Independent redesign sparks ad rate concerns

by Colin Grimshaw, Marketing 06-Apr-05, 10:04

A radical revamp of The Independent, less than a year after it went fully tabloid, is set to incur the wrath of media agencies over fears it will lead to hikes in advertising rates.

The overhaul, to be unveiled on April 12, will involve a design change from six to seven columns and convert the title into a one-section, compact newspaper.

Review content will be folded into the main news section, with the Property, Motoring, Education and Media Weekly sections appearing inside the main paper. Only the Friday Arts and Books supplement will remain as a separate, second section.

The switch to seven columns means the column width will shrink, making fractional page ads smaller. But, of most concern to media agencies is a potential 16% increase in the price of half-page and full-page ads due to the addition of the extra column. These ads are currently priced by the column centimetre.

Independent commercial director Simon Barnes insisted the changes were editorially-led and that there would be talks with agencies over page-rate rises.

The revamp is backed by a £1.2m TV and outdoor campaign, breaking on 11 April. Ads by Walsh Trott Chick Smith will use the slogan 'Take a new look'.