Coop is closer to its readers
Member Publications: After a poor 2002, *Brückenbauer* and *Construire* have bounced back. However, in their head-to-head competition with the *Coop-Zeitung*, there is no sign of a turnaround.
Member press After a poor 2002, Brückenbauer and Construire have recovered. But there is no sign of a turnaround in the duel with the Coop-Zeitung.Karl Vögeli no longer wants to talk about a race. "This race is probably decided," says the publishing director of the Coop-Zeitung, commenting with satisfaction on the Mach Basic figures for the membership press. His newspapers have not only gained readers in all parts of the country - they have also grown more strongly everywhere than the newspapers of retail rival Migros. But the orange giant also has reason to be pleased: after Brückenbauer, Construire and Azione had lost considerable reach in the previous year, they returned to the road to success in 2003. With an increase of 1.7 percentage points or 81,000 readers, Brückenbauer even surpassed its 2001 figures. The growth is clearly in the statistically significant range.
Catching up in French-speaking Switzerland
The French-speaking Swiss edition Construire, on the other hand, increased by just 0.4 percentage points, which corresponds to 11,000 additional readers. In French-speaking Switzerland, the race between Coop and Migros is still in full swing. Two years ago, Migros had a comfortable lead of five percentage points. Now Construire is still in the lead with 42.9 percent reach, but Coopération has caught up further: it has gained 27,000 new readers and is now only 1.3 percentage points behind its competitor.
"In recent times, we have simply become better at meeting readers' wishes in terms of content and design," says Karl Vögeli, outlining the secret of the Coop press' success. A problem that Migros has also recognized and is tackling systematically. Since the beginning of this year, a relaunch for Brückenbauer and Construire has been in preparation under the leadership of Head of Communications Monica Glisenti. The new concept is to be launched in May 2004. Ticino's Azione is already further along: the newspaper, which differs significantly from its German and French counterparts, is being given a new look this week.
However, the bridge builder has managed to reverse the trend after the slump in 2002 even without a relaunch. According to Monica Glisenti, circulation is increasing in line with the number of Migros cooperative members. "However, the positive development in the readership survey shows that we have also become more attractive in terms of content."
Gray spots in big cities
This year, a trial subscription to Brückenbauer and Construire has been offered so that the Migros Press can be distributed beyond the circle of Cooperative members. This is a strategy that Coop has already been using for two years to increase its readership. "We still have potential, especially in the big cities of German-speaking Switzerland," believes publishing director Vögeli. "There are not exactly white areas, but there are gray areas where the Coop newspaper is only weakly represented."
Vögeli sees a range of around 70% as a possible growth ceiling. While this figure seems to be within reach in German-speaking Switzerland, it is still a long way off in French-speaking Switzerland. This is partly due to historical reasons, says the publishing director. As a major distributor, Coop has always had a weaker foothold in French-speaking Switzerland than Migros. However, neither Vögeli nor Glisenti have a plausible explanation as to why both Coopération and Construire reach far fewer people than their German-language counterparts. There has never been a study on the differences in reach between French-speaking and German-speaking Switzerland, says Glisenti. "That's a very good question that we should look into."
Stefano Monachesi
Catching up in French-speaking Switzerland
The French-speaking Swiss edition Construire, on the other hand, increased by just 0.4 percentage points, which corresponds to 11,000 additional readers. In French-speaking Switzerland, the race between Coop and Migros is still in full swing. Two years ago, Migros had a comfortable lead of five percentage points. Now Construire is still in the lead with 42.9 percent reach, but Coopération has caught up further: it has gained 27,000 new readers and is now only 1.3 percentage points behind its competitor.
"In recent times, we have simply become better at meeting readers' wishes in terms of content and design," says Karl Vögeli, outlining the secret of the Coop press' success. A problem that Migros has also recognized and is tackling systematically. Since the beginning of this year, a relaunch for Brückenbauer and Construire has been in preparation under the leadership of Head of Communications Monica Glisenti. The new concept is to be launched in May 2004. Ticino's Azione is already further along: the newspaper, which differs significantly from its German and French counterparts, is being given a new look this week.
However, the bridge builder has managed to reverse the trend after the slump in 2002 even without a relaunch. According to Monica Glisenti, circulation is increasing in line with the number of Migros cooperative members. "However, the positive development in the readership survey shows that we have also become more attractive in terms of content."
Gray spots in big cities
This year, a trial subscription to Brückenbauer and Construire has been offered so that the Migros Press can be distributed beyond the circle of Cooperative members. This is a strategy that Coop has already been using for two years to increase its readership. "We still have potential, especially in the big cities of German-speaking Switzerland," believes publishing director Vögeli. "There are not exactly white areas, but there are gray areas where the Coop newspaper is only weakly represented."
Vögeli sees a range of around 70% as a possible growth ceiling. While this figure seems to be within reach in German-speaking Switzerland, it is still a long way off in French-speaking Switzerland. This is partly due to historical reasons, says the publishing director. As a major distributor, Coop has always had a weaker foothold in French-speaking Switzerland than Migros. However, neither Vögeli nor Glisenti have a plausible explanation as to why both Coopération and Construire reach far fewer people than their German-language counterparts. There has never been a study on the differences in reach between French-speaking and German-speaking Switzerland, says Glisenti. "That's a very good question that we should look into."
Stefano Monachesi
