Limitations

Jeff Jarvis uses sleazy advertising cover-wraps on AM New York as a jumping-off place for a discussion of the value of online (relationships) versus print (distribution and audience).

But, there are benefits to distribution. This morning's DMN came in a bag touting the new Ikea store in Frisco, and contained a full Ikea catalog. April spent the better part of the day reading the catalog, and was so excited about the prospect of going to the new Ikea store that I can safely say that she, for one, welcomes our new Swedish overlords.

I believe we'll have an incredible relationship with our customers and community. But, there's no good, cost-effective way we could have gotten that catalog into our customers' hands. You can't be everything to everyone, but that still sticks in my craw a bit. Pondering...

Comments

[A Source]

Your second graph "This morning's DMN came in a bag touting the new Ikea store in Frisco....." aptly describes what is taking place in the Circulation process of the newspaper industry. When Editorial was in charge of the newspaper the graph would have read "A catalog touting the new Ikea store came with the DMN....".
The newspaper is no longer the driving source of what is being distributed but simply a tool to load as much advertising as possible into the container circumventing postal rates, ABC rules etc. The DMN even hides behind the cloak of First Amendment Rights regarding the right to distribute news (see http://www.spatial.maine.edu/~campbell/09%20chap%20preprint.pdf ) by masquerading their "Third Party newspaper distribution.
Stuff a newspaper in a bag with any catalog, potato chip bag, chewing gum, or door hanger and you have an instant cheap delivery service.
And, we can't let Editorial off the hook so easily either. Tuesday's Business section of the DMN has almost two full pages of fluff re: the new Ikea store in Frisco. This was preceded by Monday's front page story. Does all this "ink" have anything to do with the contract the DMN had to deliver over 330,000 of these catalogs this past Sunday?
A paid "escort" is still a whore. As long as newspapers continue to pimp themselves out to whoever offers the highest dollar, they risk their further decline. And they wonder why they are losing circulation?
Since the DMN won't listen, I suggest people contact the advertisers and complain when they receive this unsolicited material.
Enjoy your catalog but remember the expense (not $$, but integrity) that it took to get it into your hands.