The News Of The World is back (well sort of) – it just has a different name.
Rachel Eagles, account director at media agency the7stars offers his impressions on the first Sunday edition of The Sun.
We suspect, this weekend’s edition of The Sunday Sun is flying off the shelves, despite the 50p price matching, promotional offers and Saturday night TV campaigns from its competitors.
The title sat at the forefront on the shelves and true to form boasted an exclusive near death front cover story on Amanda Holden. This is what’s the news-stands have been missing since June and what the other mid-market / popular titles tried to capitalise on.
It looks like the daily, reads like the daily but there are subtle changes tailored to an easy-read Sunday morning family affair.
The front page exclusive runs till page 7, Fabulous is back, a new Katie Price column and in general there is more celebrity (including Bizarre), TV, real life, fashion, food and travel content then your normal Sun reader is used too. The pagination is bigger too, a trait Sunday readers expect.
Yes, there is still a Sport section, surprisingly small at 11 pages and TV listings and topless women still feature in the main book but there is a clear movement to the content seen in the deceased NOTW. We’d bet the increase in sale in price on the next issue that Murdoch engineered this subtle transition from the start – he understands content tailored to the whole family sells, especially on a Sunday.
The advertising kicks in on page 6 with a theatre ad. Oh dear, these normally fall towards the back of the book. However, if you dig a little deeper you what feels like a paper domination by Morrison’s, the majority of phone network providers present and premium formats booked by O2 and Sky. If the cash stripped British high street are supporting this title already, the DIY and Automotive and supermarket big boys (sorry Morrison’s) will follow suit once some tangible figures are known.
In conclusion, is the Sunday Sun an extra edition of the daily or The News Of The World in disguise? We think the latter. Will readers or advertisers care? We think not.