The Daily Star topped out at 1,020 pages of news and advertising, including 103 advertising inserts, in its largest zone. That insert total, an all-time high for the paper, represented 876 pages of ads alone.
The Daily Star broke new ground in the single-copy marketing of the huge holiday edition, as well. The paper was available only at retail locations. Rack cards directed single-buyers to the more than 500 Southern Arizona retail outlets, including two key retail partners, Fry’s Food Stores and Walgreen’s.
The record Thanksgiving edition was the result of a 10-week advertising sales and production effort that began just after Labor Day. In addition to selling more than three dozen one-sheet, print-and-deliver pieces, the ad sales team also sold five insert jackets.
The Daily Star supported the record Thanksgiving edition with an extensive in-paper, online, radio and point-of-sales campaign. Three local TV outlets filmed cutaways in the Daily Star press room for their Thanksgiving eve newscasts.