Class 6: Media Fragmentation More than a newspaper: Target audiences and niche products on varied platforms

New magazine launchesSamirHuni’s Mr. Magazine.com 2/3/11

Filling niches

• The number of new titles arriving at the nation’s newsstands in 2010 exceeded that of 2009 by more than 100 titles.

• In 2010 more than 805 new titles appeared on the stands for the first time compared with 702 in 2009.

The old wayDaily newspaper as a mass medium

NEWS We decide it

PRODUCTION CIRCULATION MASS We print it We deliver it AUDIENCE

Whatever . . . Just make sure it’s on time and dry

ADVERTISINGWe take it

• For the first time ever, we have four generations in the workplace at the same time, and they all go about business differently:

• Veterans – born 1900 – 1945• Boomer ages 44 to 60 – (80 million)• Generation X ages 29 to 43 (46 million)• Generation Y ages 28 and younger – otherwise

known as millenials (76 million)

It’s about audience aggregation

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0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Boomers 45-54 Boomers 55-64 YoungProfessionals

Women 25-54w/kids <12

Women 25-54w/no kidsunder 18

Yesterday print 5-day print 7-day print Shop Local/YES CP-CR/CinWeekly 7-day digital

Enquirer Media’s footprint

• Daily newspaper, 27 weeklies, 200+ web sites social media projects and digital initiatives, including video:

• Aggregated audience:Scarborough Market Study.

– We reach 86% of BABY BOOMERS (440K or 33% of adults) an average of 5.1 times per week.

– We reach 83% of WOMEN 25-54 (362K or 28% of adults) an average of 4.3 times per week.

– We reach 84% of YOUNG PROFESSIONALS (121K or 9% of adults) an average of 4.3 times per week.

– We reach 88% of UPSCALE RESIDENTS (242K or 18% of adults) an average of 5.0 times per week.

#1 The Washington Post

#2 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

#3 Enquirer Media

#4 The Kansas City Star

#5 The Columbus Dispatch

#6a San Diego Union-Tribune

#6b St. Louis Post-Dispatch

#6c Portland Oregonian

#9 The Detroit News / Detroit Free Press

#10 Denver Post/Rocky Mountain Press

Ranked third in overall local market newspaper and Web site audience delivery among the nation’s 35 largest markets.

Source: Scarborough Research, 2008 Newspaper Audience Ratings Report. Based on audience reach within the DMA (Designated Market Area). Website information based on Cincinnati.Com and Enquirer.com

Enquirer Media is more than a newspaper

What makes an audience?• Cohesive group

– Similar traits, characteristics, habits• Still big enough to target

– Rule of thumb: at least 10% of adult population• Not too big

– In some cases, sub-groups are needed• Overlap is OK• Not necessary to zone the entire market for geo-targets

– Each zone should “hold together” as a definable, logical unit

Audience gaps

– Women 25-49• Increase digital reach and frequency of women 25-44, as

well, digital frequency.• Increase print reach and frequency of the Sunday newspaper

with Women 35-49 and increase digital frequency.– Men 35-49

• Increase frequency of readership particularly through Sunday print product and online utility (alerts, blogs, social media).

– Young professionals 25-39• Grow our digital reach and frequency.

– Geo - the “Edge” and NKY• Increase reach and frequency in the “Edge” through digital.• Maintain audience in competitive NKY communities.

Traditional Newsroom Structure

Editor

Metro Editor

Editors

Business

Reporters

News assistants

Reporters( News assistants

Life/Arts

Assistant Editors

Reporters

Sports News

Managing Editor

Photo and graphics

Editors

Reporters

Copy desk chief

Copy editors and designers

Photographers Artists

New structure for newsCollaborative, cross-departmental, media-neutral

Audience-basedCollaborative, cross-departmental, media-neutral

AUDIENCE

Track 3: Audience-based channels

The Edge: A channel at work

It’s not a bureau, it’s a business

Today in Cincinnati: Brands

Audience development: Women

• Evolving to serve women’s needs:

Tastemakers• Connecting with “nodes of

influence” in social media world.• Low-cost niche content so we can

concentrate on public interest work

• Graduated pay scale based on audience size and participation level with web site

Priorities and planned abandonment

• Just why are we doing this?

• Does it serve, build audience?

• Does it work for advertisers?

• If not, just why are we doing this?

• Online, thinking strategic value

• In print, “undoing the damage” of content not of value to reading audience

Win-win relationships• Partnerships build blogger’s brands

along with Cincinnati.Com• Going beyond being the “paper’s web

site” to a true community portal• Many tastemakers bring relationships

for co-promotions, events giveaways, etc.

• Audience growth to the tune of 455,886 page views provided by 13 external bloggers in November

Audience target: Men 35-49• Strong core product• Partnerships with popular

local sports bloggers• Got over staff resistance as

“competitors” we’re out there building followings anyway

• Partnerships with local business experts – personal finance discussions online

Other channels at work• Northern Kentucky• Autonomous and unique

– Coverage– Community connections– Circulation up 22 percent since 2005– NKY.com page views 6 million, ‘06; 10

million, ‘07; 14 million ‘08• Prep sports fans

– Cross-departmental team owns responsibility

– Site improvements– Coverage improved– Traffic up 47%

• Entertainment (interests by various demographics)

– Cincinnati.Com traffic up 70%– Daily, Weekend reshaped to appeal to

Boomers

• Younger readers/Metromix– Weekly photo galleries increased– CaptureCincinnati project– Dedicated content editors– Page views nearly double since June

‘09 (and has maintained this level). More than 38.4 million views through early December.

• Women 25-49– Moms: Went from zero to 2 million

page views a month in first year– Reverse-published cookbooks – LOL: Non-mom girlfriend experience

• Business– Relationship-building campaign– Continuous updates, data page views

are now half of traffic.

Collaboration• The Dallas Disaster was not necessary.

Sounds as if the company needed to force the model on News?

• Content builds readership. Readership builds revenue. Revenue provides resources. Resource provide content.… Repeat, Repeat … model always has been there.

• Mutual respect, collaboration, communication protects editorial independence. If ad reps understand news, get the value of audience and independent content, that’s a good thing.

• These days, walls and silos are destructive to our existence and ability to serve the public interest.

• Just why are we doing this?• Does it serve, build audience?• Does it work for advertisers?• If not, just why are we doing this?• Online, thinking strategic value• In print, “undoing the damage” of content not of value to

reading audience• Structure – meetings, paperwork, “playing newspaper”

keeping us from thinking content, better ideas and better ways

Priorities and planned abandonment

• It’s not about eyeballs for eyeballs’ sake, it’s about the strategic value of an audience.

• What content sells?• Advertising uses a cost-per-thousand impression (CPM)

metric to price value• What will it cost to provide it?• What is the relative XPM of our work (expense per

impression)?• CPM/XPM=Strategic Value (SV)

Strategic value: getting past page views

• High value/low XPM

– Breaking news

– Photo galleries

– Data

– Social networking (Moms, etc.)

– Reader-submitted content

– Focused calendar campaigns

– Para-reporter coverage

– Boomer coverage in core

– Raw video, news video

– Plug & play segments/remnant sales

• High XPM/questionable value– Blogs – reporters spending too

much time on them, blogs that lack interaction, focus

– Saturation coverage of big sports events

– “Pro” standard editing of “Am” content

– Overproduced video– Quantity over quality calendar

listings – Experienced staff on zoned

pubs– Younger reader efforts in core

Strategic value v. expense & distraction

All that said…

• Strategic alignment, business payback is important, but remember…

• Public service and community conversation work may not show an immediate SV payback, but it’s a core First Amendment responsibility

• Video has a high XPM, but it’s an investment in the future

Managing change

• “I don’t have a problem with all this change. I just wish it would stop.”

• It won’t. Change or die.

WORKSHEET

What is: _________________________________________________________

Audience(s): (geographic, demographic, topic of interest):___________________________________

In 140 characters or less – describe the “job” this audience delivery vehicle does for its intended audience.

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