The World Association of Newspapers has been studying the format change phenomenon, and will present the results at the World Editor & Marketeer Conference, to be held in Athens, Greece, on 17 and 18 November next.
The study, part of the WAN Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project, examines the drivers, highlights the opportunities and determines the risk of format change. The SFN session includes a presentation from Marc Sands, the Marketing Director of Guardian Newspapers of the United Kingdom, and will also feature others who are making the change from broadsheet to tabloid or even smaller formats.
The new WAN study builds on "The Format Change Phenomenon," a recently published strategy report from the Shaping the Future of the Newspaper project, which identifies, analyses and publicises all important breakthroughs and opportunities that can benefit newspapers all over the world. WAN conducts the project with five strategic business partners -- PubliGroupe, UPM, MAN Roland, Telenor and Samsung Electronics.
"The Format Change Phenomenon" provides guidance on how to reassure readers, win over advertisers, retain revenue and ensure efficient production. It provides a checklist of things newspapers must do -- and not do -- to carry out successful format change.
In addition to the format change research, SFN will provide the Editor &
Marketeer Conference with a special "master class" in which best practice methodologies to increase circulation sales will be presented. The class will be conducted by Jim Chisholm, Director of the SFN project.
For the evolving conference program, registration details and other
information, consult http://www.wan-press.org/athens2005/ . For more on the SFN project, go to http://www.futureofthenewspaper.com .
Other conference sessions include:
- "News, anytime, anyplace, anywhere," which will focus on content delivery that exploits digital media opportunities to gain both readers and revenues.
- "New weapons in the battle for readers," in which publishers from all over the world will deliver case studies that show how they are winning the circulation battle.
- "Follow your readers," which will compare newspapers which have
established programmes to attract young readers with those which have
adopted strategies to retain these readers throughout their life stages. - "Managing the cost of reader loyalty," which examines the key issue of how to increase purchase frequency and subscription renewal and develop long-term readers who can be retained economically.
- "Maximising revenues between print and online," which examines the extraordinary growth of online activities and the implications for
newspapers.
The World Editor & Marketeer Conference & Expo will be held at the Hotel Athenaeum InterContinental in Athens on 17 and 18 November 2005. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Greek. Other languages can be provided if a minimum of 10 delegates request them.
