By: Joe Nicholson Newspapers Must Be Sold Like Milk And Soda
SAN FRANCISCO - To put an end to years of circulation declines, newspapers must adopt the same sound marketing practices that boost sales of milk and soda pop, Coca-Cola's former chief marketing officer, Sergio Zyman, said last week at the annual Newspaper Association of America (NAA) marketing convention here.
'I'm sorry to break the news to you, but you're not different when it comes to marketing,' declared Zyman, who has been studying newspaper readership for a year under a contract with the NAA to help lead the industry out of declining-circulation wilderness.
Zyman lectured, admonished, and encouraged more than 1,500 newspaper owners and marketing officials who packed a Moscone Center auditorium.
'Your industry is full of self-fulfilling prophecies, and your industry is in need of process,' proclaimed Zyman, founder and CEO of the Atlanta-based Z Group, who spoke with true-believer zeal broken by frequent quips.
Circulation-building efforts by newspapers can no longer rely on a 'go with the flow,' seat-of-the pants approach - a doomed vagueness that could be called 'be creative and come up with stuff,' Zyman said sarcastically. Rather, newspaper marketing 'has to be scientific and has to be measured,' he said.
Zyman conceded that successful marketing must begin with a high-quality product, saying, 'No marketing plan sells or can sell as effectively as the product experience.' But he warned that newspapers must consistently sell themselves.
'Everything gets taken for granted - milk, soft drinks, cars, airplanes - unless someone reminds us that they make your life better,' he noted.
In an interview with E&P, Zyman said his presentation did not include specific marketing recommendations because they will be part of a written report he has been preparing for the NAA. Both Zyman and the NAA declined to say how much Z Group is being paid.
Joe Frederickson, vice president of marketing for The Press-
Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., called Zyman's prescription right on the bull's-eye, but added, 'A lot of that stuff we've known a long time, [but newspapers] just haven't done anything about it.'
Frederickson predicted Zyman's presence will cause a 'a very, very serious new look' by the industry.
Nicholas Cannistraro Jr., president and CEO of the NAA-affiliated Newspaper National Network, praised Zyman's message, but added, 'Sergio's approach - based on some conversations I've had with some people - is a little bit, perhaps, off-putting. He's a little arrogant and that may force people to ignore his message. Sergio - I think he would agree with this even if he were standing beside me - has a very high opinion of his abilities, which suggests that maybe he may have a lesser opinion of [newspaper marketing officials] who are trying to do their job.' Zyman told E&P he hoped he did not appear to be arrogant, adding, 'I'm trying to help them.'
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Joe Nicholson (jnicholson@editorandpublisher.com) is an associate editor for Editor & Publisher magazine.
SAN FRANCISCO — To put an end to years of circulation declines, newspapers must adopt the same sound marketing practices that boost sales of milk and soda pop, Coca-Cola's former chief marketing officer, Sergio Zyman, said last week at the annual Newspaper Association of America (NAA) marketing convention here.
"I'm sorry to break the news to you, but you're not different when it comes to marketing," declared Zyman, who has been studying newspaper readership for a year under a contract with the NAA to help lead the industry out of declining-circulation wilderness.
Zyman lectured, admonished, and encouraged more than 1,500 newspaper owners and marketing officials who packed a Moscone Center auditorium.
"Your industry is full of self-fulfilling prophecies, and your industry is in need of process," proclaimed Zyman, founder and CEO of the Atlanta-based Z Group, who spoke with true-believer zeal broken by frequent quips.
Circulation-building efforts by newspapers can no longer rely on a "go with the flow," seat-of-the pants approach — a doomed vagueness that could be called "be creative and come up with stuff," Zyman said sarcastically. Rather, newspaper marketing "has to be scientific and has to be measured," he said.
Zyman conceded that successful marketing must begin with a high-quality product, saying, "No marketing plan sells or can sell as effectively as the product experience." But he warned that newspapers must consistently sell themselves.
"Everything gets taken for granted — milk, soft drinks, cars, airplanes — unless someone reminds us that they make your life better," he noted.
In an interview with E&P, Zyman said his presentation did not include specific marketing recommendations because they will be part of a written report he has been preparing for the NAA. Both Zyman and the NAA declined to say how much Z Group is being paid.
Joe Frederickson, vice president of marketing for The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., called Zyman's prescription right on the bull's-eye, but added, "A lot of that stuff we've known a long time, [but newspapers] just haven't done anything about it."
Frederickson predicted Zyman's presence will cause a "a very, very serious new look" by the industry.
Nicholas Cannistraro Jr., president and CEO of the NAA-affiliated Newspaper National Network, praised Zyman's message, but added, "Sergio's approach — based on some conversations I've had with some people — is a little bit, perhaps, off-putting. He's a little arrogant and that may force people to ignore his message. Sergio — I think he would agree with this even if he were standing beside me — has a very high opinion of his abilities, which suggests that maybe he may have a lesser opinion of [newspaper marketing officials] who are trying to do their job." Zyman told E&P he hoped he did not appear to be arrogant, adding, "I'm trying to help them."
