When the Impact
study surveyed 37,000 consumers across the United States about their
local newspapers, it found many ways for newspapers to increase readership.
Almost every kind of improvement in service, editorial quality, brand
perception and advertising quality has the potential to increase customer
satisfaction and readership.
But the real challenge
isn't coming up with areas to improve, but in prioritizing improvements
to make the most of limited resources. If you can't do everything, how
do you decide what's most important?
The Readership Institute
decided to prioritize opportunities by their potential to get people
to actually read the newspaper more. Where will improvements motivate
people to spend more time with the newspaper and read more sections
more often? These ratings are called opportunity scores.
Not surprisingly, some opportunities have more potential than others.
Automotive coverage, for example, has a lower opportunity score than
business coverage. In literal terms, this says that increasing satisfaction
with business coverage is more likely to increase readership than increasing
satisfaction with automotive coverage. If you think about it, it makes
sense. Even if most newspapers offered encyclopedic automotive coverage
written by world-renown experts, most readers would still only spend
a few minutes each day reading it.
We found these opportunity scores to be remarkably consistent across
U.S. newspapers. Regardless of circulation size or market circumstance,
the relative rankings of each opportunity remain the same. This consistency
means that any newspaper can implement these changes with confidence
that the instructions apply to it.
The opportunity scores themselves have no inherent meaning -- they are
relative scores used to rank areas. Differences of three to four points
in an opportunity score also aren't meaningful. Focus on the overall
rank of opportunities and differences of more than five points.
| |
Opportunity Scores
|
|
Content
Area
|
Overall
|
Men
|
Women
|
| Brand:
Easy to Read |
67
|
74
|
75
|
| Service:
Condition & completeness of paper |
65
|
87
|
87
|
| Content:
Community announcements, obituaries, ordinary people |
64
|
65
|
75
|
| Service:
Quality
of paper, ink & typesize |
59
|
81
|
75
|
| Service:
When and how the paper is delivered |
58
|
83
|
71
|
| Content:
Health, home, food, fashion & travel |
57
|
59
|
66
|
| Brand:
Intelligent, successful, experienced |
56
|
64
|
59
|
| Service:
Accuracy of the bill |
56
|
76
|
71
|
| Service:
Cost of home delivery |
55
|
77
|
70
|
| Service:
Customer service |
55
|
74
|
70
|
| Content:
Government, war, politics, international |
53
|
63
|
52
|
| Brand:
Informed, in the know |
51
|
57
|
54
|
| Brand:
Honest, trustworthy, helpful |
51
|
57
|
54
|
| Content:
Natural disasters/accidents |
51
|
58
|
52
|
| Content:
Movies, TV, weather |
50
|
54
|
54
|
| Community
leader, strong personality |
49
|
56
|
52
|
| Brand:
Middle class, neighborly |
49
|
54
|
54
|
| Brand:
Makes me think |
48
|
57
|
48
|
| Content:
Business, economics, personal finance |
46
|
55
|
48
|
| Content:
Science, technology, environment |
46
|
51
|
49
|
| Brand:
Reflects my beliefs, cares about me |
46
|
53
|
48
|
| Brand:
Fun, creative, energetic |
45
|
51
|
48
|
| Content:
Police, crime, courts, legal |
44
|
52
|
45
|
| Content:
Sports |
44
|
53
|
43
|
| Brand:
Belonging, fulfillment |
43
|
48
|
46
|
| Content:
Education |
43
|
45
|
47
|
| Ad
and inserts for food and groceries |
42
|
44
|
49
|
| Ads
for clothing, health and non-food stores |
42
|
45
|
49
|
| Ads
for entertainment and sporting events |
41
|
49
|
39
|
| Content:
Parenting, relationships, religion |
39
|
42
|
41
|
| Brand:
Can be used anywhere, anytime |
38
|
44
|
41
|
| Content:
Arts |
30
|
32
|
34
|
| Brand:
Accurate |
30
|
37
|
29
|
| Content:
Automotive |
27
|
34
|
27
|
| Content:
Popular music |
20
|
24
|
20
|
| Classified
ads |
20
|
26
|
17
|
| Brand:
Conservative |
20
|
--
|
--
|
| Content:
Jobs & career |
18
|
22
|
18
|
| Brand:
Opinionated, arrogant |
15
|
16
|
17
|
| Brand:
Liberal |
13
|
--
|
--
|
| Brand:
Old fashioned |
6
|
--
|
--
|
| |
Opportunity Scores
|
|
Content
Area
|
Overall
|
Age
18-35
|
Age
36-54
|
Age
55+
|
| Brand:
Easy to Read |
67
|
61
|
74
|
76
|
| Service:
Condition & completeness of paper |
65
|
61
|
81
|
101
|
| Content:
Community announcements, obituaries, ordinary people |
64
|
54
|
69
|
73
|
| Service:
Quality of paper, ink & typesize |
59
|
67
|
77
|
81
|
| Service:
When and how the paper is delivered |
58
|
57
|
70
|
93
|
| Content:
Health, home, food, fashion & travel |
57
|
50
|
62
|
64
|
| Brand:
Intelligent, successful, experienced |
56
|
51
|
59
|
66
|
| Service:
Accuracy of the bill |
56
|
53
|
64
|
96
|
| Service:
Cost of home delivery |
55
|
57
|
66
|
89
|
| Service:
Customer service |
55
|
52
|
66
|
88
|
| Content:
Government, war, politics, international |
53
|
44
|
54
|
63
|
| Content:
Natural disasters/accidents |
51
|
37
|
53
|
63
|
| Brand:
Informed, in the know |
51
|
43
|
55
|
61
|
| Brand:
Honest, trustworthy, helpful |
51
|
47
|
53
|
59
|
| Content:
Movies, TV, weather |
50
|
42
|
53
|
61
|
| Brand:
Community leader, strong personality |
49
|
38
|
52
|
59
|
| Brand:
Middle class, neighborly |
49
|
45
|
51
|
58
|
| Brand:
Makes me think |
48
|
42
|
50
|
59
|
| Business,
economics, personal finance |
46
|
39
|
50
|
53
|
| Content:
Science, technology, environment |
46
|
39
|
49
|
52
|
| Brand:
Reflects my beliefs, cares about me |
46
|
34
|
48
|
59
|
| Brand:
Fun, creative, energetic |
45
|
46
|
44
|
51
|
| Content:
Police, crime, courts, legal |
44
|
38
|
46
|
52
|
| Content:
Sports |
44
|
41
|
47
|
50
|
| Content:
Education |
43
|
30
|
48
|
50
|
| Brand:
Belonging, fulfillment |
43
|
37
|
41
|
53
|
| Ad
and inserts for food and groceries |
42
|
38
|
40
|
51
|
| Ads
for clothing, health and non-food stores |
42
|
41
|
45
|
47
|
| Ads
for entertainment and sporting events |
41
|
39
|
45
|
44
|
| Content:
Parenting, relationships, religion |
39
|
33
|
42
|
42
|
| Brand:
Can be used anywhere, anytime |
38
|
32
|
41
|
49
|
| Brand:
Accurate |
30
|
23
|
30
|
44
|
| Content:
Arts |
30
|
30
|
27
|
37
|
| Content:
Automotive |
27
|
23
|
29
|
33
|
| Content:
Popular music |
20
|
22
|
24
|
20
|
| Classified
ads |
20
|
39
|
45
|
44
|
| Brand:
Conservative |
20
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| Content:
Jobs & career |
18
|
22
|
31
|
17
|
| Brand:
Opinionated, arrogant |
15
|
21
|
12
|
14
|
| Brand:
Liberal |
13
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| Brand:
Old fashioned |
6
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| |
Opportunity Scores
|
|
Content
Area
|
Overall
|
Black
|
Hispanic
|
White
|
| Easy
to read |
67
|
74
|
53
|
75
|
| Content:
Easy to Read Content* |
67
|
74
|
53
|
75
|
| Service:
Condition & completeness of paper |
65
|
75
|
51
|
88
|
| Content:
Community announcements, obituaries, ordinary people |
64
|
69
|
52
|
71
|
| Service:
Quality of paper, ink & typesize |
59
|
70
|
66
|
79
|
| Service:
When and how the paper is delivered |
58
|
37
|
66
|
79
|
| Content:
Health, home, food, fashion & travel |
57
|
70
|
52
|
64
|
| Service:
Accuracy of the bill |
56
|
30
|
53
|
77
|
| Brand:
Intelligent, successful, experienced |
56
|
57
|
39
|
63
|
| Service:
Cost of home delivery |
55
|
32
|
62
|
75
|
| Service:
Customer service |
55
|
35
|
43
|
76
|
| Content:
Government, war, politics, international |
53
|
38
|
40
|
60
|
| Brand:
Informed, in the know |
51
|
29
|
35
|
57
|
| Brand:
Honest, trustworthy, helpful |
51
|
37
|
21
|
59
|
| Content:
Natural disasters/accidents |
51
|
54
|
34
|
56
|
| Content:
Movies, TV, weather |
50
|
58
|
37
|
56
|
| Brand:
Community leader, strong personality |
49
|
52
|
23
|
55
|
| Brand:
Middle class, neighborly |
49
|
45
|
24
|
56
|
| Brand:
Makes me think |
48
|
60
|
49
|
52
|
| Brand:
Reflects my beliefs, cares about me |
46
|
37
|
38
|
51
|
| Content:
Business, economics, personal finance |
46
|
61
|
39
|
51
|
| Content:
Science, technology, environment |
46
|
62
|
22
|
52
|
| Brand:
Fun, creative, energetic |
45
|
43
|
32
|
51
|
| Content:
Police, crime, courts, legal |
44
|
45
|
40
|
49
|
| Content:
Sports |
44
|
44
|
34
|
49
|
| Content:
Education |
43
|
49
|
23
|
48
|
| Brand:
Belonging, fulfillment |
43
|
36
|
40
|
48
|
| Ad
and inserts for food and groceries |
42
|
51
|
46
|
47
|
| Ads
for clothing, health and non-food stores |
42
|
66
|
47
|
47
|
| Ads
for entertainment and sporting events |
41
|
46
|
35
|
47
|
| Content:
Parenting, relationships, religion |
39
|
40
|
23
|
43
|
| Brand:
Can be used anywhere, anytime |
38
|
39
|
35
|
42
|
| Accurate |
30
|
42
|
16
|
33
|
| Content:
Arts |
30
|
27
|
33
|
33
|
| Content:
Automotive |
27
|
32
|
22
|
31
|
| Brand:
Conservative |
20
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| Ads:
Classified ads |
20
|
40
|
14
|
23
|
| Content:
Popular music |
20
|
20
|
14
|
23
|
| Content:
Jobs & career |
18
|
36
|
0
|
21
|
| Brand:
Opinionated, arrogant |
15
|
33
|
21
|
16
|
| Brand:
Liberal |
13
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
| Brand:
Old fashioned |
6
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
|
