The Beyond Branding Blog

December 10, 2005

Left or right?

What is the deal with advertising in ‘Viva’ in The New Zealand Herald? We request right-hand pages and keep getting left-hand ones. The ad rep told my number-two that the odds of getting a left-hander when a right-handed ad was requested were about 1 in 10. Our ad buys with the Irish newspaper this quarter show the odds are 3 in 3.
To understand this, we need to re-examine the fear of the mainstream media toward independent publications, and the tall-poppy syndrome, oft-visited in this blog. How they keep conﬁrming the simple fact that the mainstream media are losing touch with everyday New Zealand, a pattern which exists elsewhere in the western world.
They will stay aﬂoat for now because of their claimed circulation, but will their attitude hurt their brands so much that advertisers will ﬁnd it disadvantageous to be aligned with them? I’m beginning to think that that day is nearer than we think.

posted by Jack Yan, 6:12 AM permalink

Comments:

The rep maintains the 1 in 10 ﬁgure in her response to me today, and assumes others had paid a loading to be on the right-hand side. I still have some doubts, and have asked if her ratio is for just those who have paid a loading.

# posted by

Jack Yan: 12/12/2005 1:47 AM

No reply to the question as of today.

# posted by

Jack Yan: 12/17/2005 6:21 AM

Still no response, though she has proposed to my director of advertising that we pay more. I am the one who authorizes this, so the sooner I get a reply …

# posted by

Jack Yan: 12/26/2005 4:58 AM

Finally, a response. The 1 in 10 ﬁgure is her ‘opinion’ based on all advertising. What do readers think? Yea or nay? I need way more convincing from our Irish friends, methinks.

# posted by

Jack Yan: 12/29/2005 1:46 PM