It may be a rotten newspaper...

by perryny

Posted: 9 years ago 10 replies

COPY WRITING

but they sure know their headlines.

(from the guys that brought you "Headless Body in Topless Bar")

Saw this on the train this morning and thought you would enjoy. I did.

#newspaper #rotten

max5ty 9 years ago

Thanks perryny.

I always love to look over their past headlines for inspiration.

https://www.google.com/search?q=best...0CB0QsAQ&dpr=1
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- splitTest 9 years ago
  
  So what are they selling? (...with all this violence, which undoubtedly helps them live down their "lowbrow" rep?)
  
  Not such a great headline imho... Maybe it might work with some body copy that makes their point clear...
  
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  perryny 9 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by splitTest
  
  So what are they selling?
  
  NY Post Launches New 'Made You Look' Ad Pitch from Goodby, Silverstein & Partners N.Y. | Adweek
  
  "The goal of the campaign was to capture and reinforce, across print and digital, consumer and trade, our core strength: getting people to pay attention to what we do through our wit, our irreverence and our truly unique voice," explained Jesse Angelo, CEO, publisher. "[The] 'Made You Look’ [campaign] accomplishes that."
  
  It appears to be working...
  
  "...he said the Post's digital network, which includes nypost.com, pagesix.com and decider.com, had the second-largest year-over-year growth of any competitor, registering a 102 percent rise in unique visitors. As for print, sales grew more than 2 percent from the quarter ending in June, and sales have risen almost 4 percent on weekends."
  
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Raydal

9 years ago

Well, it is clean with a lot of white space. There is nothing to detract from
the headline, so I would say it works.

-Ray Edwards

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marciayudkin

9 years ago

So what are they selling?

Not such a great headline imho

Obviously you are not in their market. They are selling newspapers!

This ad appeared on the NYC subway. If you're on the subway you see NY Post headlines every day as you go around your normal activities. And when that's true, this poster reminds you of the strength of the NY Post - strong headlines and punchy stories.

If you are on the subway and having a boring or down day, this poster reminds you that you can buy a Post and be shocked, surprised, amused and have something gutsy to share with coworkers.

Note: I am not a fan of their journalism, only of their branding.

Marcia Yudkin

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splitTest

9 years ago

Originally Posted by marciayudkin

"A good headline kicks you in the eyeballs" is a seriously roundabout way to sell newspapers!

I don't see how that would make anyone want to read the Post. If they know the Post has raucous headlines, they're already readers (or detractors). If they don't, the meaning of that headline is going to be a mystery...

I can understand their "what good is freedom of the press if you don't use it" pitch (in one of the other ads in that campaign)... But "A good headline kicks you in the eyeballs" nah... Unless you're familiar with the Post's headlines (that is, a reader or detractor), that headline sells nothing...

If awareness is what they're going for, maybe it's good... (Maybe...) But not as a stand-alone ad....

Maybe they're going for the market of people who associate being kicked in the eyeballs with good times...

----
Edit: Now I see what they're going for -- "capitalizing" on a recent influx of readers, maybe to reinforce their reading habits... (ie. "the marketing is timed to capitalize on the Post’s recent growth in print and digital.") Still, they could've done better than that headline & "made you look"...

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perryny

9 years ago

Originally Posted by splitTest

But "A good headline kicks you in the eyeballs" nah... Unless you're familiar with the Post's headlines (that is, a reader or detractor), that headline sells nothing...

It made me look.

It made me chuckle.

It made me take out my camera so I could share it with you.

It has me here talking about it 36 hours after I first saw it.

Granted, it will not make me buy one of their newspapers, but...

How many headlines do you see a day - for a product you have no interest in - that you're thinking about 15 seconds after you read it?

It's a damn good headline.

Funny side note... my sister-in-law called the house at 8 AM this morning. Her direct boss is on the cover of the NY Post with his crotch being grabbed by a stripper. THAT made me buy the paper.

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splitTest

9 years ago

Originally Posted by perryny

It made me look.

It made me chuckle.

It made me take out my camera so I could share it with you.

It has me here talking about it 36 hours after I first saw it.

Small sample size, bro.

Originally Posted by perryny

Funny side note... my sister-in-law called the house at 8 AM this morning. Her direct boss is on the cover of the NY Post with his crotch being grabbed by a stripper. THAT made me buy the paper.

I'd buy that one too...

Anyway, let's not forget what the great Bob Bly had to say about strippers and their ways...

"The biggest mistake you can make as a copywriter is to judge advertising as laypeople judge it. If you do, you'll end up as an artist or an entertainer--but not as a salesperson. And your copy will be wasting your client's time and money."

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splitTest

9 years ago

Originally Posted by perryny

It appears to be working...

"...he said the Post's digital network, which includes nypost.com, pagesix.com and decider.com, had the second-largest year-over-year growth of any competitor, registering a 102 percent rise in unique visitors. As for print, sales grew more than 2 percent from the quarter ending in June, and sales have risen almost 4 percent on weekends."

Nah -- the article says "Angelo explained the marketing is timed to capitalize on the Post’s recent growth in print and digital." then cites the stats you quote above.

In other words, the growth happened first & the jury's still out on the value of that campaign in "capitalizing" on it..(And of course, the quality of the campaign as a whole says nothing about that ad in particular... Seems like something some self-indulgent jr copywriter might write...)

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splitTest 9 years ago

If their competition said that, it'd be taken as an insult.
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It may be a rotten newspaper...

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