Weekend Edition of Hoy Finds A Success Story in Circulation

0

The Tribune Co.’s Spanish-language newspaper Hoy became part of a scandal in the publishing industry in 2004 when advertisers filed a suit claiming the paper had inflated its circulation figures.


Today, its circulation numbers are drawing more positive attention.


Hoy has expanded distribution of its weekend edition, Hoy Fin de Semana. The publication recently increased its distribution in Los Angeles by 50 percent, to 300,000 homes, making it the largest Hispanic weekend publication in the market, according to the company.


“We invested heavily in research to tell us what Latinos want to read and how they get their shopping information,” said Digby Solomon Diez, publisher. “We also listened to our advertising customers tell us they wanted cost-effective penetration with minimum waste.”


On the content side, Hoy Fin de Semana focuses on the weekend activities of Latino families, primarily shopping, then electronics, fashion, entertainment and celebrities. The research “found Hispanics spend a significant amount of time shopping, planning for shopping, cleaning the home, and with family” on weekends, said Javier Aldape, editor.


In terms of distribution, the paper has multiple zoning capabilities, allowing advertisers to target local Spanish-dominant families on the weekend, their preferred time to shop.


For Tribune, Hoy represents an attempt to launch a national newspaper within for the U.S. Latino market. The paper publishes and distributes local editions in three cities Los Angeles, New York and Chicago. Because U.S. Latinos are geographically concentrated, Hoy has a presence in the four states in which about 45 percent of them reside: California, New York, New Jersey and Illinois.


In contrast to the new-launch national approach of Hoy, its biggest competitor ImpreMedia LLC in New York has stitched together a syndicate of existing newspapers that includes La Opinion in Los Angeles, La Raza in Chicago and El Diario/La Prensa in New York.


Today, Hoy has an audited national weekday circulation of 185,245. Hoy Fin de Semana has a total circulation of more than 570,000. That’s because Fin de Semana doesn’t distribute in the paper; it arrives on the doorstep as a freebie.



Fireman’s Fund Movie


With all the talk today about non-traditional media, who ever thought about commissioning a brand-brandishing, Hollywood-style documentary? Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. may be the first.


The 143-year-old company contracted Oscar-winning director Bill Couturie to make a gritty film about the real lives of firefighters. The world premiere of “Into the Fire” was held at the Director’s Guild of America on Oct. 3. The film debuted on The History Channel on Oct. 6.


“Traditional media is not high trust TV and print have been on the wane for years. Compound that with the fact that people don’t trust insurance, and it gets to the question of: How can I can take my brand image and communicate it?” said Darryl Siry, chief marketing officer at Fireman’s.


Siry said that the documentary film ties to the brand’s social mission the company still underwrites policies for the nation’s 1.1 million firefighters and their departments as well as “making an emotional connection.”


For other brand marketers with dreams of making movies, Siry warns that the quality must be top notch. A lot of the so-called branded entertainment in the market comes across as either cheaply made or overly commercialized. In the case of Fireman’s Fund, the film had to pass muster with the firefighters themselves.


But if the final product feels authentic, “it allows us to use it as a marketing platform without apologizing for it,” said Siry. “All I have to tell people is, ‘It’s a really good film.'”


The audience of the History Channel aligns well with the demographics of Fireman’s Fund. But with the broadcast over, the distribution machine really revs up.


From the beginning, Siry engaged his distribution channel independent insurance agents and brokers. They attended private screenings of the film before the L.A. premiere. And when the film goes to DVD, they will receive copies to share with their clients and prospects, especially in the fire service.


Best of all, the film’s production represents a fixed-cost investment. No matter how many policy holders or firefighters see it in years to come, it won’t cost the insurance carrier another dollar.



Agency Moves


Novocom, the motion graphics agency based in Malibu, has launched two new divisions: Brand Structural Solutions and Music Branding. Creative director John Ridgway, winner of 14 Emmy Awards, explained that the new music operation will take the same “all-encompassing, creative architectural approach” as the company’s graphics production. CakeBoxx LLC has given the nod to Century City-based Pollack PR Marketing Group to handle the launch of the CakeBoxx inter-modal cargo container. Its no-doors design addresses security concerns in the container shipping industry. “CakeBoxx is poised to shape a revolution in the way global economies will transport goods,” said President Noemi Pollack. Prime L.A. has re-upped the Great Financial Mortgage account for PR and marketing communications. Prime handled the breathtakingly titled “Foreclosure Secrets the Real Estate Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know” campaign for Fullerton-based Great Financial. Next comes the “Security Blanket You Just May Need for the Future” campaign.



Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237, or at

[email protected]

.

No posts to display