I could resist this post about how newspapers stopped trying to reach genXers. Instead they switched their focus to moms.

I love reading the newspaper but I often don’t have the time and get most of my news online. However, there’s nothing like the tangible experience of reading the actual newspaper. I love Sunday (a&e, business, Parade Magazine and more letters to the editor) followed by Friday (weekend section), and then Tuesday or Wednesday (local business news, food news). My favorite place to read a newspaper is at the airport. Where I would read the newspaper if it were there: the beauty shop. How would a newspaper be designed better for moms? A smaller format that would fit in their purse.

If I were marketing newspapers I’d try to put newspapers in places where people are often alone and have time. Moms of young children long for those times but rarely get them. Alone time is the antithesis of motherhood. Alone time is coveted. I still laugh when I suggested my friend’s response to my recommendation to read the book Never Eat Alone about a life of networking with other people. That sounded horrible to her. She truly never eats alone, eating is done with young kids and food gets everywhere (eating with others in this case is a lot of work, not pleasurable).

Other ideas: put newspapers in places people are stuck or slowing down: fast food restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, airports, doctor’s appointments, post office lines, public transportation/bus stops, on Amtrack, break rooms, etc). I’d also encourage their use in schools as teaching aids. They would have a web site of teaching plans incorporating newspapers. I still remember driver’s ed class with the wall of newspaper article stories about car crashes. It had quite an impact on me and kept me thinking about safe driving.

Also, what about newspapers doing podcasts based on the top stories?

I see it now: newspapergrl gets a job as a newspaper marketer focused on BtoB subscriptions selling multiple subscriptions to businesses for a higher subscription fee…she also oversees a purse version of the paper that is marketed to moms.

[tags] newspapers, newspapergrl [/tags]

Leave a Reply