TC Media’s Prince Albert Daily Herald and Rural Roots created a unique, self-promotion ad campaign. After two years of the local radio station referring to the daily newspaper as a "dinosaur" (100 times a day on three stations), it was time for the newspaper to fight back.
The paper started with teaser ads on their front page, only showing a dinosaur claw or an eyeball poking through the page, with no explanation. It then ran a dino-themed wrap with a message from the publisher providing powerful facts about how strong the industry really is, which included statistics from the Newspapers Canada site. It added similar materials and visuals to their Facebook site to make it edgy and relevant.
Response from readers and business clients was overwhelmingly positive. Some clients pulled ads from the radio station’s site (which was being promoted). Single copy sales and subscriptions rose.
The campaign rolled out further with gatefolds and it will continue. And while the radio station continues to run their ads, they have cut back.
For more information, contact John Morash, Publisher at John.morash@paherald.sk.ca or 306-765-1300
Click the links below to view a sampling of the ads:
