‘Inquirer’ To Staff: Buy From Our Advertisers, Please!

The following is a memo sent from an ad guy at the Inquirer to an advertising list. It was then forwarded to the entire staffs of the Inquirer and Daily News by a PNI person:

—–Original Message—–

From: [redacted]
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 8:39 AM
To: PNI Weekly Update - All; BSCN
Subject: FW: Attention Pizza Lovers

—–Original Message—–
From: [redacted]
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2006 8:29 AM
To: Advertising List
Cc: [redacted]
Subject: Attention Pizza Lovers

In this Sunday’s Inquirer, Poppa John’s is running a comic gatefold ad. This ad was taken from a competitor to see if we can improve Poppa John’s response. If the response is strong it will lead to additional incremental business for us. So, if you are planning to eat Pizza this weekend please, please go to one of the Poppa John’s locations listed on the gatefold. You may also want to mention that you saw their ad on the comics.

Thanks for your support.

Canadians, Yucaipas And Robot Cars, Oh My!

As the year continues, we’re getting closer to having a new owner for the Inquirer and Daily News — although no one really knows who’s in the lead to buy those papers, the rest of the PNI assets and the other papers McClatchey will sell after acquiring them from Knight Ridder.

At the charge of all this (and doing a fine job) is Inquirer biz reporter Joseph DiStefano, who reported today that the Yucaipa/Newspaper Guild bid brought in some Wall Street backing if the deal were to go through. He also reported yesterday that, later this week, a group of Canadian newspaper investors will visit the two papers’ offices at 400 N. Broad Street.

Pardon the pun, but: Canada, eh? Not bad. I’m not sure if it’d be good for the paper — though it would certainly be nice for the Flyers beat guys — but perhaps they could bring beavers or cold air masses or socialized health care. (Actually, the union’s plan might as well be socialized health care. I long for a $5 co-pay.)

Canadians aside, PR Week recently asked DiStefano about what it’s like to cover your own company’s sale:

It is a little bit weird covering your own company when your own union is a player in trying to organize one of the several groups that’s trying to buy the paper. That adds another level of weirdness onto it. But it’s a lot of fun. I guess I’m the kind of person that, if I’ve got to go somewhere and it’s a long trip, I’d rather be driving the car than [being] a passenger. You don’t get there any sooner, but you have the illusion of control.

No control when you’re the driver, hmm? DiStefano must have one of them robot cars. Those guys get all the perks over there.

Interview: Joseph DiStefano [PR Week]
Yucaipa brings Wall Street support for Inquirer-Daily News bid [Inky]
Canadian investors join Philly paper chase [Inky]

The biggest indignity ever done to a newspaper staff

Things have gotten worse over at the Inquirer and Daily News. PW’s Steve Volk has the scoop:

Starting Feb. 1, according to an internal memo, the service that currently cares for the company’s decorative flora will be eliminated “in an effort to reduce costs.”

Some plants will be removed entirely. Remaining vegetation will now rely on newspaper staff to keep them watered and fed. Good luck, we say.

These days Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. (PNI) staff won’t be eating so well themselves.

An earlier internal memo recently notified staff that the cafeteria will no longer serve the entree of the day. Ad reps, reporters and the like will have to make do with sandwiches, salads, pizza and donuts.

Aaaaargh! You can read the whole story here. It includes some great Byko quotes, as all stories about the Daily News should. The full memo is after the jump.

More »

‘Pherotones’ soon to control all our lives

Last week, I noticed an ad on Phillyist for Pherotones, which are — hold your breath — ringtones that are supposed to make you attractive to the opposite sex. The official Pherotones website says “Pls chk bck ltr” when you try to order them. (I’d like to state now I only clicked on “order” only for informational purposes. Also, I’m not making any of this up, although someone did email me to say it’s probably just guerilla marketing for something, and apparently it’s ad agency McKinney Silver’s campaign. For what, I don’t know.)

Then, earlier today, I started seeing Pherotones ads all over the Internet, including on Gawker, which is sort of the granddaddy of all the gossip/media/humor blogs like this one. Here’s the ad:

If you don’t know, it’s an attempt (albeit a poor one) to make the ad look like a regular Gawker post. Perhaps some of you scoff at this blending of advertisement and editorial (design-wise, at least). Me, I think it’s a start of a trend. Philadelphia Newspapers Inc. head Joe Natoli has proven he’s not opposed to doing something like this just last year, and I fully expect to see this on Philly.com tomorrow:

And, soon, my dating woes will be over.

Gawker
Pherotones
Cute Ad, Stupid Move [Citypaper]
Jan. 19, 2006: They’re called “Pherotones” (no, really)