2010.02.24

In order to combat falling sales, daily broadsheet the Times is turning to awareness campaigns and bringing in a new way of engendering brand loyalty.

Similar to its Culture+ launch that took place last year, the paper is - according to Media Week - introducing a Food+ portal in March and that could mirror the content of its sister sites by offering discounts and other deals.

Subscribers to the Times can take advantage of these packs for free, while those who are not part of the Rupert Murdoch club will have to pay £50 a year, which isn't that much considering vouchers such as two-for-one travel are available through joining up.

It may seem like a bit of an old hat method of creative marketing but it's obviously proved successful for the organisation in the past and there's no denying that people are always keen to pick up a bargain or two.

Irrespective, this move appears to be pretty necessary as newspapers compete with both each other and the internet for readers. For example, the Newspaper Association of America recently found that digital marketing techniques are preferred to physical inserts because return on investment is calculated easily.