What matters more – the title of a newspaper or the name of a publishing company? The question arises from a decision by Norwich-based publisher Archant to remove the titles of its two flagship titles from the exterior of the papers’ offices and replace them with its own name.
HoldTheFrontPage reports that the publisher has applied for planning permission to take down the Eastern Daily Press and Norwich Evening News titles from its headquarters and substitute them with its own corporate branding.
Does Archant really think it’s more important than the papers it publishes? At least one of its staff doesn’t like the idea. A journalist who works in the building, Prospect House, has objected on the grounds that an Archant logo “isn’t going to shift newspapers or get people coming to our websites”.
Naturally enough, wishing to withhold his/her identity, s/he said: “It might seem minor but the current signs show we are at the heart of the community. It’s worrying that there is no one at the top table who seems to understand basic marketing.
“People don’t want to give their stories to Archant – they want to give them to the papers they know and love.” Who can disagree?
