MEDIA AND MARKETING:THE NEWSPAPER market in Ireland is congested, with not only Irish newspapers but also British titles, many now localised, fighting for attention in the newsagents. Sunday is the main day of purchase and most Sunday titles are fatter than they have ever been. Despite this, fewer people have the newspaper reading habit.
The latest national readership survey, covering the July 2007 to June 2008 period, shows that 72 per cent of adults read a Sunday newspaper, down three points from the previous survey. By contrast, readership of daily titles has been steady for the last three years, with 56 per cent of adults reading a daily, although the flip side is that 44 per cent don't.
In the daily market, tabloids have been adding readers while the broadsheets - apart from The Irish Times- are losing out.
The Irish Daily Starhas increased its readership figure by 4 per cent and is now the most read tabloid in the State. The Daily Irish Mirrorincreased its readership by 7 per cent year-on- year, while the Irish Daily Mailincreased its readership by 12 per cent. The only tabloid to lose readers was the Irish Sun, down 7 per cent.
It seems clear that broadsheets have to widen their appeal to younger readers. In two demographics analysed by advertising agency MediaEdge - 15-34 year olds and 25-44 year olds - the Irish Independent, The Irish Timesand the Irish Examinerall lost readers, while the Star, Mirrorand Heraldall recorded gains.
David Hayes in MediaEdge CIA observed: "The Irish Independenthas dropped its adult readership from 17 per cent to 14 per cent of the adult population. The Starexperienced a small lift but the Irish Daily Mailhas recorded a credible 4 per cent readership in its first readership report.
"It would seem that the combination of aggressive promotion and discounted cover price has worked well for the Irish Daily Mailand that it appears to have lured readers away from the Irish Independent."
In the Sunday market, the only titles showing year-on-year readership gains are the Sunday Business Postand the Sunday World. The Sunday Tribunewas the biggest loser in the latest readership survey, dropping 19 per cent.
"Sunday newspaper readership has reached its lowest point in the last number of years. The time pressures of a fast-moving economy, the growing penetration of online and increased entertainment options are presumably eating into the traditional Sunday morning reading time, said Hayes".
The Sunday readership numbers were also a disappointment for the Irish Mail on Sunday. The title's share of adult readers is 7 per cent compared to the 12 per cent achieved by its predecessor, Ireland On Sunday.
Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Mailtitles, recently head-hunted Paul Henderson from rival INM to head up the operation in Ireland. Despite the leadership slippage at most titles, Henderson is bullish about prospects for the newspaper sector.
"The daily reach of newspapers is still ahead of radio and nearly 20 points ahead of TV. Don't forget there are also more people than ever before living in Ireland," he said. "At the moment, newspapers are getting late money from advertisers who won't commit to TV ads because they are too expensive."
Henderson added that CD and DVD giveaways still have a role in building circulation.
A Daniel O'Donnell CD giveaway in the Mail on Sundaytwo weeks ago lifted sales by 30,000 copies.
"Within the newspaper Sunday market, there is an appetite for the offering. What we are all trying to do is make our offering the best, so that someone will buy us for the offering, sample us and enjoy the product. We are not in the CD or DVD business. We are in the business of selling newspapers and it's all about the quality of the newspaper," said Henderson.
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There's little doubt about the most engaging television commercial at the moment - Cadbury's gorilla drummer beating in time to the Bonnie Tyler ballad, Total Eclipse of the Heart.
The advertisement is so popular that Cadbury has now developed a promotional roadshow around the ape, and a marketing campaign for its Dairy Milk brand that spans digital and experiential media and in-store consumer promotions.
It's very rare that a TV ad achieves this kind of cut-through and the creative agency involved, London firm Fallon, was honoured with the Grand Prix award at the annual Shark advertising awards in Kinsale last weekend.
The Sharks, which have been going for 46 years, are very much an international event and draw thousands of entries from around the world. Among the Irish agencies who returned home with a few gongs were Publicis QMP, Cawley Nea, McCann Erickson, Owens DBB and McConnells.
siobhan@businessplus.ie
