Targeting Gen X (and younger) in Big D

Laura Gordon talks about launching the free tabloid "Quick" during this week's Single Copy: Hot Ideas for High-Volume Sales seminar.

Audio

Laura Gordon
Managing Director of New Product Development, The Dallas Morning News; Publisher, Quick

On launching a free daily tabloid in just 12 days.
» Launch (Flash 5 required)

API posed five questions to Laura Gordon, Managing Director of New Product Development of The Dallas Morning News and the Publisher of Quick, a free daily newspaper. Ms. Gordon is a discussion leader at API's Single Copy: Hot Ideas for High-Volume Sales seminar.

What is the single most important lesson you learned from launching "Quick" so, well, quick(ly)?

We learned that this big organization can turn on a dime! While 12 days is a bit extreme, we learned that we have the talent pool it takes to make things happen quick(ly) and smart(ly). We also proved the value of our product development process. We had explored the idea of Quick over a year ago and had enough learning from our strategic market research to get it mostly right, even under these tight time constraints.

What is the biggest mistake you wish you could go back and correct?

This example is more a function of our timing than our decision making. If I could instant replay to the day we decided to launch... I wish we had found refurbished boxes and put them on the street from day one. While we were able to get inside racks in place quickly and get the paper out with our hawkers, we did not have full street presence with honor boxes until the end of December. We had a terrific marketing campaign in place, but readers had a hard time finding the paper in the beginning.

What part of the planning or implementation process did you have to sacrifice because of time that you really wish you could have kept?

Sales training was not possible under these time constraints. I wish we had time with both the advertising and circulation sales reps to review the consumer target and positioning [and] the thinking behind the features of the paper, and to develop creative ways to drive business. We did it in a cursory manor to get them going, but did not have time to do an in-depth orientation. We are catching up on all this now, but in the beginning we had to have more of a divide-and-conquer strategy.

Is there life beyond "Quick"? What other products or services are you planning in order to attract and retain young readers?

We are working on a range of concepts to better attract younger readers. Some of our initiatives will be delivered in the paper and some will be distributed separately. We are going through the process of identifying critical life stages and determining how we can offer solutions that best fit younger readers at each of these stages. We will, then, marry those ideas with advertisers' needs to find the best alternatives to pursue. The Quick brand will be a terrific platform from which to build.

What will be the role of the Internet in the future success of "Quick"?

Currently quickdfw.com allows readers to download the PDF of the day's issue if they have not had time to get it on the racks. It's another way to help Quick fit into their lifestyle. Our Web site also helps readers find the distribution location nearest to them. Our future strategy is still a work in progress. Over time, the Internet will play a vital role in building a more robust relationship with our readers and connecting them with each other.