We all need to change - now
In our first issue in this new-look Morning Advertiser, the interview with Licensing Minister Gerry Sutcliffe throws up important pointers — both for the trade and also for ourselves as custodians of the oldest continuously published national title in the UK.
Sutcliffe's line is that the world is changing fast and so are the pub trade's customers. Unless the trade moves with the times and creates a more relevant offer for people's lives, pubs will go on closing in increasing numbers. The world will discover other ways to socialise.
It's hard to argue with him. And most of the trade knows that's the case. The tricky thing is working out how best to adapt for success in these uniquely difficult times.
The Morning Advertiser knows it too. We've always realised that the easy option is to just keep plugging away. Easy, but fatal. So over the years, we've regularly refashioned the paper to bring it more in line with what our readers want.
And this week, we've done it again. What you hold in your hands is the product of nearly a year's planning and research, hard work and passion. We're very proud of the result. We believe it serves our readers well. We believe it gives all of you what you need to understand the market and its changes. And we believe it shows how to thrive in what still can be an incredibly exciting and rewarding world.
The most basic change we've made is to the size. Our readers say they want a
more compact read, one they can handle more easily. And there's a second reason: postal charges for larger titles have
become very expensive.
When the market is telling us that not only can we please our readers by changing, but we can also save costs
(much of which can be reinvested in the title), then it's a pretty poor businessman who refuses to pay attention.
That said, research has consistently shown the Morning Advertiser is the trade's favourite read because of its no-nonsense, tell-it-as-it-is approach, and because it understands just what practical, business-building help licensees need.
So why change a winning editorial formula? We haven't. The new MA is still jam-packed with tips and hints and top-level advice — only more so. And our extra pagination allows us to run even more in-depth features, brands, property and opinion pages.
Up front, our news pages will carry on setting the industry agenda. And our City pages will continue to command the highest regard in boardrooms everywhere for their scoops and analytical insights.
And there's something else that's staying the same. The Morning Advertiser is still the licensees' paper. We can't change the world. But we're still here to help licensees as much as we possibly can. So please let us know how we can help you even more.
