According to the latest ABC release, Rapport’s percentage of the market share for broadsheets has increased by 3% year on year (YOY) from 24% in Q1 of 2016 to 27% in Q1 of 2017.
Laura Kaufman, researcher and media analyst at Media24 says that this is significant in light of the challenging environment and general trends in circulation in this category. Rapport’s circulation of 124 854 has remained relatively stable and this win against competitors in the broadsheet category is something to be celebrated. Overall broadsheet circulation has decreased by 85 305, yet Rapport’s circulation declined only slightly YOY by 6131 and sales were down only 5%, where some competitor brands were down around the 20% mark. Netwerk24 showed steady audience increases in Q1 with the average monthly unique browsers (UBs) at 1 168 986 and daily average UBs at 76 860.
“Afrikaans papers are more stable and this is because there is so much English content available online. Online usage is increasing at a rapid pace and titles most vulnerable to English content being substituted online are most affected. Similarly Zulu titles had a better performance. This is because ‘own’ language content in print still supplies a unique offering,” says Kaufman.
Waldimar Pelser, editor-in-chief of Rapport says that this increase in market share can be attributed to “strong interest in political developments and our unique brand of human interest stories.” There have not really been any major changes the editorial team or policy in the last year, Pelser says, “We have just tried to better implement our tried and tested editorial approach, which is serious but irreverent, and often at odds with the conventional wisdom.”
Afrikaans readers still enjoy their Sunday paper in the printed format. “Clearly the unplugged experience of a curated product to be enjoyed at leisure is still in demand. In fact, this year shows the lowest decline in print sales for Rapport in many years, suggesting we may be approaching something akin to a plateau,” says Pelser.
Pelser’s take away message from this success is, “Be true to who you are, serve and respect your existing readers – don’t try to serve readers you wish you had.”
“This is great news for Ads24’s advertisers in Rapport who can rest assured that they are investing their ad spend in a strong and resilient brand, despite a challenging environment. Rapport shows strength against its competitors and it is the intelligent choice for readers and advertisers alike,” says Ané Honiball, GM of Ads24.
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Ads24 reaches six in ten South Africans, including print and digital readers. Ads24 touches the lives of over a half of all South Africans adults. While it is important to identify the size and segment the audience, looking at how Ads24 engages with its readers, is equally as important.
Ads24 is part of the Media24 Group representing 97 newspaper titles. From Dailies to Sunday papers to locals, Ads24 reaches almost every target segment in South Africa, no small achievement in such a diverse country. The most exciting element is how these titles become part of the community that Ads24 serves.
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