Here's an interesting initiative by Gannett, the US newspaper publisher, to boost newspaper sales. From 6 October next, four of its city dailies will include inserts of the national title, USA Today.
"Project Butterfly" is viewed by USA Today's publisher, Larry Kramer, as a way of reversing his paper's ailing circulation. Of course, it could do the same for the chosen quartet.
The papers involved in the pilot are the Indianapolis Star, New York's Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Wisconsin's Appleton Post-Crescent and Florida's Fort Myers News-Press.
In a memo to staff, Kramer explains that the move is aimed at growing its brand "to further integrate ourselves within the Gannett portfolio."
Publishers don't speak like ordinary people (such as journalists) so there is more of this corporate-speak: "This step is an extension of so much of the work we have accomplished as a company to better collaborate across divisions…
"By partnering with our local markets, it helps us expand our circulation and allows our local partners to focus more on the regional coverage that their readers want."
USA Today's average daily print circulation in the year March 2012 to March 2013 was 1.42m, down from 1.7m the previous year - a fall of 16.5%.
