Postmedia Network daily National Post has unveiled a new tagline, making a transition from “A Better Read” to “Right to the Point.”
The campaign to introduce the new brand was launched Thursday – on the paper’s 13th birthday – and will be rolled out in print, digital media, TV, radio with perhaps retail marketing over the next three weeks. It features some of the National Post’s top personalities, including Christie Blatchford, Conrad Black and Rex Murphy (see right, below).
Creative development and execution was done in-house.
The old tagline had been in use roughly six years. “We wanted to go out to the market with something a bit more specific about what we think our strengths are. ‘Right to the Point’ speaks to the crispness of our writing, analysis and commentary,” said Douglas Kelly, publisher. “Our writers tend to be very clear, expressing a distinct position in a very engaging manner more so I’d like to think, than our competition”.
In addition to reflecting the Post’s writing style, Kelly noted that the new tagline signifies the newspaper’s political leanings – small “c” conservative – relative to the market.
Kelly noted, “When you come out with a tagline, it’s not really aimed at existing readers. Rather, it’s aimed at new readers. ‘Right to the Point’ is a declarative statement and I would hope that as a result, it’s an invitation for people to pick up the paper, visit our website, or read us on a tablet and see what we mean when we talk about clear, direct writing with firm points of view that are based on a solid understanding of the issues at hand”.
Postmedia Network announced its Q4 financials Friday, and has sharply reduced its fourth-quarter losses despite a decline in revenue blamed on lower advertising and print circulation income. It reported a loss of $2.3 million in the three months ended Aug. 31.
That compared with a net loss of $44.6 million between July 13 and Aug. 31, 2010, the most closely comparable period.
Revenue was $230.3 million, down $11 million relative to the prior year.
The company said the decline was primarily due to weaker print advertising revenue, which was down 5.3%, or $8.2 million. Circulation revenue was off by 2.5%, or $1.5 million, and other revenues declined $2.9 million due to the loss of a commercial printing contract in the first quarter.
The losses were partially offset by growth in digital revenue, which increased 8.2% or $1.7 million relative to the same period in the prior year.
Postmedia also owns the Calgary Herald, Montreal Gazette and Ottawa Citizen.
