Tuesday, July 03, 2007

The Nairobi Star Analysis From Email

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Today I had an email conversation with two friends concerning The Nairobi Star that I am sure will make interesting reading and that is why I have reproduced the private emails here. My comment is the last one.

Mr Fred Said;
Have you guys had a look at the inaugural edition of Nbi star? When Kiss /Classic fm started the promo for this paper,i was thought it was going to be a mainstream newspaper with important news.Shock on me! Its a mere tabloid that should cost 10sh.Look @ the headline! My word-sorry, Kiss,stick to radio.

Mr Richard replied;
50,000 print-run on a launch can be misleading for a publisher.
I expect the Catholic Church to sue and raise hell with the splash: “I helped nuns procure abortions”-Hon.Dr.Kibunguchy

Am of the same opinion-though they claim to have done some research beforehand. But hold on, who is their target market? Remember it is circulating in Nairobi city and outskirts! As Quarcoo puts it:”...this is a magazine in a newspaper form”. Then why daily yet you don’t have your own press? Quarcoo believes that all he ‘touches’ must turn into gold –let’s wait and see. Kiss was a hit within weeks but remember overheads for print are quite high and unpredictable.
This is a different ball game and only time will tell. Am told some South Africans have pumped in good money!

But what do Nairobians prefer reading? Internet pornography, politics, business – what do you read?

Don’t write them off yet, though they should have talked to Matiba & Co. before plunging into the murky waters of publishing.

Mr Fred Replied;
Ma broda this nairobi star thing is a tabloid not a newspaper,they have missed the point-forgetting that this is Africa.What these guys wanted to is to copy the SUN in UK,which am told is also the most selling newspaper.Tabloids which basically involve kiss n' tell scandals can't work here. They appeal to under 25's most of whom are broke anyway and would rather heng' than buy silly papers.And anyway,there are juicier stories on the internet and e-mail 4wds at no cost!!

Mark u the 2nd or 3rd page of the SUN newspaper is always featuring some nude celebrities, and this is why people buy (i happen to know that courtesy of the lib in the office-everyone here glances at the first few pages of the SUN and not to read as such).

Blunder no.1 is that they exploited young ladies to the max. All the way from Lang'ata Rd to City centre,I saw these young chicks waving placards advertising this tabloid. They wore skimpy thumb size minis,bimbo boots and tumbo cuts,K-street style..(imagine if you're with your parent!) They don't seem to know that Kenya is a conservative and deeply religious nation.

Mr Richard Replied;
Am mesmerized at your knowledge on media, marketing and related. I forget you are alumni of Daystar.

Nairobi Star is targeting a niche of the market that buys sex, lives sex and thrives on sex.

Do you watch Channel O? Do you read Pulse on Fridays? (Incidentally the first Pulse editor now works at Nairobi Star).

One thing for sure-I don’t expect our Dad to start reading it anytime soon.
Fred, sex sells-have you gone to any motor vehicle launch? In fact most products use the sex angle including mobile phone providers – chakaza, sambaza, bamba, etc.

Ask Kumekucha if he remembers a magazine called Men Only in the eighties. Circulation was crazy but advertisers pulled out-“...that magazine has too much pornography”.

Kumekucha says;
I think what these guys have done is pure marketing genius. The only big question is will it work?

I think too many Nairobians were expecting another Nation and that is the biggest marketing mistake The People Daily made. There can only be one Nation and the way to beat them is to position yourself differently in the minds of the people (which is what The Nairobi Star has done). I hope I am not getting too technical marketing-wise.

There are a few facts here. Firstly sex sells..a lot. Secondly people will always pretend to be disgusted but will buy the newspaper anyway and thirdly, I expect very high readership from women-a segment of the market that Nation have been unsuccessfully trying to get for years.

Something else you guys don't know. Rupert Murdoch (the most successful media mogul in the world) owns several prestigious dailies which lose money or just break even but he makes over 70% of his profits (I can get you the figures for the 90s) from his tabloids. I am sure the situation has not changed today except that he is also now making more and more of his revenue from the web (this guy always sees far). Murdoch's highest grossing newspapers have always been The Sun, News Of The World (Sunday version of the Sun) and a weekly tabloid he used to own in the US called The National Star (later renamed "The Star" All tabloids.

The last tabloid-style publication Nairobians saw was the 10 bob "Update" and the challenge for The guys at KissFM is to create a new image for tabloids in the minds of Kenyans.

My verdict?

I think this newspaper is going to be such a roaring success that the powers that be will feel threatened and try to ban it on the pretext of the sex thing. Business is very dirty sometimes. In one swoop Quarcoo and company have neutralized Nations' biggest strength--a countrywide newspaper distribution system built over many years that is unmatched.

If I was at The Nairobi Star I would watch my back and the guys at the dailies very carefully.

That my friends is my expert opinion.

warmly,
Kumekucha
P.S. Richard mentions a very important point about advertisers. It will be interesting to see what kind of advertisers this new newspaper targets. In other parts of the world mainstream advertisers usually shy away from tabloids because of image problems. But Rupert Murdoch has proved that there is much more money to be made from circulation if somebody can get it right.


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18 comments:

  1. Let the readers decide. Only the business astute dare venture into the unknown. Kiss is soiling its hand and all the noises from moral cops will only work in its favour iinterms of publicity. Sex as the oldest known commercial good sells and people will turn all the rainbow colours in public but slip in NS into their purses and bags in private.

    Risk is the best investment and those who are risk averse never breaks any business ice. Kiss is merely making Nairobi be in tandem with Bongo (Alasiri) and Kampala (Red Pepper). Big print, sensational headlines is what sells to most who don't read past the bolded first paragraph. WM left Nation started Pulse and can smell success miles a far, let us see what is in store. Any news, salacious of otherwise, remains news and we welcome NS.

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  2. So Chris, you think it's going to be a roaring success? How many years have you been in Kenya my friend? Chris, Kenya is still a conservative country. I agree, the sales for the first few months will be massive. But when people start getting down to the issues, this thing will just fade. I couldn't believe that with all that cold in the morning, some girls could walk on the streets with skimpy cloths in the name of marketing. Chris, would you like to see your relative in that shape? Very few people in Kenya would. In the UK, it's normal since even prostitution is legal. But this is Africa, and Kenya for that matter. And for how long will those girls sell the newspaper? I walk along Langata and Mombasa roads every morning and those newspaper vendors run after cars to sell their newspapers. Will these girls manage that? I doubt! This thing, I promise you, will just fade. Or Chris, is this a marketing tool by some politicians? I tend to think that when the crunch time comes, this newspaper will be used to advertise some presidential candidates. This is what Citizen (Royal M.S.) is currently preparing for. Think about that!!!
    And by the way Chris, how did it go with the NMG story? I know you will deny that you don't know the people who were writing those "Juicy" stories (I tend to believe these were just some bitter/nasty lies). But you carried the story as if it was your own. So please, can you tell those idiots to show their faces or else..... Stupid idiots seeking cheap publicity!
    Finally, about the Nairobi Star, that thing is about 20 pages. How can I pay 35/= for that thing when I can get the more reliable news from the DN or the Standard for the same amount. Then after reading, I can always sell the newspaper as scrap. Where I stay, IKG of scrap Newspapers is about 20/=. You need 20 such Nairobi Stars to make 1KG. Hhahahhahaha!
    Always, Dan.

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  3. Mr Anonymous,
    Yes, you can call us stupid if insults will add food on your table. I confess I'm one of the guys from Nation who took part in researching the sex dossier. If you can support bosses who can't keep their zips shut, it means you are equally or worse rotten than our NMG bosses. So many people across the globe supported our campaign and if it never pleased you, please know it was not meant for morally-bankrupt guys like you.

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  4. A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. Nairobi Star have started a journey into the unknown. Best of luck to all buddies there

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  5. And Dan how come you have the right to call other peopl's opinions lies? Who gave u the right to call other peole stupid? Dont start looking for the answer---It is the same guy who gave me the right to call people like you insane bastards.

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  6. Dan, in the NGM thing, there was nobody seeking publiciy and not cheap, and I think they were qualified journos. Publicity could have been a case if they identified themselves, otherwise they could not have been writing anonymous letters. It will unfair to classify them as 'stupid' in this forum that is run by a a former journalist. Just tone down the language and use a substitute word for that deragatory word. Next time, or lese, you will get a little bit of what comes Chris' way when the 'masses' rise. Tone down.

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  7. I think Nairobi star wil have a short life in Kenya! the print is lousy, pictures are bad, bad, bad!! and the stories...well..cheap! who is their target audience? pass along readers who are 20 and below who cant even afford to buy a paper? Kiss/Classic stick to radio! Leave the gutter press to the gutter press!

    moi

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  8. Pike started that kind of shit in Kampala and failed!

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  9. I saw the skimpy girls in the Nairobi cold and wondered if Quarcoo would have done that in his native ghana. He can only do this kind of thing (sell sex) in Kenya because he has no relatives here, so is Pike, his co-director.

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  10. If this is what a star in Nairobi look like.... I'd rather live without stars 24/7!!!What the heck was that???I mean...after hyping it up as they did....like it was some big time thing,havin girls in skimpy skirts walk around making a fool of themselves....only to unveil some way toooooo bullshit gossip thing??Hey...they don't even have their gossip right!!!I don't have to be a journalist to know that!!!I just have to be sane!I am sure I have read way better 10/= leaflets....and they were worth every penny!!!Andsince am so sure there were heaps of people who were disapointed....why did they only put the letters from people who apparently liked the paper in the next issue???Bummer!!!They really expect people to think it is sooooo incredible!!!They better try again!Even stuck so low as repeating the same story more than once in the same paper...include some of these blogs next time you have no news to write about!

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  11. Must say was lil bit taken aback after I saw the Paper…. I thought it was gonna b a Hit but What are Miss…These guys just Copy paste Gutter press (Citizen, Confidential…)….
    Can they be Original and Produce a Paper worth the publicity and Advertising give.

    Lets give it 3 months though may be this is there marketing strategy. As for me I will not spend my pennies daily on it only for some few days a week…

    Guys have u noticed like today’s “6/7/2007” headline was in the gutter some 2 or so weeks back….

    At the End of the day, why give me a screaming headline and nothing on it, akin to having a good manicured nails but very hard Palms….

    U be the judge….

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  12. I would bet on it lasting for maximum of 6-12 months before going bust. No point of getting worked up over a crappy publication. you got ask yourself 1) who is the targeted audience? 2) do they have jobs? 3)Can they afford this shite? 4)"I think what these guys have done is pure marketing genius" me thinks not, sorry to say this but we being Kenyan are not made to be innovative in our thinking process... come on this is not rocket science

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  13. 1. I have never read such a crappy paper. Its lame and shallow.
    2. Blown up, low resolution photos make 94% of the paper, 6% text.
    3. Theres no way i am paying Kshs 35 for 20 pages of crap.
    4. Have you seen the Nairobi Star logo, it was done as an after thought by a 6 year old Arts and Crafts student in primary school.
    5. Here's a plus - Calvin and Hobbes cartoon strip

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  14. Interesting Post and Comments, I think it's more interesting to see guys actually upset at Sex and Nudity or profanity... he he he that one really amuses me (Kenyans conservative? I think you guys need to tour Westlands at night and see what your daughters & Sons or relatives are doing at the age of 16yrs old) Trust me - This is a gold Mine the only question left here is Longevity in the Publishing game and not necessarily Proof of concept.

    Anyway what I wanted to bring to many of you guys attention is that Kenya is the only country in East Africa that currently doesn't have a fully fledged tabloid. I saw some suspicious Magazines in town one day but none has been fully commercialized as this Nairobi Star will be commercialized.

    You know the interesting thing about Tabloids is that the content doesn't have to even be relevant or true. It just has to sound true and believable and we will buy into the culture and we will buy the magazine. The pulse sells the Standard on Friday and the Buzz on Sunday more than the Business and Lifestyle magazines... ever ask yourself why?

    Uganda has about 8 to 10 Tabloid Magazines, Tanzania has about 15 that I know off head, and they are loud and vibrant - http://www.ipp.co.tz/ipp/newspapers/

    Its crazy, they will publish whatever and whenever, court cases only make the already published material sell even more (in Tanzania that is) Kenya is about to go through the same.

    Personally I have been dying for a time where everyone will be a target, Meaning you can read about anyone and anything it's not just about the Nonini's and the Caroline Mutoko's... There are some pretty Scandalous GM's out there and some pretty Nasty Executive guys abusing their power... Maybe its time everyone started acting right...

    He he he he he Am just saying -

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  15. i just dont get the point.what a waste of time.but hey,an A for effort.

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  16. A ow Y'll?
    Guys where do u live? Kenya is no longer a conservative cuntry if men can rape 10 yr olds, Men behead men, Men & Women kill for money, people kill spouses for money, a jab of sex is 40 bob down in Majengo and doubles across Moi avenue....where is the conservative? One club in a city surburb have nude waiters! There is our very own dance 360 right in Down Town Nairobi (Tacos), Cabinet ministers mill around Koinange..Teens kiss inside pubs and dance halls.. University students are prostitutes..media moguls and workers trade sex for hand outs and promotions from their boses...Nairobi Star uses skimply dressed women to marker..phew we have come along way we are no longer conservative, after all conservative..poverty..Third world.. foreign aid..Lazy..Backward..are all contatined in the same african/kenyan script. Boss this is Nairobi.

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  17. Very interesting, keeps you turning the pages, is just the best and getting better, the nairobi star,you WISH! pULSE AND BUZZ SELL COZ PARENTS(read friends,neighbors...) HAVE TO BUY THE PAPERS then the underage (below 20) dandia! Get real people!

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  18. Very good sports coverage, I start reading the Nairobi Star from the back.I do the same for the other dailies. I strongly believe that as long as the Nairobi Star continues with screamer headlines they will continue to attract those who buy the dailies for sensation or alignment or affiliation. They need to strengthen their business pages if they are to eclipse the niche created already by Nation.As for sensational local sex selling stories ask me or walk into Eastlands Local pubs..

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