Media Planners Welcome Independent’s Tabloid Move
Media planners have welcomed the Independent‘s decision to go completely tabloid from next Monday, in a move that will bring an end to more than twenty years of publishing the broadsheet edition.
The paper revealed yesterday that the number of people buying the traditional broadsheet version was now so small that it no longer made business sense to continue to publish the title in two formats (see Independent Ditches Broadsheet To Go Totally Tabloid).
The decision has come as little surprise to media agencies, which have been speculating over the demise of the broadsheet for months. However, Steve Goodman, group head of press at MediaCom, thinks the move could be the paper’s saving grace.
He said: “The Independent is making life much easier for clients and planners and is being true to what it set out to achieve. Certainly the results to date have been pretty impressive both in terms of readership and circulation so it’s definitely the right thing to do.”
He added: “The only danger is that it may lose a small amount of circulation from the hardcore readers that probably didn’t want to switch to a tabloid format. However, I think that will be more than offset by the additional readers that the paper is gaining as a result of the more easily manipulatable size and format.”
The last few months have seen the Independent gradually phase out publication of the broadsheet edition across the UK and the decision to go totally tabloid means the paper can avoid the high cost of bringing out dual editions.
Nik Vyas, associate director at ZenithOptimedia, said: “The compact has been a great success for the Independent and it currently accounts for around 75% of the paper’s total circulation. The significant costs and logistical issues involved in producing a broadsheet version therefore made it increasingly unviable financially.”
He continued: “Newsagents are also rumoured to be unhappy about the amount of shelf space both editions were taking up on a relatively small circulation. The decision to go tabloid will get rid of speculation and will allow the paper to concentrate its energies and resources building on the early successes it has enjoyed.”
The Independent claims that readers have responded ‘overwhelimingly’ to the launch of the commuter-friendly tabloid edition, with around nine out of ten people choosing the smaller format over the traditional broadsheet edition.
Nigel Foote, group strategy director at Starcom MediaVest, claims the move is key to the future of the paper. He said: “I think it has been very sensible in terms of how its trying to develop. The tabloid launch is a sign that the press is finally innovating in terms of what consumers want, in terms of practicality and in terms of usage.”
However, he warned that the paper’s biggest problem will be ensuring the survival of its brand, saying: “The Independent is at the sharp end of discounting as it is, so it probably feels that improving sales will help it sustain the yield it needs even on a smaller page size.”
The Times was quick to follow in the Independent‘s footsteps with the launch of its own compact edition at the end of November. However, it looks unlikely that the title will attempt to ape its rival by ditching its broadsheet version.
Goodman said: “The Times is obviously some way behind the Indy in terms of the process and I think it has got its own plans and schedule to move more and more towards a tabloid format. Just because the Indy has done it now doesn’t mean we will see a knee-jerk reaction from the Times.”
Priscilla Rogan, press director at Media Planning Group, added: “I think the Times is struggling. It leapt in very quickly and turned the compact edition around in eight working days, from the day Murdoch made the discussion to the day it hit the streets. This is a very very short lead time to come out with something that is such a radical change.”
The latest ABC results for the six months to March 2004 show that the Independent has seen its circulation increase by a solid 11% year on year to just under the 250,000 mark. However, the Times proved less fortunate with sales declining by 4.5% during the same period to 644,082.
Rogan believes the compact edition of the Times has been less successful because its readership is significantly older and more conservative than that of the Independent. Times readers are also statistically less likely to commute than Independent readers making a compact edition harder to sell.
Independent: 020 7005 2000 www.independent.co.uk
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