EXCLUSIVE: News Limited has ambushed Fairfax's compact launch with a major outdoor campaign starting on the same day. However, the firm insisted that the move was planned in advance of Fairfax's announcement.
From today, the Murdoch-owned firm will print its newspaper front pages on billboards in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane before dawn every day. It is not yet clear whether the other major cities will receive the same focus.
Via print facilities around the country, front pages will go from news rooms at 11pm and onto JC Decaux panels by 6am the following morning.
The message from Murdoch's outfit is that mastheads will not be allowed to wither on the vine. News Limited’s strongest currency, editorial content, will become its own advertising.
The campaign was devised by UM. Almost 350 billboards in the three cities have been hired. Later in the eight week programme inner news pages may also be printed.
Despite the campaign launching on the day Fairfax titles were switched to compact format, News insisted that the outdoor campaign "has been many months in the making". The firm said the billboards were "one of many campaigns we have planned over an eight week period ... to reinvigorate consumer perception of newspapers".
One element is understood to be that News has sponsored Hamish & Andy's Business Brunch. It is thought the promotion will include in-programme discussion of News content by the presenters to drive listeners to News mastheads.
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