Finishing & Screen Printing
HUDDERSFIELD WEEKLY NEWS BREAKS NEW GROUND WITH MEMOSTICK
Wednesday 26. November 2008 - Subway outlets in Huddersfield broke new ground in newspaper advertising yesterday, as the Huddersfield Weekly News ran on its front page a highly prominent, Subway branded BOGOF 3D advertisement printed on a self-adhesive MemoStick label.
A major attraction to advertisers is the ease with which the customised MemoStick label can simply be peeled off the page and reapplied to another surface, such as a fridge, wall, computer screen or diary. This gives the advertisement the potential for a much longer shelf-life and impact than the publication which carries it.
Developed as an interactive sales promotion tool for newspapers and magazines, MemoStick has become a popular and effective advertising medium in other European countries, although it is relatively new to the UK market. The concept and equipment behind MemoStick have been introduced into the UK by WRH Marketing UK Ltd and last month the company installed an Accraply application system on a Ferag post-press processing line at Trinity Mirrors Oldham site, which prints the daily Huddersfield Examiner and 50,000 copies each week of the free title Huddersfield Weekly News.
“We saw MemoStick in operation on the Ferag stand at drupa and were keen to offer the service to our own customers,” says Ian Lisle, post press operations manager at Trinity Mirror, Oldham. “We already use an extensive range of Ferag equipment, such as conveyors, inserters, feeders and stackers, so have a good working relationship with WRH Marketing UK.
“WRH Marketing UK handles the printing of the labels on behalf of the newspaper and supplies us with a quick turnaround of finished MemoStick labels in a zig/zag form, ready for application. The Accraply system that applies the MemoStick labels is easy to install and can match the speed of our Wifag press lines.
“MemoStick provides the advertiser with a unique selection of publicity options,” says Ian Lisle. “For example, the label could take the form of a redeemable voucher that could be used in a variety of ways, from a discount on purchases at a local shop to a reduction in the cost of a hair cut or free entry to an event. About 50 per cent of the titles we print at Oldham are for contract customers and we believe that MemoStick will appeal as an excellent added value offering to a large number.”
In other countries the reply response percentage to MemoStick adverts has been impressively high, sometimes into double figures, and it is generally much easier to measure their effectiveness than with a run-of-paper advert. The Accraply servo-driven labeling unit is highly mobile and can be integrated into a gripper conveyor, copy stream, entry/exit of an inserting unit, and used to apply labels to pre-prints and supplements.
Diane Briggs is advertising sales manager at The Huddersfield Weekly News: “MemoStick offers some exciting new opportunities for advertisers to publicise their businesses and services with special offers and promotions and were delighted to be pioneering its use on the Huddersfield Weekly News,” she says. “The ability to peel off and reapply the MemoStick label repeatedly makes it a very attractive proposition for our advertisers.”
Marcus Evans is managing director at WRH Marketing UK Ltd: “To extend the usefulness of MemoStick even further, advertisers are welcome to create their own MemoStick adverts by clicking on to the website of our recently launched MemoStick eShop: www.memostick.ch and simply following the steps,” says Mr Evans. “This site enables an advertiser, who could be anywhere in the world, to design a MemoStick advert, proof the work then create a PDF and send this to WRH Marketing with instructions on which publication the advert is for. WRH Marketing will then arrange printing of the MemoStick label and its application with the relevant newspaper/magazine printer on to the nominated title.”