Embracing the Whole: Service, Brand Matter, Too

Readership Institute: Get Smart About Your Readers
The Chicago Tribune redesign is well worth exploring, but Steve Duke from the Readership Institute provides this view that is more important than what the Trib is doing in terms of content and presentation. He points out the importance of customer service (emphasis on customer) to building and retaining readership. Empty newspaper boxes will not build readership. Ignoring lapsed subscriptions will not aid retention. Failing to explore why a subscriber quit the paper will, in fact, grease the slide readership is on. No degree of cotnent improvements will succeed in bring in more readers if other elements of the four pillars of readership are left weakened.

The redesign is growing on me. It is defintely NOT the classic Chicago Tribune. But it is not a puffed-up version of its free product RedEye either. More to come...