Mirror prepares ad campaign to boost flagging circulation

Campaign 12-Jan-95

The Daily Mirror is to return to generic brand advertising in the next two months in an aggressive initiative spearheaded by the recently appointed editor, Piers Morgan.

The Daily Mirror is to return to generic brand advertising in the next

two months in an aggressive initiative spearheaded by the recently

appointed editor, Piers Morgan.

Morgan, who moved to the title from the News of the World in November,

this week unveiled plans to reverse the downward trend in the Mirror’s

sales figures.

These include the signing of a batch of celebrity columnists, the latest

of which are the feminist comedian, Jo Brand, and the football pundit

and former Today writer, Alan Hansen.

The focus on women’s issues and sport will be reflected in the

advertising. The Mirror Woman brand will also be promoted more heavily, Morgan said, as part of an attempt to woo readers from the Daily Mail’s Femail section.

The advertising, through M&C Saatchi and Zenith Media, will carry the slogan ‘new Mirror, new Britain’. ‘We want people to think that we are an exciting new platform,’ Morgan said.

He also pledged support for the Labour Party. He said the Mirror would be ‘100 per cent’ behind the party on the day of the next general election and confirmed he would vote Labour for the first time.

The Daily Mirror sold just under 2.5 million copies in November 1995, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Sales have slipped consistently month on month since June, when it sold just over 2.6m.