Transparent SMH – great but late?

Another day, another SMH cover wrap.  

SMH transparent PradoThis time it’s a rather more creative see-through execution for the Toyota Prado. It’s certainly better than last week’s Mastercard effort.

However, my local newsagent is still none too happy. He reports that production complexities in connection with the execution meant the paper was three hours late again – the second time in a week, and as a result sales have been lost.

As I write, the SMH has just issued a press release about the wrap saying it followed three years of research and six months of testing.

It quotes Fairfax’s Sydney CEO Lloyd Whish-Wilson as saying it is “a testament to the creativity and skills of Fairfax Media.”

Tim Burrowes

November 23rd, 2009 at 11:29 am

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Comments


  1. Peter Williams
    23 Nov 09
    11:36 am

    2. People express their creativity in different ways.

    Best wishes to the SMH production folks.

  2. Craig
    23 Nov 09
    11:42 am

    3. It took them 3 years to figure out they should use tracing paper?

  3. Dr Nick
    23 Nov 09
    11:53 am

    4. Wow, creative genious from Fairfax. And with innovation occuring at such incredible speeds, it’s not surprising just why they lead the new media world. They should be proud, and I should be investing in fairfax.

  4. Chris Walton
    23 Nov 09
    12:06 pm

    5. The execution I like, although I can’t comment on the logistical/timing impact of doing it. It did raise my curiosity in a positive way.

  5. Angus
    23 Nov 09
    12:34 pm

    6. Sure it was different and made me look but how environmentally friendly was this piece? Probably just end up as more land fill for the Prado to drive over..

  6. Mountainman
    23 Nov 09
    2:37 pm

    7. Better than last weeks effort? Just. God help people trying to sleep on trains this morning as the herald readers made a hell of a racket maneuvering that crinkly cover. Again I didn’t pay attention to the add, but did have a strong desire to axe my SMH subscription. It’s all well and good to push the ad boundaries, but done wrong you just piss off reader, who are after all the people the advertisers are chasing.

  7. mac
    23 Nov 09
    2:59 pm

    8. not sure what’s so creative/innovative about it, been done many more times before in other parts of the world

  8. J. Johnson
    23 Nov 09
    3:32 pm

    9. Just a typo in the article if you’re up for fixing it – However, my local “newagent” is still none to happy.

  9. Greg
    23 Nov 09
    3:33 pm

    10. Angus have you ever seen a Prado out of the north shore????

  10. Darren Horrigan
    23 Nov 09
    3:39 pm

    11. Does anyone have any idea what that wraparound would have cost Toyota?

  11. mumbrella
    23 Nov 09
    3:42 pm

    12. Ta, JJ. Typo fixed. (A little update too. My newsagent has now sold out because they only received limited supplies.)

    Cheers,

    Tim – Mumbrella

  12. old_wireless gentleman_1944
    23 Nov 09
    3:44 pm

    13. wonder if newsnet would ever try and flog something this ‘impactful’ or whether it’s solely something you do for revenue at the end of the year when your audience stop buying your newspapers

  13. matt
    23 Nov 09
    3:51 pm

    14. I really liked it as an execution – hard to say new things about a 4WD, and it’s better than just mindlessly buying a DPS in the middle of the paper or in the FIN…

    m

  14. Sue
    23 Nov 09
    4:34 pm

    15. Gee guys I thought it was really creative – it can be recycled for cooking (stops the bix from sticking to the tray in case you didn’t know) or the kids can use it for drawing activities but not sure whether its best use is for selling cars….

  15. MC
    23 Nov 09
    4:39 pm

    16. Wow … so much negativity.
    It doesn’t have to be creative – it has to create awareness and be persuasive with its audience – which it does. I am also interested on the Q re cost.

  16. ed
    23 Nov 09
    7:32 pm

    17. Sorry to be a pedant – but the typo in that same sentence still isn’t fixed :-)

  17. mumbrella
    23 Nov 09
    7:47 pm

    18. Done, Ed. Ta also…

    Cheers,

    Tim – Mumbrella

  18. Adam Joseph
    23 Nov 09
    7:58 pm

    19. I think it’s a clever print execution and kudos to Toyota for getting it over the line.

    I am on the other hand slightly amazed that the SMH and AGE editorial powers-that-be didn’t insist that the masthead logos were also printed on the ‘tracing paper’.

    The Fairfax editors give the impression that they have so little love for their masthead brand that they’re happy to fully cover it up on the newsstand.

    For me, that’s the most transparent thing in this whole episode.

  19. KS
    23 Nov 09
    10:18 pm

    20. With all the waste in the world, who needs this kind of medium? Very irresponsible Toyota. I won’t be buying a Prado.

  20. Bill Posters
    23 Nov 09
    10:21 pm

    21. They’re in a bind. Printing the masthead on the ad gives editorial endorsement to it; leaving it off devalues the brand. Can’t win.

    Shouldn’t play – these things just reek of desperation.

  21. Gezza
    24 Nov 09
    10:48 am

    22. Final word to me.

    Loved by media agencies because it shows how “creative” are. Reality for anyone who paid money to buy SMH and read the news (amazinly some people still do this) is that this is an annoyance and yet another piece of paper tp gop strait in the bin.

  22. Adam Joseph
    26 Nov 09
    3:57 pm

    23. An update on this story from the PANPA Bulletin:

    “Mark Fletcher, a Victorian newsagent who runs a blog for newsagents, said consumers’ reactions had been mixed. “It was hard to see that it was The Age,” he said. “People buying the newspaper didn’t want to buy an ad… that’s probably not good for the newspaper.” However, he said he thought sales remained normal”

    From here:
    http://m2g.mail2grow.com/downl.....mber26.pdf