Swindon
Adver and proud of it!
Swindon Advertiser
11th July 2005
www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk
AS part of our ongoing campaign to promote the good things about life in our
home town, the Adver is nailing its colours firmly to the mast today by changing
our name. If you turn back to the front page you will see that the
Evening Advertiser is now the Swindon Advertiser. The move
comes seven weeks after the launch of our 'Swindon . . .
and Proud of It' campaign.
As well as demonstrating our commitment to the town the change
also pays homage to the proud history of your favourite paper,
which was launched by William Morris in February 1854 as The
Swindon Advertiser and Monthly Record.
Editor Mark Waldron said today: "Since the launch of
Swindon . . . and Proud of It I have been overwhelmed by the
amount of support we have received and the buzz it has created
around the town. The decision to show clearly on our front
page every day that we are the Advertiser in Swindon is just
part of that ongoing campaign. It also fits in with our strategy
to place the Adver even more firmly in the heart of the comm-unity
we serve as we cement our place as your primary source of local
news, sport and information."
The name change also more accurately reflects the availability
of the Adver throughout the day. In January, we brought back
a second "late" edition to ensure we could react
to all the day's breaking national and local stories. Since
then our first edition has been pushed forward and now prints
at 4.30am, driven by changes in consumer buying patterns. Being
out so early has led to questions over the "Evening" status
of the paper.
Mark said: "Our two editions meet the varying demands
of our readers those who want their local paper early
and those who still want the latest news. The name change overcomes
any confusion of when we are on sale."
Why the change? Editor
Mark Waldron [pictured left] explains:
Why is the name changing? There
are a number of key factors which have driven the decision
to change the name today from the Evening Advertiser to the
Swindon Advertiser.
1: It demonstrates our commitment to the town and our Swindon...
and Proud of It campaign;
2: It fits in with our strategy of placing the Adver even more firmly in the
heart of the community we serve;
3: It recognises our heritage with the return of the name which William Morris
unveiled to the town in 1854;
4: It ends any confusion over why we call ourselves an evening paper when we
are also on sale in morning.
Does this mean you are no longer
an evening paper? Definitely not taking
the Evening out of the title does not mean we are getting
rid of our evening paper mentality. The first edition serves
the people who want their local paper as early as they
can get it. However, our late edition still provides us
with the opportunity to update the paper with as much breaking
local and national news from that day as possible. This
has been demonstrated over the last fortnight with our
full coverage of the murder in Abbey Meads, the Olympics
announcement and the London terror attacks. This late edition
is circulated to the majority of readers who have the paper
delivered to their homes.
Does this mean you are now only
interested in what is happening in Swindon? Again,
definitely not. We have a high number of loyal readers
in towns such as Highworth, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett
and our coverage of these will remain unchanged through
our own "patch" reporters and correspondents.
Our pride in Swindon extends beyond the town boundaries
to all the communities which help make the town what it
is, either through their own attractions or through their
people using Swindon as a place to work, rest or play.
So will I notice anything different? Only
in the masthead on the front page and wherever you see our
name on our vans, at your newsagents, on the website
etc. This branding will be updated over the summer.
What does it mean to me? We're
still the same Adver but now Swindon rather than Evening. |
