i

http://www.independent.co.uk/i/
Brainstorming the i newspaper.
First impressions, that it was full of sharp articles which were not biased to any political party, non opinionated just factual. Perfect for traveling, a quick lunch break, or a single parent. It feels as though the i is a training tool. You read the i now but then take of your training wheels off and start to read the independant when your all grown up.
The uni building does not sell the newspaper which is not a good sign as they want students to be their biggest body of customers. The only place I have seen them on sale is Nisa and WHSmith but even then they were not at eye view and to find them you had to search for them. The logo is to one side instead of being a massive title across the top creating a problem. If the newspapers are in a messy heap you cant see the logo and therefore just pass it and pick up another more recognisable newspaper. One group had an amazing idea that you could sell them around campus in American style newspaper boxes. There is hardly any competition for i, the metro being the main obstacle. As i does not seem to get much funding it has instead a ridiculous amount of advertisement in it which brings down the level of quality. The guardian has a student ambassador for all university's in Britain which is a great way of getting the paper advertised by people who know the local community.
We were thinking to get the newspaper to become "the most read newspaper amongst the student market" we would need to do some research, such as: what sections of a newspaper do people read most? How much money do people want to spend on newspapers? Which people buy newspapers and why? The i doesn't want to target people that already buy a newspaper, they need to target people who do not find out why and then tap into this percentage of people.
Things we brainstormed that would make the newspaper sell:
Perhaps there could be a local section added into the inside of the i that could show student events going on in the area. It could have more sport and more fashion. A female i and a male i no sport in the female and vice versa. Student recipes, healthy food on a cheap budget. A competition for T in the Park tickets. A facebook page inside the newspaper, printing the best comments, photos, etc. It could become interactive and have competitions every week for students to write an article or create a piece of artwork for the front cover. There is so much undiscovered talent out there, that needs publicity.