Independent Targets Planners And Buyers With Viral Push
The Independent is hoping to woo media planners and buyers with a viral marketing campaign and video game designed to raise the profile of its recently launched compact edition and attract more advertising revenue.
The ‘Compact Catch’ game has been e-mailed to over 600 key industry figures and the newspaper hopes it will spread further from there. Players are required to throw the newspaper to the correct demographic, making sure to hit its young, urban audience, while avoiding ‘stuffy broadsheet’ readers and ‘tabloid types’.
As an incentive to play, budding planners and buyers are being encouraged to register their high scores for the chance to win a holiday or free membership to one of London’s top private members clubs.
Commenting on the promotion, David Greene, marketing director at The Independent, said: “We need to remind planner buyers of the success the new Independent compact has had. We have a unique demographic that includes young and urban audiences as well as a significantly increased reach. It is easy to make assumptions about quality newspapers and hence we have commissioned this Viral from Skive, to help breakdown these misconceptions.”
The latest ABC results for the six months to August 2004 show that The Independent has seen circulation rise by an impressive 18% year on year to just under the 261,000 mark. The commuter friendly tabloid edition has also helped boost readership at the title (see NRS National Newspaper Round-Up – June 2004).
The latest drive for increased advertising revenue follows the appointment of Simon Barnes earlier this year as the title’s new commercial director. Barnes is charged with overseeing a more dynamic approach to advertising sales at The Independent and The Independent on Sunday (see Indie Appoints New Commercial Director To Drive Sales).
The Independent‘s Compact Catch game can be played online at www.indycompact.co.uk.
Independent: 020 7005 2000 www.independent.co.uk
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