money

Faithful readers may recall last month we wrote about a column by E&P's Steve Outing. In that column he outlined 11 pieces of advice to newspaper company CEOs. We pointed out that most all of his proposals made sense, but didn't address the issue of how to make money to keep an enterprise going.

Outing responded and promised more on that sticky money problem. This month he did just that.

Here is the link to his full Stop the Presses column. He even added a 12th tip this time: to run your newspaper ad staff like an advertising agency. This isn't exactly new advice, but one that has only seen a lot of lip service through the years.

The industry's own incentive plans through the years haven't exactly encouraged this strategy. If a sales person wanted to make as much money as possible with as little work as possible, they knew that the real money had been selling the print ads in the main product. Other products provided smaller returns, both for the newspaper and the sales person. I've seen many a good product die because the return on the time invested by sales persons was minimal.

Turning an advertising sales department into an advertising agency will take more than an edict to accomplish. It really is a cultural shift. And one of the primary steps in any cultural shift is getting the rewards system in line with the behavior wanted. As Brian Tracy says, what gets rewarded gets done.

Anyone in North Carolina papers having success with a transition to an advertising agency mentality? Let us know about it.

New publications coming

Think it's time to signal retreat? The folks in West Jefferson apparently see things in a different light. The Jefferson Post announced its starting up several new publications this year. Here's what they had to say to their readers:

"We believe these publications will help us reach readers interested in particular things," Lonnie Adamson, editor and general manager of the newspaper said this week. "This should give advertisers a new group of people to approach with what they have to offer. The idea is to give advertisers more options and better value by providing places to put dollars that suit their individual needs."

First on the list of publications is a weekly feature called "People of Ashe." It will be primarily produced by part-time writer Monica Neaves, who knows the area and its people well. She works full time for Sun Trust Mortgage.

The next special feature will be staff written and called "Ashe Women in the Know." It will focus on women's issues and needs from medicine to fashion to work to family.

"We debated this format," said Adamson. "We had concerns about the political correctness of it. In face, women in this area seem to have distinct, but diverse, interests. The material will seek to cover all those areas that come up. We welcome ideas. We certainly don't discourage men from reading about these issues. Maybe they can learn something from it too."

The biggest new project is a children's tabloid published monthly. It will include fun facts and puzzles and games targeted to appeal to K-6 grade readers. "Key to its success will be specifically local information, what children are doing, school menus, calendars of events," Adamson said. "We are a community newspaper and live and breathe providing information of local interest."

The name of the children's tab is yet to be determined. We are asking local school children grades K-6 to submit names and subtitles along with artwork for the cover of the first year. The winner will receive a gift certificate from a local business.

Hopefully we'll hear later how these new publications up in the mountains are doing.

Well, there goes that excuse

We've seen it in more and more newspapers during the past several years -- 1A advertising. Can't say that we ever really cared for it, but as the advertising market has tightened it becomes harder to defend an ad-less front page.

And now comes word of the venerable New York Times selling space on its front. Today's paper includes an advertisement from CBS across the bottom, 2 and a half inches tall.

And guess what? The sun came up this morning. (OK, actually it's really cloudy and foggy here, but it's still daylight and the sky is gray, not black, so that means the sun did come up.)

Many of our member papers already have 1A ads. For those newsrooms that still have the entire front page to themselves, it's probably time to come to grips with a new future. As a matter of fact, it might be prudent to offer up the space with solutions that can make you and an advertiser happy.

Besides, you can't use the New York Times as an excuse anymore.

Making use of your e-mail lists

An e-mail subscriber for The News & Observer's online service alerted us to this one. This person received an e-mail today from the Raleigh newspaper that was an advertisement... not a news update or a breaking news alert.

Many newspapers are doing newsroom generated e-mail alerts with varying degrees of success.

Could your newspaper take that same e-mail list and use it for sending advertising? My guess is that advertisers would love that capability as long as it didn't annoy the heck out of those receiving the messages. It might be worth limiting the number of e-mail advertisements sent each day and charge a real premium for the service.

Anyone else out there doing something similar?

Detroit cuts backs -- does it make sense?

You've undoubtedly heard the news by now. The two Detroit, Mich., metro dailies are cutting back on home delivery. One paper will only deliver on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays while the other just on Thursdays and Fridays.

There will be smaller single-copy editions available on the other days of the week, but readers will have to go out and buy them each day.

Some newspapers, including our own The Dispatch in Lexington, have already reduced the number of publication days each week.

This is a new hybrid. Still publishing throughout the week, but not printing as much. Sending people to the Web sites for more on the non-delivery days.

Will this work? From the business perspective, I recommend reading Poynter's The Biz Blog by Rick Edmonds. You can read it by clicking here.

From across The Pond

Saw one of these commercials mentioned on the E&P blog for Fitz & Jen, then went looking through YouTube and found some more.

These are TV commercials produced for The Daily Telegraph. It's interesting to see how papers in merry old England are trying to attract more readers.



Next one's volume is low. Sorry about that.




Enjoy.

Getting them back into the paper

Here's a few ideas courtesy of Liz Erwin of The Charlotte Observer:

• Sales executives are offering an introductory rate to get inactive advertisers back into the newspaper. So far, this has landed 25 contracts.
• The paper is creating a remnant program for small, unfilled spaces in the paper. For a weekly rate, an advertiser can get a message in 1x3 and 1x2 spaces. The advertiser is guaranteed a minimum number of inches per week.
• Some plans for advertising special sections are out because advertising is down. But the staff is refocused in those cases on “special pages” in ROP. This helps save the advertising that is still available. This is being done for some annual gift guides.
• The paper now offers strip ads at the bottom of most sections, excluding 1A. They are two inches deep and are only sold at a premium rate. They are proving to be very popular with advertisers. Reader reaction has been almost nonexistent.

Customer needs first

Here's an idea from Orage Quarles, publisher of The News & Observer of Raleigh (emphasis added):

The N&O is implementing McClatchy NOW! training, which focuses on customer needs as opposed to selling the newspaper’s available inventory.

Tickle their tastebuds

Rachel Hoskins, who is the regional publisher at The Franklin Press offered this idea:

Tie in print advertising with online advertising so our advertisers can have the best of both worlds.

Add an online, value-added version to print products, such as dining guides, and include a link to the restaurant's Web site or a static menu.

Check out The Franklin Press' Web site to see how they are doing the menu guide.

Here are some ideas to kick off this blog!

Here is the column NCPA President Rick Thames wrote for the December issue of The North Carolina Press newsletter, kicking off this blog:

Soon, it will be time to power off the computer for a few days and enjoy the peace of the holidays with people you love and cherish.

But as I write, I know that many of you are still hard at work on lists unrelated to the season. Everyone I talk to in newspapers is brainstorming ways to weather one of the most difficult business environments in our lifetimes.

Your NCPA has what we hope will be a gift for you. We asked six newspapers to share an idea or strategy that they are trying. We’ve used those ideas to help launch this "Best Ideas" blog for all members.

The blog is a place where you can both receive and give. Scan it regularly for tips that could help your newspaper. And seed it with ideas from your own list.

No idea is too small. It doesn’t matter if you took it from somewhere else. There is no shame in suggesting something that’s been tried before. The point is that your posting could help a newspaper colleague.

Here’s a starting point, provided by those six papers we contacted.

The Fayetteville Observer. The newspaper is printing 2,000 copies of a four-page broadsheet section that details its market dominance (75 percent of adults in its home county of Cumberland see the newspaper or its Web site each week). The copies will go to advertisers. "We’ve got a very powerful and compelling story to tell," says Publisher Charles Broadwell. "We need to tell that story better and more often."

The Franklin Press. Advertising sales representatives are being encouraged to sell campaigns, as opposed to individual ads. And they are going to prospective advertisers with prototypes. "Spec ads sell," says Publisher Rachel Hoskins. "Spend the time on the front end of the sale. Make it easy for the advertiser to say yes."

The News & Observer of Raleigh. The newspaper has launched an e-newsletter titled "Here’s the Deal." It targets women who are registered users of Newsobserver.com. The newsletter content is aggregated from existing News & Observer products.

The Charlotte Post. The newspaper is renegotiating contracts with a variety of vendors and business partners, from its health insurer to its printer. In some cases, it is striking a much better deal as suppliers scramble to keep clients and replace lost business. "We are getting calls from printers on a daily basis," says Publisher Gerald Johnson. "Everybody’s going to have to give a little to get a little. We’re all in this together."

The Courier-Times in Roxboro. This bi-weekly launched a separate classified section on Wednesdays. It’s grown those classified by 20 to 30 ads with a deal on vehicle sales. Advertise a car, truck, boat or any other vehicle for $15 and the paper will run it until it sells. The paper has sold car dealers into the section for a deep discount if they sign a 52- week contract. The paper also hired a sales consultant to help sell 52-week contracts to small advertisers. Ads are discounted about 50% from the open rate. Advertisers purchase a 10-inch ad each week for a year. Each month they get to super-size the ad to a quarter-page, and four times a year the paper adds spot color. "We sold about $150,000 worth of ads for the next year," says Publisher Brinn Clayton. "I estimate that 60% is new money." See the blog for a new approach Brinn is trying for subscription sales.

The Charlotte Observer. Inserts are now wrapped in heavier craft paper that provides highly visible ad positions. The Observer also has developed a one-page wrap for the entire paper (home-delivered copies only). The top of the wrap carries the masthead, the date and a friendly greeting, "Good Morning." The rest of the wrap goes to an advertiser, who pays a premium for the position. Readers accept the wrap as a cover that easily slips off their newspaper. Advertisers report excellent results with the position. Observer Vice President of Advertising Liz Erwin offers more ideas on the blog.

Here’s a bonus. Take advantage of the NCPA’s newly launched occasional series demonstrating for readers and advertisers that newspapers remain vital and effective in the marketplace. A column by Executive Director Beth Grace moved to members in late November. Beth is prepared to go anywhere, anytime, to speak to your local civic or governmental groups about newspapers and their role in a strong and open community.

Go to the Web site for more ideas. You will also find links to ideas surfacing in other states. The NCPA’s John Pea is checking sites nationally for best practices and will report what he finds.

All of this is possible because the NCPA’s members are as giving as they are creative. We wish all of you a joyous holiday season. And we look forward to working closely together for the good of all newspapers in the new year.

Reach Rick Thames at 704-358-5001 or rthames@charlotteobserver.com