By: Sara Hill, Donald Williams, and Rahul Sethi
President/CEO; Vice President and Research Director; and Insights Manager
Vividata
Too often brands and advertisers work with a catch all model; defining their target audience with broad demographics like gender, age, income, household size and so on. Increasingly, marketers are searching for more effective ways to reach consumers while newspaper publishers strive to deliver engaging content that is key to increased readership, retention and revenue. Exclusive readers (those who read one newspaper title and no other) provide an opportunity for these publishers and marketers.
SIZE OF THE EXCLUSIVE READER SEGMENT
Some assume that the exclusive reader audiences are too insignificant to address; however the most recent Vividata study proves otherwise. These readers are unique, engaged, and a surprisingly large segment in a fragmented media landscape. In Canada’s six major markets, exclusive daily readership is consistently about per cent of the population.
In Toronto, Canada’s largest city, 28 per cent read only one newspaper title and represent nearly half of all average weekday newspaper readers.
LEVERAGING THE EXCLUSIVE READER CONCEPT
Beyond recognizing the size of the segment, the benefits of understanding the exclusive reader can be significant:
- Publishers can develop content strategies to appeal to their exclusive audience and grow their loyalty and frequency of reading.
There is something about each ‘news brand’ that attracts an exclusive reader. Content strategies can be guided by a deeper understanding of exclusive readers’ unique profile, values and lifestyle, reading behaviour and brand affinities.
- Newspapers can deliver to marketers a loyal and unique audience.
Exclusive readers have already made the decision to have a relationship with one newspaper. These readers also have brands and products they prefer, and those they would be open to trying. This is an opportunity for ‘news brands’ to leverage this relationship through sponsorships, events, special offers and content targeted specifically to their exclusive readers.
EXCLUSIVE READERS CHOOSE EITHER PRINT OR DIGITAL
On the average day, exclusive readers are likely to choose either a print or digital platform to access their preferred newspaper content. The general reader base is more likely to use multiple platforms. The exclusive reader is a heavy reader of their paper, reading 3+ issues a week on average.
Through analytics, publishers have the opportunity to identify exclusive readers, their brand preferences and behaviour, and then develop a connection strategy for readers and advertisers.
