Gannett to Launch Innovative Pre-Print Advertising Opportunity
McLEAN, VA – Gannett’s Newspaper Division is set to launch Sunday Select, a novel approach to delivering pre-print advertising direct to targeted zip codes important to advertisers. Consumers in Indianapolis will be the first to receive the Sunday-only packet beginning Nov. 4. Launches at Gannett’s 16 largest newspapers will follow in phases throughout 2008.
Sunday Select offers our advertisers a new way to reach active consumers. With Sunday Select, these consumers opt in to receive the advertising package of national and local pre-print advertising wrapped in an editorial product called Yes! Your Essential Shopper.
“What sets this program apart from other targeted delivery methods is the opt-in process,” said Leslie Giallombardo, vice president/advertising for Gannett’s Newspaper Division. “In our early research and development efforts, we discovered a group of consumers who are intensely interested in shopping information, whether or not they read the Sunday newspaper. These consumers who agree to receive this package at home on Sunday are highly engaged – cutting coupons and researching sales at their favorite retailers, resulting in store visits. The distribution is targeted to select zip codes that are highly desired by our advertisers on a distribution day that is important to their businesses. This program clearly answers our advertisers’ needs to reach this buying audience.”
The concept of opt-in Sunday advertising tested favorably with 1,800 consumers and in focus groups in Des Moines, IA, and Indianapolis. The concept also has received positive responses from advertisers.
Dave Walker, president and CEO of Newspaper Services of America, the largest single buyer of newspapers for pre-print customers in the U.S., said: “This is one of the most innovative ideas in the newspaper industry in years. We instantly saw the tremendous value of Sunday Select when it was presented to us. This new product mixes together what our many clients are looking for: it’s simple, customer-driven, day- and date-specific and highly targeted. For those looking for an alternative to the ‘consumer unwanted’ marriage-mail products out there, we think Sunday Select is the solution.”
Wrapped around the pre-print ads is Yes! Your Essential Shopper, a fast-read editorial product with up-to-date information on fashion and style; home and garden; health and beauty; personal technology; food and dining; seasonal shopping and more. It also draws on fresh design elements: bold colors and large typography seen on popular Web 2.0 social networking sites.
As the rollout progresses, there will be four zoned editions of Yes! with content that is specific to the Northeast, South, Midwest and West regions. Yes! targets women – especially those 25-49 – and introduces new products and useful shopping suggestions to help enhance women’s lives and those of their families.
Gannett Co., Inc. is a leading international news and information company that publishes 85 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns nearly 1,000 non-daily publications in the USA and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom’s second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes nearly 300 titles, including 18 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web sites. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in the United States and is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the Web.
Media inquiries, contact:
Tara Connell
Vice President of Corporate Communications
(703) 854-6049
tjconnel@gannett.com