Volume 1 Issue 8

Volume 1, Issue 8 March 2008
I N S I G H T
Marketing and Research Newsletter
continued on page 2
In case you couldn't be there, we're highlighting
three of the industry's largest events:
SPECIAL ISSUE:
Conference Recap
The Big Business of Event Marketing by Jane Hungarter, PNA
Tired of losing ad generated dollars? Here’s a new spin on an old idea that will help pile up the Benjamins in your
bank account. It’s time to tap into the fun-filled, action-packed power of event marketing.
With the decline of traditional revenue expected to continue,
newspapers are looking for new revenue producing streams.
For years competitive media outlets, particularly radio stations,
have been successful in generating income through event
sponsorships. Newspaper industry experts find event marketing
to be a very promising, money-making, publicity boosting vehicle.
There only question is why haven’t we thought of this sooner?
At the NAA Marketing Conference, J.B. Braun, Marketing
Manager at The News Journal in New Castle, DE shared some
of his strategies for identifying and executing event marketing
opportunities.
How to Successfully Chose and Create Your Own Event
Braun suggests beginning this process by researching what
events already exist or don’t exist in your marketplace – being
particularly in tune to what would be of interest to an advertising
sponsor(s). Some options to consider include career fairs, auto
shows, big boys toys events, a senior expo, an investment
conference, something about alternative health, a bridal fair, a
music festival, an antique expo or a craft show.
Once you’ve identified the right event for your market you’ll need to
determine if you have the necessary skill sets at your newspaper to
make an event happen. For example, do you have people who can
create a plan? Do you have people who are good leaders? Do you
have great bench strength?
If things are looking good at this point, choose a leader to manage
the event. Continue by defining the goals and associated expenses
involved with sponsoring an event. In the first year of an event the
goals should be to hold the event, not to lose money on it, and do
it well enough to ensure a second event in the future.
The next steps include building a boilerplate that identifies every
conceivable task that will need to be accomplished, as well as
the solicitation of volunteers to help organize and run the event.
Once the event is completed, conduct a post-event analysis to
evaluate what went well and what would need to be improved in the
following year.
NAA’s Marketing
Conference
American Association
of Advertising Agencies
Conference
America East
Conference

continued from page 1
The Value-Added Client Event
Scott Halstead, Event Marketing Manager at The Boston Globe,
takes a slightly different approach to generating event marketing
dollars. Halstead offers event marketing packages to clients who
invest incremental ad dollars with his newspaper. Since many
advertisers request “value added” packages with their media buy,
Halstead creates unique themed events that help to support a
client’s marketing goals. To subsidize these packages, The Globe
requires that advertisers increase their advertising investment by
a certain percentage over the previous year. The Globe employs
a “Go!” Team, or event marketing staff, that provides support at
client events.
There are two types of events that are most popular with The
Globe’s advertising clients - grand opening events and product
sampling/distribution.
A typical grand opening event, sponsored by The Boston Globe,
looks something like this. The highly interactive Boston Globe Go!
Team conducts an event at a client’s location for 90 minutes. A
live DJ plays family friendly music. Two GO! Team staff members
play trivia and live games with customers. Kid-friendly fun activities
like face painting, magic shows, a bouncy castle, etc. are also
provided. Great giveaways like food and prizes are a part of
the day as well. The Globe provides free newspapers on site
(coordinated with the home delivery department).
To drive traffic to the event, on-site signage and posters, which are
printed in-house, are hung to promote the client and The Globe.
Quarter page ads are also run in the newspaper’s “house space” to
help promote the event.
Tips to Enhance Your Event
Halstead suggests partnering with high-quality vendors to help
facilitate these marketing events. Ask friends with children for
recommendations of DJ’s, face painters, balloon artists, etc. Try
to find a one stop-shop that can provide all of the items that you
need. Take the time to train the vendor about your brand so they
understand your standards on professionalism, dress, etc.
Contact amusement companies about giveaway items. Often
times, movie or concert promoters have posters and t-shirts that
they are only too happy to donate. Likewise, talk with a newspaper
client to donate food for an event, in trade for the promotional
opportunity.
The Boston Globe – Lowes Success Story
To demonstrate how successful a grand opening event can be,
consider the example of the “Lowes Ultimate Tailgate Party.” The
Boston Globe hosted the ultimate tailgate party in conjunction
with the grand opening of a new Lowes store in New Hampshire.
The Globe contracted with a New England Patriots football player
to come to the event and sign autographs and take pictures. The
Globe contacted another client, a food vendor, who barbequed
onsite offering samples of pulled pork marinated in their sauces.
The Go Team! was on site playing music and offering up football
trivia contests.
To market the event, The Globe ran six (6) quarter page ads, plus
a series of online ads promoting the grand
opening.
The results were spectacular. Almost two
hundred people registered for the onsite raffle
and significant traffic flowed through the store
as a result of the promotion.
The Boston Globe – Sports Authority Success Story
Recently, Sports Authority partnered with The Boston Globe to
reach out to local sports fans and help drive business to their
Boston area stores. The Boston Globe created a branded “K” card
which was handed out to Red Sox fans around Fenway Park. The
cards were also redeemable for a David Ortiz poster at nine Sports
Authority stores in the Boston area.
The results were impressive. The Globe’s Go! Team wore Sports
Authority hats with Red Sox t-shirts and positioned themselves
strategically around Fenway Park. All of the 10,000 cards were
distributed in three hours before the game. The Go! Team caught the
attention of the fans by yelling “free K card” and “free David Ortiz
poster.” All of the posters were given out in the stores within two
weeks.
Clearly, event marketing can be a lucrative way for newspapers to
earn back some lost advertising
revenue. With a clear understanding
of a client’s marketing goals, some
creative planning and strategic
partnerships, newspapers can
successfully go head-to-head with
competitive mediums for those
incremental ad dollars. ◆
7
8
e
of
ng
d
te,
Grand Opening PackageGrand Opening Package
9
ad
re
e
Grand Opening PackageGrand Opening Package

Avoid The Seven Deadly Sins
of Readership Satisfaction
GluttonyI.
The sin of jamming your paper full of content that readers find•
irrelevant
The sin of assuming a story on the wire is worth printing in your•
paper
The sin of not editing the wire as aggressively as you edit every•
local story
PrideII.
The sin of covering only the topics you find interesting – readers•
be damned
The sin of ignoring topics that readers want more of•
The sin of thinking you are too busy or important to return•
readers phone calls and emails
TraditionIII.
The sin of holding onto the past even after old habits have long•
outlived their usefulness
The sin of because it’s the way we’ve always done it•
The sin of fear – what will others think?•
SlothIV.
The sin of just filling space with any old copy•
The sin of returning again and again to the same old sources•
The sin of boring your readers to death•
The sin of lackadaisical editing•
SkepticismV.
The sin of thinking no how, no way will anything else work•
The sin of ignoring what research tells you•
The sin of blaming anyone and everyone for readership declines•
– except yourself, of course
ArroganceVI.
The sin of thinking you are smarter than your readers•
The sin of ignoring what research tells you – again•
The sin of dismissing local and hyper-local news as meaningless•
and unimportant
BiasVII.
The sin of playing or endorsing favorites—this is one of the•
deadliest sins
The sin of manipulation•
The sin of insulting the intelligence of your readers•
The sin of creating an agenda outside your editorial opinion•
pages
Indulge in The Seven Holy Virtues
of Readership Satisfaction
ThoughtI.
What’s behind the thought? Know the answer to one simple•
question. “On a scale of zero to 10, how likely would you be to
recommend xyz newspaper as a general source of local news
and information to other readers like yourself?”
Read• The One Number You Need To Grow by Fred Reichheld
ResearchII.
Know what is important to your reader•
Know if your reader considers you a valuable source for•
information about what is important to them. If it’s not you, know
who they do consider to be a valuable source for information
Focus your resources on what your readers tell you they want,•
not on what you think they need
DisciplineIII.
Expand your coverage of topics of interest to your readers and•
stay committed to it
– For example, expand your coverage of schools to
include safety issues, test scores, peer pressure, etc.
EmpathyIV.
Your first question should always be “What is important to you?”•
because readership satisfaction is not about us
Newspapers need to connect with their readers•
Find out what is of particular interest to you readers when it•
comes to a particular topic
RelevanceV.
Display more personality, more local voice•
Rely less on wire stories•
Include more photography with your stories•
Ask your reader, “If it’s really important to you, would you•
recommend us on this topic to others?”
Recommendation is that elusive word-of-mouth marketing that•
can’t be bought
CompetitiveVI.
If your reader would not recommend you to others, ask who they•
would recommend
The answer to the question above is your evil competitor – so•
get after it
FocusVII.
Identify the topics that readers want more coverage of and•
provide it
Schools and education as well as healthcare score at the top of•
the chart
Heaven or Hell: Which Direction
is Your Newspaper Heading?
Is your newspaper committing a deadly sin in the eyes of your readers? Could you even identify a deadly sin if you saw it? After surveying 8,800
newspaper readers, Linda Sease, Director of Newspaper Marketing at the E.W. Scripps Company in Denver, knows how to judge the good from the bad.
In her presentation “Seven Deadly Sins of Reader Satisfaction” given at the NAA Marketing Conference in Orlando, FL, Sease elaborated on which
publication errors are damning, and how to remedy these common mistakes. Sease also advised newspapers to stay on the path to salvation by giving
their readers more of what they want, and less of what newspapers “think” readers want. How can you tell the difference? Consider the following:
by Jane Hungarter, PNA
continued on page 4

A New Tool
to Measure Your Print
and Online Audience
Have you ever been faced with the challenge of explaining to an advertiser
or to an advertising agency that your reader base is actually much larger
than your audited print circulation number? Up until now, it’s been difficult for
newspapers to capture and accurately account for their online readership.
Here’s the good news—there is finally a product on the market that will help
you put your newspapers best foot forward by providing your advertising
clients with the information they seek.
Audience-FAX is a U.S. daily newspaper audience-reporting initiative that
allows newspapers to incorporate circulation, print and online readership, net
combined audience, and total Web site usage data on ABC media reports.
A joint collaboration between ABC, Scarborough Research and the
NAA, Audience-FAX is the latest step in a multilevel industry initiative to
answer advertisers’ needs for measurement data that accurately reflects
newspapers’ full reach and audience. The combination of readership and
online audience data presents a more complete picture of a newspaper’s
total audience and enables advertisers to truly gauge the impact of a
newspaper in the community it serves.
ABC independently verifies all of the data reported in Audience-FAX to ensure
the highest levels of credibility, transparency and comparability.
Participation in Audience-FAX is open to all U.S. daily newspapers. For more
information on reporting requirements, data sources and costs, please visit:
http://abcas3.accessabc.com/scarborough/login.aspx ◆
Jane Hungarter
Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association
From the Editor:
Bringing the Pay
Dirt to You
Many of our key newspaper industry conventions
occur during the winter months. This issue of
Insight is dedicated to recapping three of the
largest events – NAA’s Marketing Conference,
American Association of Advertising Agencies
Conference and the America East Conference.
As it continues to become more difficult for
newspaper personnel to travel and attend these
events, I thought it would be helpful to bring the
highlights of these conferences to you. Therefore,
I asked the members of PNA’s staff who attended
these events to summarize their experiences and
share with you the key topics, trends and lessons
learned at these conferences.
Within the pages of this newsletter you will find
inspiring success stories and many nontraditional
methods for increasing readership and generating
new revenue. There’s pay dirt in here, for sure. I
encourage you to make time to dig through the
articles and apply some of these new principles to
your newspaper’s agenda.
Sincerely,
Jane Hungarter
If you have the guts to confess the sin and
seek forgiveness in the form of making a
change, here are some examples of what
other newspapers have done:
Expanded an education series to run•
throughout one year. Topics do not
focus on school boards but rather about
fundamental parental concerns, like what
kids are experiencing in school, test and
test scores, school closings, safety at
school, peer pressure, charter schools,
and schools serving minorities.
A total newspaper redesign that focuses•
more on local news.
Added more personality and more stories•
on the front page.
Used less national and international wire•
stories.
Made a conscious effort to include•
bigger, better photography.
Added a weekly health magazine, “Well.”•
Added a weekly column on religion,•
“Religious Experience.”
Tackled the issue of bias – eliminated•
endorsements and replaced them with
fact based Q&A’s around the issues;
created impact analysis on responses
given.
Developed a new process to better edit•
for errors and omissions.
Created a more balanced collection of•
editorial columnists and opinions.
Included more voices from the•
community on national and local issues.
The road to newspaper hell is wide and
easy to travel. But the path to newspaper
heaven is narrow and requires thoughtful
effort on your behalf. Remember, your
readers seek fresh and relevant community
content. Make sure to review these tips
daily to avoid the common deadly sins that
can drive away readers and tarnish your
reputation. ◆

Dare to Be
Unconventional
by Lisa Knight, PNA
Would you dare to print advertisements on
the front page of your newspaper? Could you
envision adding an auction feature to your
online site? Brian Tierney, CEO and Publisher
of Philadelphia Media Holdings, which owns
the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia
Daily News, believes that out-of-the-box
thinking like this is the shot in the arm the
newspaper industry needs.
At the February 2008 NAA Marketing
Conference held in Orlando, Tierney
presented “Innovations in Newspapers”—a
powerful and intriguing talk that created quite
a buzz among conference attendees and
sparked many discussions and new ideas in
the days that followed.
A nationally recognized expert in branding
and marketing, Tierney’s non-traditional
approaches are generating waves of change
in the way we publish our papers. His recent
successes also provide a sense of hope that
the newspaper industry could experience a
rebirth.
What are some of his insider secrets? For
starters, we need to stop taking ourselves
so seriously. Tierney stresses being creative,
having fun, and testing new concepts.
At his own newspapers, Tierney has added
high profile columnists and journalistic
content to his editorial sections. His
website innovations range from a steady
flow of new features, shows and videos to
a new Ecommerce site called Zeppy. For
advertisers, his newspapers now offer front
page advertising, column sponsorships, and
creative ad design through MediaLab.
Through these non-traditional approaches to
news and advertising, Tierney has increased
his daily circulation by 2,136 readers, that’s
0.6%--and this comes during a time when
most newspapers are losing circulation or
struggling to remain flat!
Success in the newspaper industry is
attainable, if we’ll only roll up our sleeves,
do some work and let go of traditional
mindsets. Start by taking Brian Tierney’s
lead. Begin mixing and matching untraditional
approaches to news reporting and
advertising until you find the balanced
equation that generates results for your
newspaper. ◆
“Star Car” Drives Success to
North Carolina Newspaper
Located in Shelby, NC, The Star
newspaper serves the population of
Cleveland County. As a daily publication
with a circulation of about 15,000,
this suburban newspaper has literally
gone the extra mile—in a very unusual
way—to enhance its news delivery and
better meet the needs of its community.
Publisher Skip Foster recently shared
some of his successful strategies at the
NAA Marketing Conference in Orlando.
Editor Jon Jimison shared a similar
presentation at the American East
Conference in Hershey, Pa.
As is true of many newspapers, online
news delivery is paramount to the
success of The
Star. Through
the dedicated
implementation of
audio and video feeds
to their website, The
Star is able to bring
late-breaking news to
their readers faster
than ever before,
allowing them to
compete head-to-head
with on-the-scene
television reporters.
Behind the scenes
of this rapid delivery news system is the
newspaper’s famed Star Car. The Star
Car is a mobile interactive newsroom
that allows for the transmission of audio,
video, text and photos. The Star’s
reporters have become mobloggers or
mobile bloggers - providing up-to-the-
minute coverage of important events. In
terms of hands-on technology, The Star’s
reporters are equipped with Samsung
A990 phones. These devices have a 3.2
megapixel camera that produces good
quality video that is easily posted to The
Star’s website. When there is something
newsworthy happening, a reporter can
jump into the Star Car, go to the scene
of the event and almost immediately
feed information back to the website for
readers to see. This is made possible
by a wireless “hot spot” allowing for a
remote connection to the Internet.
At an estimated cost of
$60,000-$70,000, the Star Car is a
sizable investment for any newspaper.
However, Foster noted that in addition to
increased news coverage capabilities,
the Star Car is an excellent marketing
vehicle, as well. When the Star Car is
not en route to a late-breaking event, it
visits schools, nursing homes and other
community outlets – creating a buzz
wherever it goes. As a literal rolling-
billboard promoting The Star, local
residents get an up-close look at the
latest technology in news gathering and
reporting. There is actually an interface
on The Star’s website dedicated to the
Star Car in which readers can track the
location of the car through a GPS device
and read about its upcoming scheduled
appearances.
Much of the dialogue at the NAA
Marketing Conference surrounded
the need for newspapers to increase
their online capabilities as a means of
defense against declining print circulation
figures. The Star is a shining example
of a newspaper company committed to
embracing the technology necessary to
stay competitive, relevant and growing
during this time of changing media
preferences. ◆

Recap: American Association of
Advertising Agencies Conference by Kevin Wert, PNA
March 5th - 7th the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) Media Conference & Tradeshow took
place in Orlando. Now in its 15th year, it is the “must attend” event of the year for agency media directors and
other industry professionals who are responsible for the media function at advertiser companies.
This year’s AAAA Media Conference & Tradeshow focused on the
ever-changing media landscape—namely, the tremendous impact
of digital technologies on media. Every session revolved around
an aspect of how digital technology is changing our industry.
Take a look at some of the session topics: Success Stories with
Digital Media, Marketing & Communication in the Digital World,
Why Google is Not Out to Disintermediate Agencies, Are Traditional
Media Really Adjusting to the New Digital World?, and How to Take
the Friction Out of Implementing Services in the New Digital World.
So what are the elite in the advertising industry trying to tell us
when they devote their annual conference to everything digital?
The message is clear—move ahead by embracing new digital
technology, or get left behind.
In 1970, newspapers accounted for 29% of the average spending
budget. 2008 projections show newspaper obtaining only 14% of
that pie. This number will continue to dwindle unless newspapers
follow the industry trend and begin living in a constant state of
digital change. Knowing this, the question becomes, how do we
come up with solutions to deliver ROI in the digital age?’
Reinventing the Newspaper Online Landscape
The question will always remain the same: outside of the print
vehicle, how do newspapers consistently deliver consumers to
online advertisers? Banner ads, medium rectangles and page
takeovers once seen as the wave of the future are now considered
standard practice. So what are the upcoming trends that will affect
the advertising climate in the near future? Here’s what industry
experts had to say.
1. Online and digital offerings will secure a larger percentage of
the media budget. We can’t deny that digital is slowly impacting
everything around us, but if it’s so important, then why isn’t digital
dominating the media mix right now? The answer is that digital
media is still in the infant stage. We’ve grown up with traditional
media backgrounds; that’s what we know. But the last decade
introduced a whole new subject that we were never taught in
school. We face a big learning curve. At the moment, many senior
level players are trying to catch up and educate their staffs on
digital opportunities. But this will not always be the case. In only a
few years there will be a clear separation between those who “get”
digital, and those who got left behind.
2. Digital online media will become a clear competitor to
traditional media vehicles. Right now the metrics used to measure
the impact and effectiveness of digital media cannot be directly
compared to the impact and effectiveness of traditional media. But
this is rapidly changing.
3. Digital will carry less “risk” and become more appealing to
advertisers. In the past, the perception of digital technology,
especially online technology, has been one of great risk, therefore
garnering a smaller portion of the media budget. As digital media
become more measurable, it will become more enticing.
4. At least three software companies are developing digital
system solutions that will drastically cut down on the discrepancies
and labor now associated with an online buy. When this is
complete and implemented, dollars will shift faster to digital.
continued on page 10

America East: Reinventing the Newspaper
by Katie Szott, PNA
Digital technology has rapidly integrated its way into newspapers. It’s transforming a once conventional industry
into a more conversational business, where a two-way dialogue between reporters and readers is now emerging.
It’s the breath of new life our papers have been waiting for.
Sessions and panel discussions at the America East Newspaper
Operations and Technology Conference, March 10-12, in Hershey,
Pa. validated this opinion, and gave newspaper personnel a
deeper look into how technology and the Internet is impacting the
newspaper industry. Innovative thinkers from across the country
converged and discussed the new opportunities available through
the latest technology.
The Internet is Fueling A Newspaper Renaissance
Topics at the various sessions included the Internet and its
impact on the newspaper industry. Panelists and session leaders
reiterated to attendees that newspapers aren’t a dying medium.
Newspapers,
like many other
industries, are
in a transitional
stage, where
they are learning
how to integrate
digital technology.
Every category
of business is
trying to evolve to
incorporate digital
technology into
their game plan.
“The Internet is
an enormous
tsunami that has
hit everybody who
sells or produces
content,” said
Keynote Speaker
Michael Rogers,
futurist-in-residence
for The New York
Times Company
and writer of the
Practical Futurist column for MSNBC.
Publishing is What We Do Best
In the e-Edge session, “Peek Under the Hood,” representatives
from the radio and television industries gave an insider look at
why they think newspapers have an advantage when it comes to
utilizing the Internet.
“When a broadcaster goes online they become a publisher. You’ve
got the leg up. You’re already a publisher,” said vice president of
marketing, Ken Dardis, Spacial Audio, LLC.
Being a Community Sounding Board
At America East, panelists also discussed how digital
technology and the Internet are turning newspapers into a more
conversational community, where any reader has the capability to
contribute. People want to have a voice, and newspaper offers an
excellent forum for this to take place.
“Anyone can be a source because devices are now two-way. We
all want to be eyewitnesses,” said Rogers.
Local News Sells
Newspapers also have the opportunity to seize the advantage of
reporting on local news. As Rogers told conference attendees,
the unconquered territory
of local content on the
Internet is an opportunity
for many newspapers to
retain readers.
Rogers also touched
on newspapers being a
valuable source where
readers go to get a
trusted perspective. He
commented, as long as
the newspaper industry
integrates technology,
newspapers won’t
disappear, they will just be
reinvented.
America East provided
a forum for newspaper
personnel to explore the
new options available in
the world of technology.
There was an exhibit
floor, which featured 129
vendors, 28 of which
were first-time America
East exhibitors. Exhibitors showcased the latest newspaper
technologies, shared methods to improve current products and
explored new opportunities for growth and success.
The America East Newspaper Operations and Technology
Conference is the leading regional trade show for the newspaper
industry organized annually in Hershey by the Pennsylvania
Newspaper Association. For more than 50 years, the show has
succeeded as an affordable and accessible avenue for vendors
and attendees to reach one another. ◆

Online Advertising: Thinking Outside the Banner by Jane Hungarter and Katie Szott, PNA
Large corporations are striving to make connections to local
communities and are looking to online advertising through
newspapers as a means to accomplish this. At the America East
Newspaper Operations and Technology Conference, panelists
Stacy Boone, media manager, Target Corp., Minneapolis, MN,
and Zachary Lowe, media planner, AvenueA-Razorfish.com,
Philadelphia, PA, discussed how they use online advertising in local
markets to promote their business and clients.
“Reaching the local market through newspaper Web sites makes
sense,” according to Lowe. Newspapers have an established
rapport with their local communities. Delivering this audience to
advertisers offers newspapers a chance to capitalize upon this
strength.
Attracting Advertisers to Your Online Site
In order for newspapers to attract large corporations to advertise
on their Web site Boone suggested “thinking outside of the banner”
and being innovative. What attracts advertisers to market their
campaign on a newspaper’s Web site is original, creative ideas.
Advertisers are looking for innovative ways to build profitable
relationships with consumers, reach their target audience better,
and to grow revenue through attracting new customers.
Boone also said that large corporations desire customization
on the newspaper’s Web site so their corporation is constantly
relevant, fresh and different from the competition. Most
corporations also like to advertise on a friendly, innovative, easy to
navigate Web site that is up-to-date.
Does Your Online Site Pass the Test?
So what does it take to get on the media buy? Being able to
demonstrate your ability to meet the needs of the client. Here are
some things to consider:
Is your Web site clean and uncluttered?•
Can you provide measurability? How many people are visiting•
your site?
Qualifying your audience - what do the visitors to your Web site•
look like demographically?
Can you accommodate standard ad units? Are you following IAB•
guidelines?
What can you offer to the client in terms of share of voice and•
scale? Is it affordable for a client to buy all of the advertising
space on a page or on your site for a period of time?
Can you customize your Web site offerings? Do you have•
creative options available? Is there something unusual that you
can offer to the client so that they are “first” at doing it?
Have you been proactive in creating relative content that would•
attract an advertiser?
Tracking the Results
Measurability and communication are also key factors. “Without
these two elements, newspapers will have a difficult time
recruiting advertisers,” said Lowe. It’s important that newspapers
communicate regularly with their advertisers and have the
technology to track advertisements and change them as frequently
as needed.
Overall, online advertising is about the user. Understanding the
consumer’s needs is critical in creating effective online advertising.
Boone and Lowe both stated that newspapers that demonstrate
‘out of the box’ thinking, while still reaching the target audience, will
captivate the advertiser’s attention in the end. ◆
Marketing Quick Tip
Do you know what people are saying about what you publish? Find out if you’re getting good press,
bad press or no press by signing up for Google Alerts. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to set
up a Google alert for your newspaper name, as well as the names of your key writers. It’s important to
know what people are saying about your publication – both good and bad. Be sure to respond to these
comments. It’s important to connect with those who are talking about you.
Go to: http://www.google.com/alerts to get started. ◆

The Hudson Valley Media Group had
hit a “plateau” with audience growth.
That’s when they decided to start acting
unconventionally and created Varsity845.
com—a Web site aimed at reaching
younger readers. To do this, they
integrated a Facebook component into
their Varsity845.com site and called it the
“Varsity845 Football Tracker.”
The idea behind the Web site was brilliant—
build an application that allows area athletes
to track their personal performance,
and the performance of other players,
throughout the playing season. With the
help of Facebook, the Hudson Valley Media
Group was able to make the idea a reality,
and in turn, draw a higher number of
teenage athletes, their family and friends to
the newspaper Web site.
Analyzing the Varsity845.com Web Site
Varsity845.com is a Hudson Valley-based
sports Web site dedicated to capturing
year-round games and stats throughout
the Section 9 region in the Hudson Valley.
The Web site includes school logos, sports
calendars, recent scores, photographs,
videos, blogs, stories, past champ archives,
mobile alerts, game stats and highlights.
The Web site is geared toward athletes,
their friends and parents.
During the brainstorming process that led to
the creation of Varsity845.com, the Hudson
Valley Media Group identified a popular
category of community interest (high school
sports) that also contained a large amount
of teenage and college aged readers within
the group. But it would take more than a
snappy Web site design and color scheme
to draw the attention of this audience. The
Hudson Valley Media Group found that the
younger audience they wanted to reach also
spent a lot of time on Facebook.
What is Facebook?
As defined on the Facebook Web site,
“Facebook is a social utility that connects
people with friends and others who work,
study and live around them. People use
Facebook to keep up with friends, upload an
unlimited number of photos, share links and
videos, and learn more about the people
they meet.”
A wildly popular social networking site,
visiting Facebook has become part of
a daily routine for many teenagers and
college students.
Creating the “Varsity845 Football
Tracker”
The integration of Facebook into the
Varsity845.com Web site added a dynamic
layer of interest that really fueled the site’s
popularity. This feature allows readers to
select and follow their favorite high school
football player throughout the section 9
season. Readers can also search major
offensive statistics, including rushing,
passing, scoring and receiving, and can
learn about the different players. They
can also see where local athletes stand in
comparison to other local athletes of the
Hudson Valley.
Exactly How Popular Was Facebook
Within the Hudson Valley?
Facebook users at Cornwall totaled 516.
There were also 648 users at Delaware
Valley High School and 469 Facebook
users at Goshen Central High School. West
Point tallied 6,882 Facebook users. With
numbers like these, it was clear to see that
integration of Facebook to the Varsity845.
com site was a huge step in the right
direction.
Marketing Your Newspaper
Through Social Networks by Katie Szott, PNA
At the America East Newspaper Operations and Technology Conference, attendees took a look at how social
networking Web sites, such as Facebook, can be marketed into a newspaper’s Web site. For many newspapers
this is an unconventional approach, but for the Hudson Valley Media Group, owner of the Times Herald Record in
Middletown, N.Y., Facebook was key in reaching nontraditional readers, such as teenagers.
continued on page 10

Tim Williams, President, timw@pa-news.org 717.703.3060
Corinna Vecsey Wilson, Chief Operating Officer, corinnaw@pa-news.org 717.703.3078
Jane Hungarter, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, janeh@pa-news.org 717.703.3041
Lisa Knight, Vice President of Advertising Sales, lisak@pa-news.org 717.703.3043
Kevin Wert, Director of New Business Development, kevinw@pa-news.org 717.703.3049
Tips For Using and Creating an
Application on Facebook
FBML – the coding language
for Facebook applications. The
Internet is a good resource for
understanding the language used
on Facebook. Wikipedia can be
a good starting point because it
provides a user’s guide for FBML.
Server requirements – PHP
4 libraries are stable. .Net
developers can make use of
Facebook’s iframe logic to build
applications.
If creating a Facebook application,
be sure to include the “Add friends”
option.
Also, do your best to track who
is accessing or “adding” your
application on a regular basis.
Has Varsity845.com Received
Substantial Web Site Traffic?
Since August 2007, Varsity845.
com has received over 2,044,000
page views as a result of
incorporating the Facebook
component.
Your Opportunity for Growth
Social networks offer a great way
for newspapers to establish a
connection to community members
who are nontraditional readers. If
a newspaper has unique content,
a clear marketing strategy and
accessible content, social networks
deliver a great marketing platform.
Social networks are powerful Web
sites because they are already
exist in communities.
Pennsylvania newspapers can
follow the lead of the Hudson
Valley Media Group and integrate
social networks into their own Web
sites. But remember, you must
first identify your unique content
and then determine which social
networks are best suited for
that content. Be unconventional.
Become savvy with online social
networks and create a new venue
for local newspaper growth.
If your newspaper has a social
networking success story, please
email katies@pa-news.org or call
(717) 703-3072. ◆
Lessons Learned at the AAAA Trade Show
In addition to the speaker sessions, the AAAA Media
Conference also showcased 100 vendors whose
products spanned research & ordering solutions to
targeted advertising for digital networks. National trade
associations such as magazines, newspapers, radio,
broadcast, cable, and IAB also had a presence.
With so much competition and only two days to exhibit,
these vendors were challenged to come up with a
strong “hook” that brought traffic to their booth. Some
vendors raffled off Wii’s, iPhones and iPods in an effort
to connect with consumers and expand their mailing
list. Big name players, like Google, set up a huge booth
where attendees could play Wii golf on a 50” plasma
screen TV, or check their email on one of many free
email terminals. Buzztime, the barroom trivia guru’s, set
up a replica bar complete with complimentary drinks for
those who wanted to talk business. They also offered
several flat screen TVs where their trivia games could be
tested.
The competition between vendors was high. Everyone
wanted the same outcome—more clients—yet they
went about it in very different ways. Based on their
booth presentation and offerings, it was easy to see that
vendors fell into one of three basic categories.
The first category included vendors who were still doing
the same thing they had been doing, year after year.
They had nothing new to offer and their booths were
often empty. The second category contained vendors
who used gimmicks to bring traffic to their booth,
but offered little substance and no new solutions to
their potential clients. As quickly as people came to
these booths, they left. The third category of vendors
attracted people with unique bells and whistles, then
kept their interest by presenting timely business
solutions and innovative ideas about using new
technology. These booths were always packed with
interested consumers.
Standing in the middle of it all, the underlying context
of the tradeshow as it relates to newspaper became
clear. Just like these vendors, to stay alive we’ve got to
continuously create excitement about our product and
services. We need to have innovative ideas and new bells
and whistles that are enticing to agencies and advertisers.
Once we get them in the door, we need to bring real
solutions to the table. ◆

Volume 1 Issue 8

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Volume 1 Issue 8

Similar to Volume 1 Issue 8 (20)

Volume 1 Issue 8