Mapping the Way to Profit
Using a cutting-edge geographic information system, Thomson Newspapers has mapped out a way to identify new markets, advertisers and subscribers.
Developed by Spatial Re-Engineering Consultants Inc. of Orange, Calif., AccessConnections/Live (ACL) uses the World Wide Web to distribute valuable map and report data to Thomson's small and mid-size newspapers.
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| Thomson Senior Vice President Warwick Brindle. |
"Our decision-making operates much more rapidly and efficiently now," says Senior Vice President Warwick Brindle. "We're able to get a very specific picture of the impact of economic changes in the areas in which we operate. We can then respond quickly and effectively."
In the past, small-to medium-size newspapers had difficulty accessing economic and demographic information about the markets they serve. "It was a laborious process," says Brindle. "We had these thick manuals scattered all over the company. We had to plow through the Yellow Pages to find prospective advertisers. And because businesses open and close constantly, information from directories quickly becomes outdated."
Even Thomson's largest newspapers usually had only one employee trained in computer-aided research and mapping. Turnaround times ranged from a day to a week. An avid Internet user, Brindle knew there had to be a better way. Last January, he hired SRC to create the companywide, Internet-based GIS application. By June, Thomson's 60-plus U.S. papers were online with ACL. The most time-consuming part of the process was defining Thomson's goals for the system; application development took less than eight weeks.
ACL's data resides on a server at SRC's Technology Center in Boulder, Colo. Thomson's employees query the server over the Web; information is delivered via the company's intranet.
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| GIS software developed by Spatial Re-Engineering Consultants Inc. (Click image for larger view.) |
"All the data is now in one place, and searches that used to take a full day take less than 15 minutes," Brindle notes. "For example, we're always on the lookout for potential new markets. It used to take months to gather the information we needed to decide whether to launch a new product. Now, we can make a decision in six weeks."
Brindle anticipates increased knowledge to yield substantial revenue gains. "Because we're able to display a lot more data in a more compelling format than our competitors, we can make a very strong case," he says.
Thomson's newspapers also use ACL to help shape editorial content. For example, if a newspaper wants to market a special insert about educating children, staff members can pinpoint areas with many young families. Once the newspaper has decided the editorial focus of the section, salespeople can search ACL for relevant advertisers within the target area.
"With all the data we need at the click of a mouse, our challenge now is asking the right questions," Brindle says.
Standard Smartens Classifieds
by Christopher J. Feola
How smart are your classifieds?
In the past, classifieds didn't have to be smart. They just had to be correct, valuable and ready to print.
But competitive realities have changed. Now classifieds are online, in shoppers and arriving via direct mail. They need to be searchable and easily aggregated. Papers have to be ready to compete—and that means classifieds have to get smarter.
Enter NAA's Classified Advertising Standards Task Force, which over the past year developed a standard for classifieds based on the eXtensible Markup Language. (Full Feola disclosure: Your obedient correspondent has been a member of said task force since its inception, and therefore cannot be said to be less than optimistic about the value of its work and its prospects for success.)
The Task Force's stated mission was to establish standards that would allow sharing and aggregation of advertising data for publication in media-independent formats. The group, chaired by Jack Stanley, vice president of operations at the Houston Chronicle, settled on XML as the best technology for achieving this mission.
| Y2K
E-Forum To help share information on Y2K newspaper-system issues, NAA has launched an online-discussion group open to all newspaper staffers and system suppliers. Discussions are handled via an electronic listserv, which automatically e-mails all group members whenever one posts a message. Subscribers also have the option of having messages consolidated into a daily e-mail digest. For more information or to sign up for the
listserv, visit e-forum.naa.org and select "Year 2000," or send a blank
e-mail to subscribe-tech-y2k@e-forum.naa.org. |
XML is misnamed. It isn't actually a markup language like, say, HyperText Markup Language. A lightweight version of the Standard Generalized Markup Language, XML is a metalanguage—a universal language used to create specific markup languages. Much of the computer industry has already announced support for XML, so chances are you'll soon have the infrastructure for the classified standard at your newspaper (see TechNews, March/April 1998, p. 21).
One reason the task force was able to complete its work so quickly is that XML is flexible. Unlike many earlier standards, which were one-size-fits-all, XML can support different sets of rules for interpreting a common set of definitions.
Say your newspaper is in a classified consortium. Another newspaper sends you an ad defined by XML tags as "bicycle." If your system knows what a bicycle is, it can then move it into whatever category you specify—Transportation, General Merchandise, etc.
The standard offers clear competitive advantages for newspapers. It allows classifieds to flow among production systems—pagination, online and audiotex systems, for example. It enables newspapers to quickly and easily form consortia to face the emerging competitive realities of the 21st century. A group of newspapers could join together to offer a regional real-estate product, for instance.
How important is this standard? Classified experts who gathered at a recent American Press Institute Classified Conference named adoption of the standard as one of the most important things newspapers can do this year.
More information on the NAA Classified Advertising Standard can be found at www.naa.org/technology/clsstdtf.
Christopher J. Feola is director of the Media Center at the American Press Institute. E-mail, cjf@mediacenter.org.