This INMA publication is published through the generous sponsorship of the
Wireless Information Network (WIN), a leading provider of mobile data services.

Released 24 March 2004

The Impact of Mobile Telephony on Newspapers

Mobile telephones represent a new frontier for newspapers in news delivery, promotions and contests, location-specific advertising, and customer interaction and data gathering. Consumers interact passionately with their mobile devices, and newspapers that deliver mobile content and services have an opportunity to build a one-to-one relationship with readers, to establish a higher brand image (particularly among young adults), and to open up revenue streams never before associated with publishing a newspaper.

These are among the top-line conclusions from a new report by INMA titled "The Impact Of Mobile Telephony On Newspapers." The 25,000-word report features a strategic overview of mobile telephony, explores how mobile devices are being used, and examines how early innovators have capitalised on the craze.

In addition to a thorough examination of the effects of mobile telephony on newspapers, this report includes eight chapters written by experts from leading newspapers. These first-person descriptions reveal specifically how newspaper companies can benefit from the explosion in mobile phone usage:

• Associated Newspapers in London, England highlights strategies for using SMS text messaging to collect mobile numbers and reach single-copy readers via promotions. This chapter explores how effective SMS promotional messages are -- and why optimism abounds. Also find out how services like downloadable ringtones are generating new revenues never before imagined.

• Stockholm City in Sweden explains how a free commuter newspaper became "the SMS newspaper," with approximately 80 mobile services, while also offering a successful print product. Among the SMS services offered are a question of the day, letters to the editor, a crossword puzzle, classified advertising, sports predictions, and more -- all of which generate incremental revenue.

• De Volkskrant in Amsterdam, The Netherlands shares what has been learned from the ultra-successful Japanese market and explains how i-mode services were implemented to open up the under-30 market for short-term profitability and long-term brand exposure. The newspaper has a strategy to build on the synergistic effects of a print newspaper, a web site, and the push-pull services of i-mode.

• Singapore Press Holdings in Singapore explains how an early adopter of SMS text messaging capitalised on the lottery, contest submissions, feedback, and polling services to lower costs and to raise non-traditional revenues.

• Verdens Gang (VG) in Oslo, Norway describes how the country's leading newspaper separated its mobile services operation into an entrepreneurial unit, aiming most of its strategy at the youth market. Find out how this innovator is already gearing up for the pending "camera phone revolution" and MMS.

• The Bakersfield Californian in the United States reveals its early successes with WAP sites, WIFI hot spots, and location based services (LBS). Learn how they pursue partners, how they apply the new technologies for promotional purposes, and what their vision is for newspapers and LBS.

• Grupo Nacion in San Jose, Costa Rica offers insights into the emerging Latin American market as SMS becomes more widely available. See how Costa Rica's leading newspaper company is putting together its market strategy, much of which is based on lessons learned from the company's Internet publishing experiences.

• Seattle Post-Intelligencer in the United States discusses the company's experiments with wireless platforms, which has been a strategic focus since 1999. Find out about the unique story of this metropolitan newspaper's implementation of i-mode services, its foray into WAP, and what it plans to do with listings, news alerts, and selling content.

The digital report is available to INMA members for US$40 and to non-members for US$125. Orders may be placed at the INMA.org bookstore.