Bulk Sales Battle Between NI And Mirror Group
The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) may well find itself in the centre of a scuffle between News International Newspapers (NIN) and the Mirror Group over the auditing of multiple copies/bulks sales of their newspapers.
The issue has been re-sparked by letters sent from NIN’s circulation director, Ian Weston, to the ABC, the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, the Newspaper Publishers Association and the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers. In the letters Weston argues that the Mirror Group’s use of ad hoc bulk sales are ‘strategically’ and ‘cynically’ used to improve The Mirror‘s ABC figure.
He believes that The Mirror employs tactical dumping of copies of the newspaper which will not get read but will be included in the ABC audit. Weston goes on to say that NIN has been pressing for some time for tighter restrictions on the recording of such distributions and that the ‘repeated’ use of bulk distributions was ‘reprehensible’.
However, Mirror managing director Roger Eastoe, says that the actions of NIN are simply a ‘smokescreen’ created in order to cover declining circulation of the company’s Sun newspaper. Eastoe claims that The Sun‘s ABC figure for March will be down by around 280,000 copies. He also suggested that it was a case of ‘sour grapes’ from News International which recently spent £1.5 million on a rebranding TV advertising campaign for The Sun.
Weston has taken particular issue with the The Mirror‘s bulk sales to Ladbrokes shops throughout the country which he believes is an example of tactical distribution. Eastoe says that the Mirror Group has been distributing copies of the paper to Ladbrokes for the last four years and that Ladbrokes is very happy with the deal. He also claims that such distribution is in line with current ABC auditing regulations.
It is to the ABC that the final decision falls on what is acceptable and what is not. The Bureau is currently finalising a redraft of its rules on this matter, the details of which are expected shortly (subscribers see ABC Creates New Bulk Sales Procedures). Whilst Weston says that the new rules go some way to eradicating what he sees as bad practice, he is still concerned that the ABC will find itself in the middle of constant campaigns from publishers trying to justify their bulk sales as acceptable in what will probably be grey criteria.
Roger Eastoe is confident that the new ABC rules will not effect the Mirror Group’s current bulk sales practice; a practice which, says Eastoe, all the other newspapers (including The Times and Sun) employ.
Ian Weston also claims that The Mirror is in danger of being overtaken in circulation by the Daily Mail. If it were not for the Ladbrokes distributions, he says, last month would have seen The Mirror slip behind Daily Mail: not, according to Eastoe, if the Daily Mail‘s bulk sales were discounted.
The circulation trends for the last year for all three tabloids can be seen in the chart. For the ABC period August 1997 to January 1998 the Daily Mail‘s circulation just overtook The Mirror‘s: 2,247,298 copies compared with 2,231,608. Since the period October 1996 to March 1997, The Sun‘s circulation has gradually, but steadily fallen. ABC figures for March are due on 10 April.
Subscribers can access the Press Planner by selecting “Press” from the drop-down box at the top of this page.
Mirror Group: 0171 293 3000 News International Newspapers: 0171 782 6000