Also in this report:
* Star attempts a giant leap: Media behemoth aims to prove it can be more friendly, accommodating p.B1
* Southam shifts under Black’s influence: Increasingly, the prevailing attitude is ‘every paper for itself’ – especially when it comes to advertising sales
* Community papers speaking from the heart: Joint campaign stresses weeklies’ emotional appeal p.B5
* Eaton’s uses newspaper to herald renewal p.B7
* Spotlight onÉNewspaper Creative p.B12
The results of the annual NADbank study on newspaper readership and consumer patterns are in – and they bode well for publishers. According to the findings of the latest survey, readership of Canadian newspapers has remained basically stable.
Below, we feature a small sampling of NADbank factoids and figures on a key target group for newspaper advertisers: the baby boomers.
Baby boomers (aged 35-49) are the largest segment of the Canadian population, representing nearly one-third of adults over 18 years of age. Newspapers can deliver high reach to this group. NADbank’s 1997 figures show that in Toronto, boomers have the highest daily readership of any age group, at 63%. They also have the second-highest weekend readership, at 76%.
Baby boomers spend a substantial amount of time reading the newspaper – 46 minutes on their weekday edition, and 101 minutes on the weekend paper. In all, boomers devote more than five and a half hours a week to reading the paper.
Baby boomers in Toronto are less likely to be heavy television viewers than adults 18-plus overall. They are slightly more likely, however, to listen to the radio.
Baby boomers look to newspapers more than any other medium for information on automobiles.
Boomers regard newspapers as their primary source for economic and business news.
Baby boomers are more active than adults 18-plus overall, and participate in all forms of leisure activities, with moviegoing and gardening being the most popular pursuits for this age group. Forty-eight per cent of boomers purchased gardening supplies within the past 12 months.
Because they are more established in their homes, baby boomers are more likely to undertake home improvement projects, including major remodeling, interior decorating and exterior work.
Baby boomers are more likely to have financial investments, with rrsps being the most common form of investment.
