Nokia Boosts The Evening Standard’s Circulation

Mobile phone company Nokia booked out every advertising space in the Evening Standard newspaper in London last night, handing out 50,000 free copies in the centre of the capital as part of a promotion for Nokia’s E61 handset.

In some parts of central London, Evening Standard vendors handed out free copies of the paper to customers alongside distributors of free newspapers thelondonpaper and London Lite.

The Standard raised its price last month as part of its strategy to combat the free newspapers moving in on its market (see Standard Raises Price As London Lite Launches). The new free papers have already forced the Standard Lite to close (see Standard Lite Confirms Closure With New Freesheet Launch), or rather the title has been rebranded as London Lite.

September’s ABC figures are released tomorrow, which should show the effects of the two new free newspapers on the Standard‘s sales (see thelondonpaper Launches And The Free Newspaper War Begins), as well as their own circulation figures.