...USA Today: Case Analysis 1Research and update the case information as much as possible with current research, and then conduct a comprehensive SWOT analysis for USA Today. Since its 1982 debut, the American newspaper USA Today has had a major impact on the North American Newspaper industry. It has been an immensely successful experiment, a trend - setting hybrid of print and television journalism which in less than 10 years was able to boast a daily readership of 6.6 million. With its effective use of bright colors, high – quality photo reproduction, innovative graphic design, and brief stories, Gannet Co. the parent company of USA Today established the newspaper in its quest to appeal to a new generation of readers who are predominantly young and middle aged achievement-oriented students, professionals and managerial personnel who were heavy newspaper readers and frequent travelers. Weaned on television, this new generation is increasingly attuned to images rather than words and, because of a busier lifestyle, has less time to read than earlier generations of newspaper readers. USA Today has made huge gains by tailoring its product to this market segment. At the same time, it has influenced the form and content of a host of other North American newspapers. The most notable examples are Wall Street Journal and New York Times. USA Today has become one of the leading sources for news in the nation. It has established its credibility and validity as a reliable and resourceful...
Words: 2608 - Pages: 11
...NEW GREEN September 19, 2015 Dr. James Case I USA Today K90000787 1 Case 1- USA Today Kimberley Hutchinson K90000787 INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT Current Marketing Objectives, Strategy and Performance Gannett Co., Inc. began USA Today in 1982 by filling a gap in the newspaper industry. Gannett wanted their paper to provide more news about more subjects in a short time frame. The two trends they took advantage of were catering to adults who had short attention spans and who were nurtured on television. These consumers wanted different information from their newspapers. The readers wanted quick, clear, fact-filled stories that were arranged with subheads, breakouts, informational graphics and that were easy to read. This is what Gannett delivered with USA Today. While the readers’ wants have differed over the years, the paper has kept up. In 1994, the paper upgraded to cover more serious topics and added reader-opinion polls and hot-line numbers. The readers were able to call the lines to obtain additional information on topics they were interested in. In 1995, there was a lull in readership; they began to see the need for more technological data required by consumers. USAToday.com was born and met that need. USA Today and USAToday.com have 5.3 million daily readers with $1.8 million paid subscriptions. Today, USA Today has the largest print circulation with over 1.8 million copies daily and 3.2 million daily readers. They also have the highest volume...
Words: 4879 - Pages: 20
...Background USA Today is a national U.S. daily general-interest newspaper, the first of its kind. Launched in 1982 by Allen Neuharth, head of the Gannett newspaper chain, it reached a circulation of one million within a year and surpassed two million in the 1990s. Initially considered gimmicky and insubstantial, it gradually developed a reputation for higher quality while increasing its circulation and advertising revenues at a time when few papers were experiencing growth. The features that originally set it apart are abundant colorful graphics, very brief stories, and a concentration on sports and celebrity, have influenced other newspapers. To date, USA Today remains the widest circulated print newspaper in the United States. Issues Cultural shifts and aging An increasing number of potential consumers have been shown to dislike reading newspaper. In order to combat this, USA Today should add sections that appeal to a younger audience, such as fashion and/or entertainment news. This will not only attract younger consumers, but also attract female consumers who do not currently make up a large portion of USA Today’s customer base. Technology There has been a shift in recent years to reading newspapers online or on e-readers, such as the Kindle or Nook. USA Today currently has a version of the newspaper available for the Kindle, but they should also add a version for the Nook. Also, they should promote their online website as a source for receiving the same news as the...
Words: 730 - Pages: 3
...Case 1: USA Today Strengths • Strong, respected brand • Strong target market • Highly Innovative • Strong Brand Extension • Gannett is huge media conglomerate (hard for smaller competitors to compete against) Opportunities • Partnerships with online websites such as Amazon • Increasing number of white collar workers (USA Today’s target group) • Continued growth in social media outlets • Continued growth in new technologies Weaknesses • Unable to get paid online subscribers, like Wall Street Journal • High fixed costs • Weak profit margins Threats • Online advertising competitors, such as Google. • Decrease in sales, readership and ad revenue in print industry, due to digital trend • Large number of competitors (print and online) 1) What opportunities in the marketing environment did Gannett seize in launching USA Today? How did the company learn about and respond to the opportunities? Answer these same questions for USATODAY.COM. One of the opportunities that Gannett Co., Inc. noticed in the marketing environment that led to the launch of USA Today was a void in the newspaper market that targeted Middle America. The New York Times targeted those defined as the “nation’s intellectual elite” and The Wall Street Journal focused its effects towards business leaders. Through research, Gannett learned that the paper should target “achievement-oriented men in professional and managerial positions who were heavy newspaper readers and frequent travelers...
Words: 2121 - Pages: 9
...Richard Godfrey BMKT 6311 USA Today Case Study The newspaper publishing industry is one of the most rapidly evolving industries in the world today. Changing due to economic climate shift, consumer needs evolving, enhanced technology, and continuous competition; USA Today has been able to succeed. The publication raises the bar through innovation and value-added content to bolster their standing in the publishing world as “The Nation’s Newspaper” in hopes of staying continually relevant and standing out amongst the competition, ensuring the future of the USA Today brand. 1) When Gannett first debuted USA Today in 1982, the corporation took advantage of a multitude of opportunities in the marketing environment and secured a strong foothold in a market that already had several major players. The most impactful opportunity, in my opinion, is its format. In an attempt to stand out from the competition, USA Today developed a unique format of shorter pieces with photos, graphs, charts in order to address the needs of an audience other publications seemingly ignored. By creating a product high in form utility, the publication was able to distinguish itself and cater to an evolving market. Gannett also cited watching trends and evolution of news readers as part of the success. As society shifted to having typically shorter attention spans, yet still having a hunger for knowledge, Gannett capitalized on these trends with the updated format of USA Today targeted towards the evolved...
Words: 1685 - Pages: 7
...goal for USA Today and commitment to the customer is “getting news and information into the hands of consumers faster than ever before.” This commitment is one that matches the current marketing goal for USA Today which is to be more innovative in order to differentiate its product from competitors. USA Today showed consistency with this goal by showing innovation in the marketing program. USA Today’s marketing program includes online publications, on-demand news and information, and brand extensions and partnerships. These goals are also consistent with customer demand for digital options as technological advances and mobile access increase. Within the national newspaper industry, USA Today still has the largest print circulation and highest volume of newsstand sales in the industry even though the newspaper’s print circulation has declined. However, its digital subscriptions fall significantly behind its major competitors and USA Today is no longer the most widely read newspaper. In regards to printed newspaper circulation, the industry as a whole is experiencing a decline in performance. This is due to decreased revenues, decreased sales and increased costs. Advertising revenues have declined by 51 percent since 2005. Part of a cultural trend, sales of printed newspapers have also decreased as the customer obtains news from other free sources of media. Increased costs of promotion, newsprint expenses, and distribution also decrease profits. USA Today, like the...
Words: 3208 - Pages: 13
...Case 1 USA Today: Innovation in an Evolving Industry* Synopsis: As the entire newspaper industry sits on the brink of collapse, Gannett and USA Today work to avoid disaster and transform the nation’s most read newspaper into tomorrow’s best resource for news and information. This case reviews the history of USA Today, including its continued use of innovation to stay on top of the technological and sociocultural shifts that are rapidly changing the newspaper industry. In the face of continual competition across a variety of media sources, the future of USA Today depends on its ability to continually push the envelope of innovation and offer value-added, proprietary content to ensure continued differentiation and the future of the USA Today brand. Themes: Product strategy, innovation, target marketing, distribution strategy, changing technology, changing sociocultural patterns, customer relationships, competition, differentiation, strategic focus, SWOT analysis Case Summary USA Today is the most successful and highly visible newspaper that students have seen and read on a national basis. The case provides an overview of Gannett's strategic marketing approach to launching and growing this unique newspaper. When USA Today debuted in 1982, it achieved rapid success due to its innovative format. No other media source had considered a national newspaper written in shorter pieces than a traditional paper and sprinkled with eye-catching, colorful photos, graphs, and charts. Designed...
Words: 2820 - Pages: 12
...1. What opportunities in the marketing environment did Gannett seize in launching USA Today? How did the company learn about and respond to these opportunities? Gannett noticed two trends or opportunities in the reading public and took advantage of those trends. The first one is the increasingly short attention span among a generation nurtured on television, the second is the growing hunger for more information. The newspaper’s primary mission was to provide more news to their readers in less time. They targeted the young and well-educated because he noticed that they were busy and care about the news (they targeted nontraditional newspaper readers) unlike their competitors. Typical readers turned out to be professionals, usually managers, about 40 years old, well educated, with an income of about$60,000 a year. USA Today capitalized its market opportunities by listening to their readers. They provided personal level communication, provided news in a clear, upbeat, positive way. They were also the first color newspaper and captured readers using a TV set like distribution box. They were very unique and out of the box. In addition to this, Gannett’s research had shown that readers get most of their information from such snippets and they were also interested in sports, movie reviews, and health information so he didn’t just limit it to traditional news, he added diverse news about several topics like sports. I believe that the company knew about opportunities by closely...
Words: 373 - Pages: 2
...Case 1 USA Today: Innovation in an Evolving Industry* Synopsis: As the entire newspaper industry sits on the brink of collapse, Gannett and USA Today work to avoid disaster and transform the nation’s most read newspaper into tomorrow’s best resource for news and information. This case reviews the history of USA Today, including its continued use of innovation to stay on top of the technological and sociocultural shifts that are rapidly changing the newspaper industry. In the face of continual competition across a variety of media sources, the future of USA Today depends on its ability to continually push the envelope of innovation and offer value-added, proprietary content to ensure continued differentiation and the future of the USA Today brand. Themes: Product strategy, innovation, target marketing, distribution strategy, changing technology, changing sociocultural patterns, customer relationships, competition, differentiation, strategic focus, SWOT analysis Case Summary USA Today is the most successful and highly visible newspaper that students have seen and read on a national basis. The case provides an overview of Gannett's strategic marketing approach to launching and growing this unique newspaper. When USA Today debuted in 1982, it achieved rapid success due to its innovative format. No other media source had considered a national newspaper written in shorter pieces than a traditional paper and sprinkled with eye-catching, colorful photos, graphs, and charts. Designed...
Words: 2820 - Pages: 12
...WK2 – Discovering Marketing Opportunities What opportunities in the marketing environment did Gannett seize in launching USA Today? How did the company learn about and respond to these opportunities? Answer the same questions for USAToday.com. By conducting research and analysis Gannett determined that there were two trends/opportunities that he could take advantage of; one was that an increasingly short attention span among a generation nurtured on television and the other was that there was a growing hunger for more information. With this information Gannet made the newspaper’s primary mission to provide more news in less time. Research suggested that this paper should target achievement-oriented men in professional and management positions who were heavy newspaper readers and frequent travelers. Unlike the other companies/competitors who targeted upper America, Gannett’s company would target middle America- young, well-educated Americans who were on the move and cared about the news and current events. Gannett listened to what the readers wanted and ensured that USA Today would market just that. With this information in hand, Gannett capitalized on it by putting together a team of news, advertising, and production personnel staff from his daily news who developed, edited, published and tested different prototypes. From those prototypes three 40-page versions were sent out to about 5,000 professional people along with a response card for feedback. Marketplace...
Words: 1818 - Pages: 8
...Since the launch USA Today was designed to differentiate from its competitors. Because of that the newspaper has integrated many improvements and added features. Some examples are easier access for news layered, a quick comprehension by time-pressed readers, shorter and tighter stories, only story that jump from page to page is the cover story, casual writing style, weather map of the nation, larger pictures, graphs and charts, and they managed to put this all into one page without it seeming to be too much for the readers. The paper edition has had many minor modifications over the years to differentiate from its competitors and to stay on top of the market. A switch to more hard news and deeper coverage, mostly applied to the sport and news sections. Critics characterized USA Today as...
Words: 503 - Pages: 3
...Elizabeth Paul MKTG610 Marketing Strategies Mark Cusack USA Today: Innovation in an Evolving Industry 3/4/2015 USA Today: Innovation in an Evolving Industry USA Today has been a widely successful company for many decades now. When newspapers were the only form of read news, USA Today cornered the market in the national newspaper arena and become one of the number one newspapers for people in the America to read. As the digital age came about, it was time for change and USA today had huge competition ahead of them and difficulty if they did not chose to compete. New companies were emerging as leaders in the online news world, and even established companies were moving towards online news to keep up with the growing technology. Even though things started out very slow, with the reporting quality increasing they saw a large growth in the advertising and revenue side of things. The values that it included were independence, fairness, accuracy and trust. Loyalty played a huge part and something that the reporters loved and cherished about the company itself. However in the late 1990s, things started to change and technology readily started to take over the nation. Online reporting started to become popular as it was quicker and easier for people to access so more people were going from reading the daily newspaper to the internet for their breaking news. They quickly started losing their market share in the daily newspaper sales so they knew chance was needed to be able to keep...
Words: 947 - Pages: 4
...It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in the same place. It's good to have all this in...
Words: 591 - Pages: 3
...T hương mại điện tử (TMĐT) là việc trao đổi các thong tin thương mại thong qua các phương tiện của công nghệ điện tử không phải in ra giấy trong bất cứ công đoạn nào của toàn bộ quá trong giao dịch. Các hình thức hoạt động chủ yếu của thương mại điện tử bao gồm như: thư điện tử(e-mail), thanh toán điện tử (electronic payment), trao đổi giư liệu điện tử (elec tronic data interchange),giao gửi số hóa các giữ liệu. Các giao dịch này được tiến hành ở nhiều cấp độ khác nhau, bao gồm: 1. THƯƠNG MẠI ĐIỆN TỬ THƯƠNG MẠI ĐIỆN TỬ Giữa doanh nghiệp với người tiêu dùng: mục đích cuối cùng là dẫn tới việc người tiêu thụ có thể mua hang tại nhà mà không cần tới cửa hàng. 2. Giữa các doanh nghiệp với nhau: trao đổi dữ liệu, mua bán và thanh toán hàng hóa và lao vụ, mục đích cuối cùng là đạt được hiệu quả cao trong sản xuất và kinh doanh. 3. Giữa daonh nghiệp với các cơ quan chính phủ nhằm vào các mục đích: * ------------------------------------------------- SỞ GIÁO DỤC & ĐT TP ĐÀ ĐẴNG KỲ THI THUYỂN SINH HỌC SINH GIỎI NĂM 2007 ------------------------------------------------- THỜI GIAN: 180 PHÚT ------------------------------------------------- SỞ GIÁO DỤC & ĐT TP ĐÀ ĐẴNG KỲ THI THUYỂN SINH HỌC SINH GIỎI NĂM 2007 ------------------------------------------------- THỜI GIAN: 180 PHÚT Mua sắm chính phủ theo kiểu trực tuyến (oline government procurement) * Các mục đích quản lý thuế, hải quan… * Thông tin 4. Giữa người thiêu dùng với...
Words: 290 - Pages: 2
...Why did the newsroom staff not see the online format as an opportunity? The USA Today case presents the problems of a planning process and strategies inside a corporation related to performing changes in the organizational structure and teams. USA Today is a newspaper company of Gannett Corporation, that whit the beginning of the digital era started to have problems with their organizational and operational structure. The biggest problem faced by USAT was the integration between their different types of staff: the paper and the online. USAT faced many problems with the integration, especially because both of the sectors were considered independent, having different organizational structures, which result a challenge on the process of integration. The reasons of why the newsroom staff didn’t accept the idea of working together was primarily because they believed that the online sector was responsible for their loss of market share. That the Online division was a competitor instead of a partner for them. The fact of both departments appears so different, cause a big problem for Curley’s plan. Both staff has different ways of work, like the different deadlines, fear of letting breaking news be posted online, where the competitors could reach and present before then, resulting on loss of their readers. No one of the senior staff was willing to accept the transformation of a traditional business into a full digital business, although they were aware of the changes in the consumer...
Words: 7300 - Pages: 30
