Watch This Space, issue 34!

It’s a Matter of Trust

Recent research by the UK Association of Online Publishers found that 74% of magazine readers and 81% of newspaper readers believe online and print media to be equally trustworthy. The conclusions reached in the research, which surveyed 27,000 respondents, suggest that far more important than the medium through which news is published is the brand associated with it: if the Times is to be believed in print then it seems to follow that its online offerings are considered equally reliable.

Captain Kickback says: “As ever when being presented with some sort of pie-chart by a media owner wherein their own medium has the largest slice, we must of course bear in mind the source of this news. The fact that the research was carried out entirely online, for instance, will almost certainly imbue some sort of bias in its results. However, it certainly seems that publishers’ rampant investment into online media over the last few years is bringing an end to the days in which every word published on the internet was met with universal cynicism and mistrust.”

I’m Digitally Authentic- What Are You?

Yet more research I’m afraid. This time it’s a new means of profiling consumers, called the New Mediascapes survey. If you’re anxious to know how best to pigeonhole yourself as a consumer of the digital age, read on!

The digital authentic

A mass-market demographic which hasn’t quite got to grips with the convergence of new digital media yet, but will adopt new technology when it becomes the new must have. They use the web for information rather than for entertainment and hang on to vinyl and cds even though the same songs are loaded onto their iPods.

Media explorers

A group which tends to be older and very common among those employed in education or the civil service, these people are reluctant adopters of new technology and tend to stay loyal to that which has worked well for them in the past. When they absolutely have to venture into new areas or buy new technology, brand is very important for media explorers and they dip their toes by using the biggest, like Google or Yahoo to research their purchase.

Immersed dwellers

These people can’t get by with out technological support- they run their lives online and two thirds contribute to web 2.0. As likely to be male as they are female, immersed dwellers are the most likely group to carry more than one device around with them, be it a Blackberry, mp3 player or laptop, and are frequently frustrated that these devices aren’t more compatible.

Channel Zapper

Short on time but keen to stay up to the minute, these people have an eclectic taste and do their best to be early adopters. They read trend setting titles like i-D, NME and Pop, but are also likely to pick up the commuter freesheet on their way home.

Social Uploaders

A group very strong on friends and community: they have a strong presence on networking websites and take pride in the appearance of their profile pages and the feedback they collect on eBay. These people are poor consumers of TV and tend to read more than any other group. With wide networks and communities maintained entirely online, they are particularly susceptible to viral marketing. Users and supporters of BookCrossing.com, social uploaders are likely to leave their newspapers on the train for others to use.

A Longer Walk for your London Read!

The London Evening Standard has cut its sales force by 8%, with a loss of 30 vendors. Amid claims that they will be investing heavily in their distribution come Autumn, publishers Associated Newspapers have announced that the cuts are about achieving greater efficiency rather than falling sales. However, against a circulation figure of 313,181 last August, the June 2007 circulation of the Standard was 276,230, of which only 198,601 were paid for.

Captain Kickback says: “The end of August will see the first anniversary (yes, already!) of that London freesheet battle we all loved reading about. As predicted, the proliferation of free alternatives has put a sizeable dent in the Standard’s already falling circulation.”

A Longer Wait for your Bath Read!

Another paper whose circulation has been dropping off in recent years, the Bath Chronicle has announced plans to change from daily to weekly distribution as of September 27th. “If you can’t be first, be best” is the maxim adopted here, we’re told: with up to the minute news being taken away from the print media by the internet and 24-hour news television, the Chronicle is seeking to produce a higher quality paper less frequently, a more considered response to events rather than up to the minute reportage. Interestingly, stable mate the Western Daily Press is to launch a Bath edition to plug the gap left by this change in distribution.

Gaydar Reaches a New High

Announcing its best year to date and after winning a slew of awards over the last 12 months, Gaydar Radio has seen a 51% increase in listening year on year. Available nationally online and on SKY TV, and in London and Sussex through DAB, the dance-based station is now achieving a weekly reach of 339,400 listeners. The strongest growth in listening was by the 18-34 year old demographic, which rose from 21% of the station’s audience last year, to account for 28% this year.

Captain Kickback says: “With its online broadcasting, we can do some quite crafty targeting of Gaydar’s audience. Gaydar.co.uk has 1.3 million registered users and we can target banner campaigns to these people according to the details they have entered into their profile.”

Hyper Local Gets Big

Following the success of six free papers in the North East, it seems that Trinity Mirror might be considering the launch of more “reverse publishing” titles. As the name suggests, reverse publishing plays with what has become the natural order of the publishing world: rather than the content of newspapers appearing online after publication so that consumers must buy the printed matter to get hold of the latest material, reverse publishing sees the publication of journals that summarise the goings on of small local websites whose content is largely user created. Currently three weekly and three fortnightly newspapers are sent to homes in Ingleby, Barwick, Acklam and Redcar. Their content is produced by an army of 150 bloggers and a handful of journalist and is concerned solely with “hyper local” matters. Supported by “hyper local” advertising, these sites and their associated papers seem to be doing very well- between them they achieved an audience of 40,600 unique users in July.

Captain Kickback says: “So….Print 2.0! Well, why not? It seems that Trinity have struck upon one of the true advantages of user-generated content: it’s cheap! The bloggers at work here have made newspapers a viable prospect where previously the tiny circulations they offer would have failed to make enough ad revenue to support the editorial staff needed to create them. Clearly this is something to keep an eye on for the future: it will allow highly targeted and extremely cheap local advertising.”

Another new term for you

Mobile phone company Orange have explained away an increase in text messages sent during June by linking it with the ban on public smoking. Bored smokers, it seems, tend to use their free hands to text their friends whilst standing outside pubs. This emerging phenomenon has been gloriously dubbed “smexting”.

That's all for this time. As ever if any of the titbits in this month's newsletter are of interest, please speak to your Space and Time team or reply to this email for more details.

See you next time!!!

Captain Kickback