Newspapers are price sensitive as we discovered way back in 1993 when Rupert Murdoch launched the national newspaper price war.
In a declining market, his strategy has helped to shore up the sales of his daily titles. The £1 Times has benefited by selling at a discount to the £1.20 Daily Telegraph, £1.40 Guardian and £1.20 Independent.
And it’s surely noticeable that the 20p i title has been growing sales ever since its launch in October 2010.
In the red-top market, the story is more complex. While The Sun (now 40p) has been cheaper than the Daily Mirror (now 50p) for years, its circulation decline has been greater than the Mirror’s for some time.
And the even cheaper Daily Star, which has been selling recently at 35p, has seen its sales slip away faster than the Mirror’s and roughly in line with The Sun’s.
Similarly, in the middle market, the 60p Daily Mail has enjoyed greater sales success than the 50p Daily Express.
In others words, price is not the only determining factor for buyers. Editorial quality, the quantity of content and, for want of a better phrase, brand recognition, play key roles too.
Read the rest at Newspaper publishers pursue different cover price strategies | Media | guardian.co.uk.
