The War of the Gadgets: Italy's Newspapers Gamble with Freebies to Boost Sales

Italian newspapers, struggling to maintain circulation in a country with historically low readership, have resorted to giving away gadgets such as videos, atlases, and perfumes to entice readers and increase sales. This trend, which has been ongoing for several years, shows no signs of abating, with many papers reporting significant increases in circulation and advertising revenue. However, critics argue that these freebies are a desperate attempt to stay afloat in a market dominated by powerful television networks and that they may ultimately harm the quality of journalism.

Key Takeaways:

• L'Unita's Saturday video promotions have increased sales from an average of 120,000 to 450,000, with a 25% increase in advertising revenue.
• Corriere della Sera's atlas collection campaign sold an extra 400,000 copies on the first day and increased the paper's average daily circulation to 790,000.
• The "gadget" trend has slowed the decline in newspaper readership, but from 6.7 million to 6.2 million, leaving Italy above only Portugal and Turkey in the region in terms of readership ratio.
• Italian television has high viewership and captures more than half of Italian advertising revenues, contributing to the decline in newspaper readership.
• Many Italian newspapers are owned by industrial barons or are directly linked to political parties, leading to a highly partisan press.
• Proponents of the "gadget" trend argue that it provides readers with more information and attracts young people who might not have otherwise read a newspaper.

Statistics:

• L'Unita's Saturday video sales have increased from 120,000 to 450,000.
• Corriere della Sera's atlas campaign sold an extra 400,000 copies on the first day.
• Italy's newspaper readership has declined from 6.7 million to 6.2 million.
• Over 50% of Italian advertising revenues are captured by television.
• Italy has the lowest readership ratio in Europe, with only Portugal and Turkey ranking lower.

Sources:

• Byline: CELESTINE BOHLEN Rome ITALY -- BY CELESTINE BOHLEN New York Times Service Rome
• " Movie buffs pick up L'Unita on Saturdays, when the old Communist Party newspaper virtually gives away videos of Italian movie classics."
• "Corriere della Sera, the Milan-based grand old lady of Italian journalism, scored a big hit this year with a world atlas that came wrapped in the paper three days a week."