Juneau (AK) helps raise funds for local scholarship program and generates more than $28k in new revenue
The Challenge
Newspapers are often called upon to help local organizations raise funds and increase visibility within the community. This is exactly what the staff of the Juneau (AK) Empire wanted to do when they created the Spring King Salmon multimedia program. The program not only gave the organization, Tlingit and Haida Central Council, an entire month of promotion for their Fishing Derby scholarship fundraiser, but the newspaper was able to generate revenue dollars of their own.
Program Overview
The Juneau Empire developed a multimedia program that included a tab section that published six-days before the Derby started. The tab had all the information required to enter the Derby--including rules, prizes and a listing of stations where fish could be weighed . The tab section was inserted into The Empire in addition to being distributed by the Derby sponsor.
The Juneau Empire created a section of their Web site to promote the event. This site included all the information that was found in the tab section and was live online for an entire year. After the event was over, the site was used to promote winners as well as get folks ready for the event next year.
The program also included advertising weekly in The Empire. Advertisers that participated in the print and online fishing sections were able to run every Friday in The Empire. They could choose a section of their choice.
Sales Strategy
Armed with a one-page sales sheet designed by The Empire's own designer, Connie McGee, the sales team of the Juneau Empire hit the streets. The sales sheets were designed to show advertisers how the print and online products worked together. The Blinder Group returned to the Juneau market to assist the sales team with introducing this exciting new product to advertisers.
Advertisers were offered a bundled multimedia package that included both the print and online version of the fishing section as well as the option to run every Friday in The Empire. Advertisers that purchased a print ad in the weekly editions also appeared online--linked from text links which appeared on each page of the newspaper's site. The text links were linked to pop up version of the advertisers print ad online. Advertisers were able to keep their once a week ads active all week long by having them online in addition to reaching a new audience of potential customers. Advertisers buying packages with larger print ads received banners and tiles on the Spring King Salmon site.
Results
In three days of selling with The Blinder Group, the sales staff of The Empire generated $30,000 in revenue. "This was the first year that the Empire partnered with Tlingit and Haida Central Council's Spring King Salmon Derby and it was a huge success all around. We look forward to future print/online programs that benefit and provide our advertisers the best of both worlds. It was a great success! We look forward to many others." Said Marie Toland, Advertising Director for the Empire.
The Spring King Salmon program was not on their schedule last year, so all of the revenue was new money. The print section and site are sure to increase participation in this year's Fishing Derby.
Contact Information
The Juneau Empire is an 8,000 daily located in Juneau, Alaska.
For more information about the sales strategy of this program, contact:
Marie Toland, Advertising Director
(907) 586-3740 ex 246
mtoland@juneauempire.com
(907) 586-1428
dsmith@juneauempire.com Connie McGee, Online Sales
(907) 586-3740 ex 264
consue@juneauempire.com
Lead Consultant for The Blinder Group:
Mike Blinder
916) 761-0456
mike@blindergroup.com
The Blinder Group
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