The Toronto Star yesterday launched a marketing campaign to promote a new content-sharing deal with The New York Times.
Starting this Sunday, the Star will be running two sections produced by The Times, a 16-page broadsheet news and commentary section featuring a revolving roster of Times columnists, and a 12-page tabloid edition of the paper’s Book Review.
“This is one of the largest marketing campaigns the Star has launched in many years,” said Sandy MacLeod, vice president, consumer marketing at the Star, in a statement. “We believe that through the combination of newspaper, television, radio, point-of-sale, telemarketing and e-mail marketing efforts we will reach almost every adult reader in the Greater Toronto Area.”
The newspaper partnered with M2 Universal for the campaign’s media buy.
The new Sunday sections will be free for the first six weeks, then home-delivery subscribers can request delivery of the sections for $1 extra a week starting Nov. 21. Single-copy sales of the Sunday Star will double in price, from $1 to $2, effective Nov. 28.
While the Toronto paper already used The New York Times news service, Star spokesperson Bob Hepburn said The Times approached the Star months ago about this new product.
“We looked at the product and studied it quite extensively,” said Hepburn. “We’ve taken it through focus groups, some online surveys and around to advertising agencies, and have had a very favourable response all-around.”
The Star will sell local ads for the section, which will be produced by The Times.
Hepburn said that while The Times provides a similar product to about 30 newspapers worldwide, the Star edition will be more enhanced.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
