


	IFRA XMA Cross Media Awards 2008 projects





	Company: South West Media Group Ltd
	Project name: Devon County Show Campaign

	Topical category of the project

	C: Cross media communities for special interest groups (e.g. travel, young audience, gardening), that are a platform for new advertiser target groups

	General information about the publication

	The Express & Echo is a paid for weekly newspaper and is part of the South West Media Group Ltd

	Project description

	A multi-media campaign to serve our readers and advertisers and attract both new readers and advertisers.

	The basic idea of the project

	The basic premise was simple - The Devon County Show is visited by thousands of people every year from right across our circulation area. Our aim was to create the ultimate source of information for our readers, making our multi-media approach a must for show regulars and those visiting for the first time. Thus providing a platform to target new advertisers.

	Used media channels


	Newspaper		Event(s)

	Supplement/Magazine		Mobile Services

	Online		Web-TV / Video

The implementation

While our publications: The Express & Echo (daily paper); Devon Today (monthly glossy magazine); Mid Devon Gazette series (weekly paper) and Exeter Times (free weekly) and website www.thisisexter.co.uk have a broad reader appeal across a wide range of subjects, we know that one of our strengths is that we are able to create a platform to attract people with specific interests or to a specific event. We set-out to create the ultimate multi-media bank of show information.
Naturally behind this was an urge to drive a greater number of users to both our online and print media, increasing the frequency of visits from our existing online user base and creating a new and increasingly effective advertising platform both online and in print.
The County Show organisers were only too pleased to come on-board and sponsor the package. Making it a commercial success from the very start. We produced a special supplement which went inside the Express & Echo and was also sold at the showground. We also produced regular stories in all our publications and set-up a micro-site: www.thisisexter.co.uk/countyshow with a direct link to the County Show website.
Using a database of numbers collected during last year’s show we also sent text messages letting our readers know there were show ticket offers in our publications.

Image(s)

DevonT3.pdf (1241 KB)

DevonT1.pdf (4614 KB)

Showsupp1.pdf (6993 KB)

Echoshow2.pdf (2718 KB)

Showsupp2.pdf (379 KB)

Showsupp3.pdf (1870 KB)

Showsupp4.pdf (1287 KB)

Showsupp5.pdf (1548 KB)

Showsupp6.pdf (1284 KB)

Showsupp7.pdf (1392 KB)

DevonT2.pdf (3301 KB)

EchoShow1.pdf (3983 KB)

Echoshow4.pdf (813 KB)

Echoshow3.pdf (711 KB)

Links

content.thisis.co.uk/exeter07/homepage/videos/DCSc ...
www.thisisexeter.co.uk/countyshow

Project results

Although commercially funded the campaign was editorially driven in a format that was reader friendly and gave added value — and it was a great success. Not only did we get the campaign sponsored but we were able to target new advertisers as the spaces were sold as part of a multi-media package and created almost £10,000 of new business. We managed not only to successfully intensify our relationship with our readers, but also our advertisers.