'Racing Post' takes a punt on Irish edition

MEDIA & MARKETING:An Irish version of the daily sports paper will involve an investment of €2 million, writes SIOBHÁN O'CONNELL

IRELAND HAS a new daily sports paper, of sorts, in the shape of the Irish Racing Post.

The Racing Postwas bought by Irish private equity firm FL Partners in October 2007 and the UK edition has always had a strong Irish focus, with in-depth coverage of Irish racing. Now that Irish focus is being expanded with an Irish edition being printed seven days a week by Midland Web Printing in Birr, Co Offaly.

The Post's Irish edition is being led by managing director Anthony Brady, formerly sales director with Setanta Sports, and editor Jonathan Mullin, who has joined from RTÉ. The line-up of weekly columnists includes horse trainer Willie Mullins, GAA veterans Nicky English and Colm O'Rourke, and rugby pundit Mick Galwey.

Most of the content in the Post's Irish edition is the same as the UK edition. However, one change apparent this week was that the bookmaker and tipster advertisements scattered through the newspaper now have euro prices instead of sterling.

"We will be very careful to make sure we don't deprive readers of content they previously wanted in the UK edition," says Racing Postchief executive Alan Byrne. "It's about adding extra content for Ireland or reprioritising the content. In fact, we'll be taking hardly anything out."

Byrne adds that the Irish Racing Postwill contain expanded coverage of bloodstock and point-to-pointing. As such, it will be providing more competition to the Irish Field, the Saturday weekly in the same stable as the Irish Farmers' Journal.

The Fieldhas a weekly circulation of 14,800 copies while the Post's average daily sale in the Republic is 7,000.

“Our bestselling issue of the year is the Tuesday before Cheltenham when we sell about 20,000 copies,” says Byrne.

Ramping up the Irish edition will involve an investment of €2 million by FL Partners. Byrne explains: “We like to take a punt.”

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Proof that advertising works is that Renault doubled its share of the new-car market to 9 per cent in January. It built a television commercial campaign around the scrappage incentive months before the scheme was announced in the budget. Now the French brand is reaping the rewards.

Aidan Doyle, head of marketing with Kia, gives credit where credit is due. “Renault’s offensive started last autumn with a price discount offer backed by a huge marketing spend. Car brands normally advertise in the final quarter but, except for Renault, that didn’t happen in 2009 because ad budgets had all been cut back. Now everyone is advertising the scrappage incentive but only Renault has achieved cut-through.”

Though Renault was first out of the traps, rivals are fighting back.

Opel is advertising a “Triple Scrappage Booster” which promises €4,500 off a new Opel bought before March 31st. Fiat is offering an “Eco Plus Bonus” of between €1,745 and €3,880 on selected models on top of the Government’s €1,500 scrappage payment.

Not all marques are going down the price-discounting route. At Volkswagen, a new advertising campaign for the Golf has a photograph of a white armchair but no car and no price. “It may be too clever, I honestly can’t tell you yet,” says Adam Chamberlain, head of sales and marketing. “But what we do know is that our internet inquiries have increased by 20 per cent compared to January last year.”

Helped by recent model upgrades, Volkswagen’s market share rose to 11 per cent in January from 8 per cent a year earlier. Chamberlain’s long-term target is to grow Volkswagen’s market share to between 12 per cent and 15 per cent.

To market the new Polo to younger customers, Chamberlain created a VW Facebook page and appointed “brand ambassadors” including Cork hurler Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and Leinster rugby players Jonathan Sexton and Fergus McFadden.

“We also bought space online for Polo in such a way that when people were looking at our competitors’ cars, Polo popped up – guerrilla marketing if you like. And that cost almost nothing.”

Doyle of Kia has been running TV advertisements centred on the brand’s seven-year warranty but he has concentrated most of his spend on radio. “Radio works because it is a huge medium. But it’s not as cheap as it used to be. You have to throw a lot more money at it than you used to in order to get national coverage.”