Five rescue strategies for European newspapers- or damage control

The French media analyst Alain Neuville has published five rescue strategies that could stop the downward spiral of European newspaper circulation, writes editorsweblog.org:

First is to find fresh cash in order to initiate rescue strategies. This is the case in France with new shareholders for Liberation (Rothschild) and Le Monde (Lagardere, Saint Gobain, Prisa, La Stampa)

Second is to find new strategic alliances. In the Netherlands, the two major competitors, PCM and Wegener have decided to join in order to fight the dramatic situation of the regional press. PCM will replace De Volkskrant - which is the n?2 title in the market, behind De telegraaf ? with a merger between the Algemene Dagblad and five regional titles.

-Third: to improve the design, i.e. the emerging wave of tabloid format switchovers. The wave has become tidal.
From Switzerland to Norway the smallest local paper is now considering changing its shape. Also new layouts are flourishing. The latest improvement ? and certainly a very effective one, since it will directly involve advertisers ? is the switchover to full color. Just one example, Italian Il Giornale is now implementing all of these changes at the same time.

Fourth: Try to generate extra revenues from their web sites. New pay-for access is being tried again here and there (Le Parisien in France). But it might be too late.

Fifth: to develop new promotional and marketing operations. First, it was free gifts. Now discounted pay-for side products are in fashion. It started in Italy with discount classic novels. The wave has now reached Spain (El Pais). Now classic films DVDs (Le Figaro, El Mundo) look fairly successful. It has been reported than a good music CD promotion could increase sales by 10% to 20%. So successful indeed, that now music publishers, bookstores, video rental and sales stores are getting worried. The latest selling promotional item is encyclopedias, as we already mentioned here.

Right on…Looks like good ideas. On the other hand, the newspapers I know of have tried all of these five strategies during the last five years and their circulation is still going down.

Alain Neuville, founder and president of A.N.I.M.A., an institute specialized in the European media market intelligence providing information and research related to the advertising and media markets in Europe to the international communication community.

1 Comment »

1. The ideal of an internet for the people and a free transfer of information and ideas is one few of us would not aspire to. But in reality, by 2005 there may be but a handful of providers who give a global nation access to an electronic world.
   
   

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   Comment by Peter Meyers — April 17, 2005 @ 5:42 pm

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