Rich Ramhoff Editor

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Rich RamhoffEditor General ManagerNOISE Lansin
g (Mich.) State Journal
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About NOISE

• Lifestyle and entertainment magazine for people
  in their 20s to mid-30s
• Free, weekly distribution on Wednesdays
• 20,000 copies, 500-plus rack locations
• 1,000 4,000 distributed in Lansing State
  Journals TMC product to targeted ZIP codes

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About Lansing

• 317,000 adults in market
• Education 76 have some college vs. 59 U.S.
• Income 48 make 50K or more vs. 41 U.S.
• Employment General Motors, Michigan State
  University, state government

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Lansing Population(by age)
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Concept development

• 2000 Gannetts GenX Task Force suggests
• Free distribution weekly to compete with other
  free media
• Editorial and design changes to appeal to a
  younger audience
• 2001 Lansing State Journal launches The Source
  content enhancements for classifieds in flagship
  paper, now syndicated.
• 2002 LSJ launches NOISE, a free and separately
  distributed weekly tabloid

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Some key philosophies
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Editorial Philosophy

• Heavy emphasis on places to go and things to do
• Show the faces and voices of people were trying
  to reach
• Eye-catching design
• Make it local
• People, places, ideas, fun

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Advertising

• A NOISE sales manager works with LSJ sales staff
  on integrated sales approach
• Modular ads eighths, quarters, half pages -- to
  allow for design consistency
• Classifieds are an upsell from core product
• Results budgeted for 28-page editions, have been
  running 40 pages at 50/50 editorial/ad split
• Price point has generated bigger ads than we
  expected

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Marketing

• Radio-like tactics contests, remotes, parties
• Regular cross-promotion between flagship and
  weekly, both in print and online.
• Launch promotion included
• 40-plus billboards
• Radio flights for six weeks, then maintenance
  campaign
• Television promo spots every Tuesday before
  publication, plus TV ads
• Really cool swag shot glasses, light-up
  Frisbees, lip-balm

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Relationship tocore product

• Not trying to be a funnel to send people to the
  core product
• Rather, we are building a portfolio of products
  to attract a wider audience.
• Some products will be inserted in the flagship
  Others, like NOISE might not be.
• Horizontal product mix, but vertical marketing
  approach (cross promotion).
• Integrated sales, production and distribution
  strategy.

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Readership Success

• Editorial strategy was refined by focus groups
  prior to launch
• Anecdotal feedback positive on two fronts
• Local focus
• Entertainment coverage, especially music scene
• Readership research planned for Spring 2003