The obituary is also free
No run on the youngest BZ scion despite advertising campaign
Despite advertising campaign, there is no run on the latest BZ offspringBy Markus Knöpfli If Solothurn tradespeople don't know a paper, they don't advertise - or only cautiously. The Solothurner Tagblatt, the new split of the Berner Zeitung, is certainly not overrun with advertisers. The ST is now offering obituaries free of charge.
October 20, the day on which the first edition of the Solothurner Tagblatt (ST) was launched, was also the peak day of the first three weeks in terms of advertising volume: There were two pages of small-format advertisements from the Solothurn area at the launch of the new split of the Berner Zeitung (BZ). The ST did not reach a similar volume again until November 10. On twelve out of 19 days, the ST ad volume was well under half a page in some cases; on the remaining days, the ST ran between one and two pages. However, there were only two full-page advertisements: once by a major distributor and once by a company requesting a publicity report.
According to a survey by WerbeWoche, the ST carried an average of half a page of Solothurn advertisements per day. All other advertisements in the ST were either the ST publisher Espace Media Groupe's own advertisements (up to four full-page own advertisements per issue) or advertisements (mostly from Bernese companies) that had been placed in the entire BZ issue.
Competition expected more ads
In other words, the volume of advertisements was not at all impressive. This is all the more surprising in view of the "Four for two" campaign (four ads for the price of two), as this meant that around half of the above-mentioned volume was also free. What is also striking is that in the first three weeks, the ST did not record a single obituary that was booked exclusively in the Solothurn local section. This is a handicap, as obituaries provide an indication of the acceptance and anchoring of a title.
Nevertheless, BZ advertising manager Michael Seiler is "very satisfied". The volume of advertisements is by no means low and the target, which he does not want to specify, has been achieved, he says. It looks all the better because regional real estate and job advertisements can only be placed in the BZ as a whole.
In addition, it must be taken into account that the media plans of the regional clients are also made by the end of the year. There are indications that from next year, the combination of the ST and the free newspaper, which also belongs to Espace Media, will be used more frequently.
Solothurner Woche (discount of around 20 percent). Seiler describes the (still) missing obituaries as an "elementary mainstay", but one that requires a certain amount of time to build up. Until the end of the year, the ST is therefore offering funeral directors the obituaries free of charge, he says.
ST advertising consultant Amanda Glutz also has a "positive" initial assessment: "We budgeted for half a page of Solothurn ads per day - we've more than achieved that so far." The competition is also "positively surprised". "With this lead time and the cracks in ad sales, I have already achieved a larger volume.
We're expecting a lot of people," says Stephan von Arx, branch manager of Publicitas Solothurn, which manages the Solothurner Zeitung (SZ).
Andreas Gasche, Managing Director of the Solothurn Trade Association, suspects that efforts are waning after the "professionally launched" start. "To date, we haven't had any contact with the ST advertising people," he says. And Gasche cites poor consumer sentiment as a further reason: "In difficult times, tradespeople prefer to invest in a title they already know."
SZ arrives earlier
October 20, the day on which the first edition of the Solothurner Tagblatt (ST) was launched, was also the peak day of the first three weeks in terms of advertising volume: There were two pages of small-format advertisements from the Solothurn area at the launch of the new split of the Berner Zeitung (BZ). The ST did not reach a similar volume again until November 10. On twelve out of 19 days, the ST ad volume was well under half a page in some cases; on the remaining days, the ST ran between one and two pages. However, there were only two full-page advertisements: once by a major distributor and once by a company requesting a publicity report.
According to a survey by WerbeWoche, the ST carried an average of half a page of Solothurn advertisements per day. All other advertisements in the ST were either the ST publisher Espace Media Groupe's own advertisements (up to four full-page own advertisements per issue) or advertisements (mostly from Bernese companies) that had been placed in the entire BZ issue.
Competition expected more ads
In other words, the volume of advertisements was not at all impressive. This is all the more surprising in view of the "Four for two" campaign (four ads for the price of two), as this meant that around half of the above-mentioned volume was also free. What is also striking is that in the first three weeks, the ST did not record a single obituary that was booked exclusively in the Solothurn local section. This is a handicap, as obituaries provide an indication of the acceptance and anchoring of a title.
Nevertheless, BZ advertising manager Michael Seiler is "very satisfied". The volume of advertisements is by no means low and the target, which he does not want to specify, has been achieved, he says. It looks all the better because regional real estate and job advertisements can only be placed in the BZ as a whole.
In addition, it must be taken into account that the media plans of the regional clients are also made by the end of the year. There are indications that from next year, the combination of the ST and the free newspaper, which also belongs to Espace Media, will be used more frequently.
Solothurner Woche (discount of around 20 percent). Seiler describes the (still) missing obituaries as an "elementary mainstay", but one that requires a certain amount of time to build up. Until the end of the year, the ST is therefore offering funeral directors the obituaries free of charge, he says.
ST advertising consultant Amanda Glutz also has a "positive" initial assessment: "We budgeted for half a page of Solothurn ads per day - we've more than achieved that so far." The competition is also "positively surprised". "With this lead time and the cracks in ad sales, I have already achieved a larger volume.
We're expecting a lot of people," says Stephan von Arx, branch manager of Publicitas Solothurn, which manages the Solothurner Zeitung (SZ).
Andreas Gasche, Managing Director of the Solothurn Trade Association, suspects that efforts are waning after the "professionally launched" start. "To date, we haven't had any contact with the ST advertising people," he says. And Gasche cites poor consumer sentiment as a further reason: "In difficult times, tradespeople prefer to invest in a title they already know."
SZ arrives earlier
The Solothurner Zeitung is expanding its early delivery service, and smaller communities such as Kriegstetten are now also being served. In some places, this is seen as a reaction to the ST. Publishing director Christian Müller confirms the expansion. According to the contract for the Mittelland-Zeitung, early delivery must be practically nationwide by January 1, he explains. Work has been going on in some regions all year. "But this has nothing to do with the attack from Bern," says Müller.
