SITUATION
Gannett decided to include a USA TODAY section in its top 30 markets to help address two issues:
- USA TODAY circulation was dropping because of decreases in their hotel distribution, a key component to their distribution.
- Local markets had cut newshole through the recession, decreasing the value to subscribers and readers.
The USA TODAY section would include national and international news. The local markets would switch their A sections to be locally-focused, and add newshole at the same time. While this was happening, price increases were also taking place before and after launch.
SOLUTION
Working with an ad agency, a campaign was developed to roll out the introduction of the USA TODAY section into local newspapers targeted toward increasing the perceived value of the print product, particularly among subscribers. The campaign's theme – More Local. More National. More of What Matters to You. – was designed to get attention with the obvious change, the inclusion of the USA TODAY section, but attach the idea of “more local news” to it simultaneously. This required local markets to identify new topics and page designs to make the local improvements visible to readers. The campaign also needed to be adaptable across 30 markets without re-working every element.
RESULTS
- Subscriptions starts were up 11% following the launch, while cancellations were down 18% year-over-year.
- 60% of readers reported liking the changes, half who like the addition specifically noted that it added value to their subscription or was an improvement.
ROLE
Drafted the original Project Charter and Creative Briefs for the corporate and agency teams. Involved throughout the development of the creative concept and templates. Led the execution of the campaign in the Nashville market.