ACHIM TWARDY
Managing director and head of group Zeitungsgruppe Bild
Bild has some claim to be the biggest daily paper in the world and is
certainly, by some considerable distance, the biggest newspaper
published in Europe. The entertainment-heavy publication sells 4.7
million copies every day and has around 11.5 million readers. There are
35 different editorial editions and 45 advertising allocation units, all
of which fall under the control of the managing director, Achim Twardy,
a 39-year-old Hamburg native. Twardy joined the Axel Springer graduate
training scheme straight out of college and has subsequently risen
through the ranks within the group’s extensive free newspaper division
before joining the flagship title, Bild, in 1992. Four years later was
been promoted to the position of managing director.
’One of our chief concerns right now is the rise of the internet,’
Twardy explains, ’but having said that, I do think print is in a much
better position than television to compete with the up-coming online
competitors.
Online users read more books than the average. They consume more
magazines, read a wider selection of newspapers and watch less
television. But at the end of the day, an online service is confronted
with the same classic journalistic requirements as a newspaper: the
search, selection and presentation of information, which is why we see
it as the most important new development for our newspaper, and why we
have invested so heavily in our Bild Online service.
’Overall, though, we think a flexible editorial concept is the key to
keeping a leading market position as the competition with online and
electronic media continues to hot up.’
PHILIPPE TOULEMONDE
Advertising director, Ouest France
Toulemonde started his career selling computers for Unisys before
switching to the media side, selling posters at Havas. Then, ten years
ago, he joined one of France’s leading regional dailies, Ouest France.
Now 36, he has spent the last decade working his way up the paper’s ad
team hierarchy.
Ouest France has a circulation of around 787,000 and a readership of 2.3
million, making it France’s leading regional, with more than double the
sales of its nearest contender, Sud Ouest. These figures also make it by
far the best selling daily newspaper in France. Of the national dailies,
none sells over half a million, with Le Parisien leading the way with a
circulation of 446,000.
’As far as we are concerned, though, there are two major potential
problems on the horizon for newspapers in France,’ Toulemonde says. ’The
first is more speculative, the second is already happening. Currently
retailers are prohibited by law from advertising on TV, but that might
be about to change with proposed legislation scheduled to go through on
1 January next year.
’The problem is that retailers represent around 20 per cent of our
turnover, so that could potentially represent a real blow. The second
major problem is one I guess we share with other newspaper industries
across Europe, and that is falling sales. It’s difficult to know what
can be done to alter this trend. One thing we have done successfully is
to develop new revenue streams, chief of which has been a classified
section designed for individuals.’
PAL OVERBY
Advertising director, Aftenposten
As the advertising director of the second-largest daily in Norway, the
country with the largest percentage of newspaper readers in the world,
Overby should be in a happier position than many of his European
contemporaries. In reality, he shares a great deal of their
complaints.
’TV’s market share in Norway is around 33 per cent, the internet is
maybe responsible for 1 per cent of ad budgets and newspapers for at
least 50 per cent,’ he points out. ’Does this mean that the agencies’
focus is 50 per cent on newspaper advertising? No way. The focus is
totally the other way around. The main focus is on TV and all the
supposedly wonderful new media, such as the internet or sponsoring park
benches, trashcans and even toilets. Newspapers never get their fair
share of ad agencies’ attention.’ In fact, the 40-year-old Overby is in
a better position than most to justify this claim, having spent five
years on the other side of the fence at the Anderson & Lembke ad agency,
before taking a job as ad director at Norway’s leading magazine
publisher, Hjemmet Mortensen. Then, three years ago, he accepted the job
at Aftenposten. ’As far as our immediate challenges go, though, I would
highlight two: the first is technical, the second more about our
tactical positioning.
’The technical issue is digital. The digitalisation of the printing
process must be speeded up. We want to accept only digital advertising
material by the end of 1999.
’The other concern is tactical. We have to fight for our market share
against free papers and against the net. The internet is not as big a
threat as we first thought because it is only challenging our classified
markets, but that is bad enough.’
RONALD VELDHUIZEN VAN ZANTEN
Vice-president, advertising, de Telegraaf Netherlands
At the heart of what has traditionally been one of the strongest
newspaper markets in Europe is de Telegraaf, the market leader and the
flagship of a group that now publishes more than a quarter of all Dutch
copy sales.
And although the press share of all ad revenue in Holland has tumbled
from 80 per cent at the beginning of the 90s to 72 per cent today, it’s
still a figure most newspaper publishers would more than welcome.
Veldhuizen Van Zanten is 38 years old and has completed ten years at the
title, making him, as he himself jokes, one of the shortest-serving
managers at this traditionalist newspaper group.
Before landing a job at de Telegraaf, he worked at a whole range of more
entrepreneurial endeavours outside the media. ’I just sold anything I
could lay my hands on,’ he says. He started out at the group as a
salesman and progressed from there. ’The next year or so promises to be
one of the most eventful in my time here,’ he says. ’First of all, we
are going to launch a weekly TV listings guide for the first time,
having won a court case to break a 45-year-old monopoly.
’The second main change is that finally we are starting to attract some
brand advertising work from fmcg advertisers.’ For the Cubuco coalition
of Dutch newspaper groups, this represents a vindication of its
advertising strategy, which offered a single-buy page for fmcg
advertisers to promote their brand work. ’In the past, newspapers have
been used almost exclusively for price offers and promotions by fmcg
advertisers, but we have finally started to win some brand advertising
revenue, which is hugely encouraging.’
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