Since the original posts on this topic, I’ve received two comments about the prevalence of front page ads on European newspapers, so I thought it was definitely worth mentioning. The comments continue to stay around the idea that the ads had to be visually appealing in order for it to be seen as a positive move.
After doing a little more digging, I learned that ads were cropping up in the U.S. on the front of newspapers years ago, as the Dayton Business Journal’s Richard Curtis reported way back in 1997. At that time, Thomson Newspapers Inc. chose to do so with five of its Ohio newspapers. The Dayton article also points out that advertisers who supported the move thought it was a great opportunity, even suggesting that if a paper like the Cincinnati Enquirer made this offering, advertisers would “jump on it.” Also of note in the piece is that until around 1900, front page advertising was on almost every newspaper in the U.S.
One of the more outspoken critics of the advertising in 1997 was the Gannett Company, owner of USA Today. Steven Anderson, then-spokesman for the paper, said at the time that “We feel the front page, for the most part, is sacred,” and that “It’s key to bringing people into the paper.” On June 8, 2000, less than three years later, Gannett announced its purchase of Thomson, acquiring the company that believed heavily in front page ads. USA Today now sells front page advertising as well. (Inline image: cropping of the front page of the Friday-Sunday edition of USA Today, July 30-Aug 1.)
If you’re interested in additional newspapers that have front page advertising, then check out the Newseum site. By clicking on their “Today’s Front Pages” link, you can see (as of today’s post date) front pages from 342 newspapers out of 43 countries. Mousing over the images will bring up a preview to the right, and clicking on the images will bring up a larger version. After just a casual glance, I caught a few newspapers that have advertising somewhere on their front page - typically towards the bottom of the page - so it looks as if this method is here to stay, and will probably only continue to grow.
