Feature: Fortunes Improve For Newspaper Advertising
Advertising in Britain’s national newspapers appears to be showing tentative signs of recovery, with the sector’s number of monthly advertising pages showing a nominal 1.4% year on year increase during the twelve months to August 2003.
The weaker than expected business conditions and the war in Iraq continue to weigh heavily on the market, but the classified sector managed to record a healthy 5.7% year on year increase in pages and display saw only a minor 0.8% decline during the same period.
The majority of national daily titles saw an increase in the average number of advertising pages during the twelve months to August. The Independent experienced the most significant rise with a solid 9.7% increase in monthly pagination. The paper has seen circulation falter recently, but is planning to launch a special tabloid version later this month, in an attempt to target commuters in the London metropolitan area looking for an upmarket read in a smaller format.
The Sun also performed strongly with a 6.5% year on year increase after appointing former Barclays marketer Belinda Furneaux-Harris as its new marketing director. News International stablemate, The Times, recorded a 6.2% rise, helping it to close the gap on the Guardian, which leads the sector in terms of average monthly pagination.
The Financial Times was less fortunate during the twelve months to August and its recent revamp appeared unable to stem the decline in ad pages. The title experienced a 4.8% year on year decline as it remained at forefront of the recession in corporate and financial advertising.
However, the most significant fall among the dailies was experienced by Richard Desmond’s Daily Express, which suffered a sharp 6.7% year on year decline. The title currently sits just behind its closest mid-market rival, The Daily Mail, in terms of average monthly pagination.
Meanwhile, Britain’s biggest selling Sunday tabloid, News Of The World, recorded a solid 13.9% increase during the twelve months to August. However, this was over-shadowed by the Sunday Mirror, which managed the most significant growth in its sector, with ad pages surging by almost 60% year on year.
Trinity Mirror’s People also performed strongly with pagination improving by 20.5%. The title has seen circulation decline steadily over recent years, but it is understood that new investment has been promised to improve its performance.
The Sunday Telegraph experienced the biggest increase amongst the Sunday broadsheets with a 21.5.% year on year increase in average monthly advertising pages. The title recently secured HSBC to sponsor its new fortnightly Business Sense pages part of an exclusive six-figure deal.
Northern & Shell’s Sunday Express was the only title to experience a decline in the Sunday sector, with a 1.1% year on year drop in ad pages during the twelve months to August.
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