Research shows how news bills affect reader choice

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by HoldtheFrontPage Staff Published 25 Jun 2007

A new study has revealed the effect that newspaper bills outside paper shops have on customers.

The people that ran the survey claim the results are a “wake-up call” for publishers and retailers that do not consider billing as an important element of their promotion mix.

Leeds-based Staff Technology Systems is already the largest single supplier of A2 newsbill production services to the regional press sector having full service contracts in place across Northcliffe, Newsquest, Trinity Mirror and other groups and publishing centres.

The company was so confident in the sales benefit that newspapers which regularly use newsbills as part of their point of sale marketing achieve as a result, that the company part-funded the research project commissioned by newspaper support company Press Ahead.

It worked with the Newcastle Chronicle and Journal and the Wood Holmes Group to conduct 293 exit interviews at news outlets across the Tyneside area.

Two scenarios were tested – firstly with a range of four bills on display and on a corresponding day at the same outlet, newsbills were not displayed, but were shown to shoppers as they left the outlet.

The results showed:

More than half of those who noticed the bills (where displayed) read them with content re-call of 82 per cent;

23 per cent had been influenced at some point in the past to buy a paper by a bill. This rises to 39 per cent and 35 per cent respectively for the attractive 16-24 and 25-34 age groups and to 31 per cent for socio-economic group A.

40 per cent of those interviewed claimed this happened at least once a week

Where no newsbills were displayed 11 per cent said they ‘would have been likely to purchase’ once shown the bill copy.

Often buyers had seen the bill elsewhere earlier in the day before later making the purchase

‘Local news’ bills were easily the most effective followed by ‘local sport’, while special offers bills were rated surprisingly ineffective.

Sales at the outlets taking part in the exercise were on average 3.92 per cent higher in the ‘newsbills displayed’ instance than they were when newsbills were withheld. In one city centre store the difference was +41.7 per cent.

Russell Borthwick, of Press Ahead, which commissioned the study, said:

“Of course, there is much more to successful newsbilling than simply ‘getting them out there’.

“Copy selection and variety is vital. Tell the prospective reader just enough – don’t give them the whole story!

“Choice of typeface and display can be important. Thoughtful targeting of bills to specific outlets. Who is accountable for making sure they are actually put up?

“None of it rocket science, but issues which tend to get lost in the madding crowd of daily tasks.”

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