Go ‘Free’

The emergence of the ‘free’ over the past few years has become accepted as a retail and marketing norm.  Free ring-tones, mp3’s, movies, RSS feeds, news etc. - usually the dessert of an already successful technological advancement and an appetiser to tempt people into buying more of the same…

However, the discussions around the decline of ‘print news’ due to online availability has not reflected the rise of the free paper phenomenom, whose content is now gaining praise.  In most major cities of the world you will find a free newspaper being read most frequently on public transport (a great captive audience).  With quality of content rising and more sustained advertising/funding streams from brands, the free-newspaper is probably the only print-based genre to gain a rise in readership.

With newspapers and magazines such as the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Philadelphia Daily News, Washington Post and Forbes starting podcasts in recent weeks in a Bid to Draw More "Readers", maybe the more bolder strategy should be to offer a smaller version and ‘go-free’?

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