The advert does not have a social factor or anyone 'cool' representing them. It is mearly stating that the i can be taken anywhere and be read by anyone but all newspapers can do that. Maybe apart from the Sun because you would not want people to see you reading it.
“i is specifically targeted at readers and lapsed readers of quality newspapers, and those of all ages who want a comprehensive digest of the news in printed form. i will combine intelligence with brevity, and depth with speed of reading, providing an essential daily briefing,” a statement from The Independent said.
This was a poster which was used as an outdoor campaign at the roadside, on bus sides in urban areas as well as across the train network, London Underground, Manchester Metro and Midland Metro tram stations. The campaign was directed by Treavor Beattie "with the aim of convincing the public that i marks a new concept in newspapers; an intelligent fast read for time poor commuters. The poster campaign will run a series of tag lines aimed at reinforcing this message: “i is all you need in the time you have”: “i is all you need for 20p”: “i is 20p”: and the grammatically peculiar “i is are you?” which harks back to an older campaign which stated: “The Independent. It is. Are you?”"
Andrew Mullins the director for the Independant stated: “We are creating a newspaper for the 21st century that is designed for people who have a thirst for information and entertainment in the limited time that they have available. i is a reader-led newspaper with broad reach and intelligence.”
The i newspaper was never designed towards students but instead commuters. There is not a demand for a new student newspaper. Mullins was constantly being asked to create a newspaper that did not drown people in news and gave them the important tit bits they needed to enjoy a quick commute and leave them updated with current topics. It was for people people that did not read a newspaper on a regular basis but wanted to read quality and not quantity.
The i is Britain's first new national daily newspaper in twenty five years. The Independant has been loosing money since the recession but cheaper newspapers haven't been as badly effected. Is this the i trying to do both. "The UK's 11 major national daily newspapers have seen their circulation shrink an average 5.75% in the last year to 10.3 million copies a day, according to industry figures.The Daily Telegraph, The Times and The Guardian have each suffered a drop in circulation of more than 10% over the last year. Sales of The Independent, which costs £1, have fallen to just over 186,000 a day from about 250,000 three years ago." The i only costs 20p meaning a much wider range of people will buy it and wont consider it when deciding what has to be cut from there shrinking shopping budget.
Of course when the Independant brought out the i newspaper they had to be careful that it did not take away business from themselves, they did not want the i to replace the Independant, just to bring back people's attention to newspapers, after so many people are just reading news on line. The i is colourful and is very similar to the Metro, it argues that it has recaptured the younger generations attention and that the 56 page newspaper will become a necessary in all young people's lives.The i has only three pages less football than the Independant, the i having seven, but much less on arts and politics. But will people really buy the i if the Metro is free?
The letter 'i' has become huge in recent years and there are so many products that use it. Apple being the main contender with the iPad and iPod. The Independant chose the letter i because it is derived from the word Independant but also because it wants to attract a younger crowd. For the younger generation who want journalism but do want to be seen with a hefty broadsheet. The Independant also stated that the newspaper was called i because it gave the impression that the newspaper was light and sharp. Straight to the point.
The promotional description of it contained lots of word like: intelligent, ideas, incisive, influential and informative. The i is trying to give people what they want, you can read the sections very easily in the i as they are colour coded. You are in charge when you read the i. There is no traditional way of reading it. People can get what they want from the newspaper quickly.
"Today's use of the letter "i" is much more sophisticated than early attempts to jump on the "cool" bandwagon, says Mr Gabay. It reflects the participatory nature of advertising, encouraging people to share knowledge of their products electronically or "like" them on Facebook, he says."
"This growing importance of the virtual world is the reason why "i", along with "blog" and "tweet" made it into Magazine readers' 20 words that defined the Noughties, according to lexicographer and Countdown regular Susie Dent, who was one of the judges. Language expert Tony Thorne says single-letter prefixes have been "trendy" since the 1990s, first with e-mail, then e-commerce and other brands such as Npower or M People."
Some comments I found on the internet about the i newspaper:
"I hate it! It feels like I'm constantly being dragged in to the i-life.. iPods, iPads, iPlayer... it feels like companies are using it to appeal to the 'youngsters' simply because Apple did and it became cool. Newsflash! I'm a 'youngster' and I hate it! I think it sums the world today and the me-generation.. i-this, I that.. it wouldn't ever have been a uPod, would it?"
Samantha Downes, Derby, UK
"In world of apparent over-exposure and mass-production of almost everything, this is a small marketing way of trying to make something feel unique to you. User-driven/created content, customisable gadgets and apps. It's just a way of trying to connect to the person rather than the people.
Jacob Barker, London"
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