Newspapers
 

Is anyone aware of any past promotions using miles to sell newspapers? Perhaps coupons printed in papers like they are on Kellogg's boxes?

In my industry (newspapers) I regularly hear about how we need to increase single-copy sales, how we need to get new subscriptions, how to get Sunday-only readers to continue reading Monday through Saturday, etc., etc.

Seems like there would be good opportunity here if a newspaper partnered with an airline on that, no? But I keep thinking the big paper for many flyers(USA Today) would have already done this if it's feasible.

Any thoughts ?

USA Today as well as The Wall Street Journal have had many propotions to earn miles for subscriptions - not single copy as that is controled by paper box and news stands. I think United has/had a promo with the San Francisco Chronicle to give miels for subscriptions as did the Orange Country Register a few years back. The idea has been around and tried, but as always, it's regional and limited.

In the UK there are often serial ads with "passwords" that, when you collect them all, offer discounts. They print one password per day for a week or so.

Also, airlines sometimes print coupons for discounts. I bought a *large* stack of Chicago papers some years ago when each contained a $25 coupon for UA tix.

we get the dallas morning news & ny times on quarterly rates w/ milage earning cc payments. not really a bonus thing but convienent. & saves 2 stamps..... used to get usa today but they stopped home delivery in our area[who needs a morning paper to read in the evening while the tv is spouting the news from the morning papers]

https://www.subscriber-services.com/...l/zipcheck.asp

5 miles per $ for "7-day non-discounted home delivery subscription".

10 miles per $ for "52-week non-discounted home delivery subscription"

Thanks CutStyle for the link. Very much appreciated.

If USA Today/Gannett Co. wanted to do it up big, they could really do it up if they found a way to get all their Gannett-owned community newspapers papers involved. That would be cool.

The newspaper subscription idea sounds like a great idea - I was thinking about something along the lines of what we do every summer with Six Flags over Texas: coupons are printed in each daily Tulsa World for one week, and readers must cut out a single numbered coupon from each of those papers. You've got to get all seven coupons, tape them to a form in the Sunday paper, send them in, and you get two free tickets to Six Flags.

Amusement park tickets are not cheap, and clipping coupons from seven consectutive days worth of newspapers is the easiest thing in the world - readers love it. They even write letters to the editor saying what a great promotion it is.

You hope, I guess, that your rack / newspaper box sales increase for that week. But I guess the main goal is that you introduce new readers to the paper, you hope maybe after they buy a week's worth of papers that they get hooked on reading the morning paper and perhaps buy a subcription.

Next time we have an inter-office contest for marketing ideas, I'm going to suggest frequent flyer coupons printed in seven days' worth of papers - maybe I've got a shot with that one http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Thanks much for your input on this.

I found the same link last year on the SF Chronicle website but chose not to subscribe with this promo as the cost is far more costly than if you subscribe with a discounted offer, which are advertised both in the paper as well as those and at supermarkets.



[This message has been edited by raffy (edited 02-08-2003).]

True, raffy, thanks for the input.

Hawaiian Airlines miles for subscribing to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin...seems to be available only on Oahu.

"Earn 2,500 miles for each new or renewed one-year subscription; earn 1,000 miles for each new or renewed six-month subscription. To subscribe or renew call the Honolulu Star-Bulletin at 529-4800 or visit starbulletin.com."