The Indianapolis Star debuts its new tabloid, INtake Weekly, today, 12 days after its parent company, Gannett, launched IN, a glossy magazine that competes with the locally owned Indianapolis Woman. Brian A. Howey, writing for the online magazine Indianapolis Eye News, discusses tactics Gannett has used in the past to put newspaper competitors out of business and then raise its advertising rates. "If you're NUVO Publisher Kevin McKinney and his staff, INtake might as well be a gun aimed at your heads," Howey writes. He urges advertisers to continue to place ads in independent publications so Gannett doesn't become their only option.

Continue ReadingGannett’s New Publications Threaten Independent Voices in Indianapolis, Writer Says

Free newspapers aimed at young readers are, for the most part, "just dumbed-down versions of a daily newspaper," writes AAN'S Roxanne Cooper, in an editorial published in the International Newspaper Marketing Association's monthly magazine. Basing a newspaper's content on market research instead of a creative vision is getting it backwards. And if young people have such short attention spans, why are so many of them reading books during their commutes?

Continue ReadingNew Youth-Oriented Papers Lack Vision, AAN Says

Despite all the hype surrounding the consumer backlash to email marketing, the majority of online users say they generally appreciate receiving legitimate email marketing messages, and are usually able to distinguish between legitimate offerings and spam. These are among the surprising findings of a survey of 1,054 U.S. adults conducted by Harris Interactive for Digital Impact.

Continue ReadingStudy: Users Like Legit Marketing Email

Citing a growing litany of positive indicators including a sustained economic expansion, improving profits among big marketers, the so-called "quadrennial effect" and a re-expansion of the dot-com advertising category, three major media agencies Monday issued new, more upbeat scenarios for the advertising economy.

Continue ReadingUpbeat Scenario for Advertising Expenditures

Sales for long declining Miller Brewing Co. brand have risen in the past 13 weeks, since the brewer launched TV spots comparing its carbohydrate and calorie content to rival Adolph Coors Co. and Anheuser-Busch brands. Industry insiders credit the campaign for the boost.

Continue ReadingMiller Lite Ads Turn Tables on Coors