The Mirror this week was forced to admit that the Daily Mail’s
circulation has past it for the first time in terms of full-price sales,
following the midmarket newspaper’s successful lucky wallets promotion
last month.
Industry estimates suggest that the Daily Mail’s September ABC will be
around 2,420,000 compared to a Mirror figure of 2,375,000.
Roger Eastoe, managing director of Mirror Group Newspapers, sent out a
press statement this week acknowledging the Daily Mail’s feat but
pointing out the Mirror’s stronger performance within the tabloid market
following its rejuvenation plan, which started in January 1997. The
Mirror increased its circulation in the three months to August while
reducing its falling year-on-year sales to 0.6 per cent in August. Its
main rival, the Sun, suffered a year on year decline of over 4 per cent
in the same month.
Eastoe said: ’We are not at a low ebb. We have been rebuilding the
Mirror’s sales and, I hope, in a much shorter time, we will be
rightfully back in second place.’ He added that the Mirror is also
looking at revisiting brand advertising. ’In rebuilding the Mirror, it
is something that we would return to.’
Media agencies are divided over whether the Mirror’s decline will have a
significant impact on advertising. Tim Kirkman, press director at Carat,
said: ’We are definitely going to see the polarisation of advertising
towards specific newspapers. You can more or less get the key consumer
groups covered by advertising in News International’s titles and
Associated Newspapers.’
Steve Goodman, head of press at the Media Business, doubted its impact:
’This is a benchmark figure in the history of advertising but it’s not
the linchpin in changing trading across the popular and midmarket
newspapers.’
