The Gannett flagship this morning disclosed the first locations for its previously announced USA Today Travel Zone retail stores. They'll be in the new North Terminal of the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, starting tomorrow. An additional store is set to open at LaGuardia Airport in late 2008, with two stores opening in Indianapolis International Airport in November.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
USAT to open stores in Detroit, Indianapolis
The Gannett flagship this morning disclosed the first locations for its previously announced USA Today Travel Zone retail stores. They'll be in the new North Terminal of the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, starting tomorrow. An additional store is set to open at LaGuardia Airport in late 2008, with two stores opening in Indianapolis International Airport in November.
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Gee, did they have to even lay off OC members to get these open. LOL
ReplyDeleteWTF is this? Another indication of a brand that has no idea what its strategy is or should be. Can we say ZapMedia?
ReplyDeleteYou gotta hand it to USAT, they try everything under the sun to make a buck, except the things wouldn't cost a dime and would help inspire what is already a halfway decent staff that has just been beaten down a bit in recent years. I will leave it up to y'all to fill in the blanks.
ReplyDeleteIt's a licensing agreement -- someone else is operating these stores under a license to use the name. I would guess the money would go to USAT's bottom line, but they don't have to lift a finger as far as the store operations go. If something happens with these stories that is negative, it could spill over to USAT, but otherwise this a no-brainer for corporate suits who have demonstrated they have no brains.
ReplyDeleteCNBC, Fox News, Sports Illustrated and a lot of other media brands will be there too. The financial websites reported this yesterday.
ReplyDeleteUSA Today seems like a pretty good brand alignment as it is travel focused. And lets hand it to them, for all who want to see diversification, this seems to be a good licensing deal with revenue upside.
Look on the bright side---it's going to be color-coded and have reading glasses for sale! (Or at least that's what I read somewhere.)
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly, I think this is a really smart move. USAT's biggest advantage is in the airport, where it's the go-to for most business travelers.
ReplyDeletePlus, when charging $2.50 for a Coke, how can you go wrong?
Very smart. I think USA Today is a strong brand. USA Today is the Gannett brand that will survive the best through all this mess.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good idea and a logical extension of the USA Today brand. However, I do know that this has been discussed off and on for at least 10 years. It's about time USAT moved forward. Better late than never, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't appear to me that USA Today is doing all that well or is on solid ground. There have been vacant jobs that have gone unfilled for years, and the people left behind are trying to pick up the slack, but at a profound cost. Not many employees think last year's buyouts are the last of letting staff go via buyouts or layoffs. In fact, with the latest revenue news, I suspect further cuts are coming after the election and probably before the new year. With any luck, I am wrong.
ReplyDeleteI hope USA Today can succeed in making money with this latest venture because the loss of jobs is not good for anyone -- those who lose them, or those left behind.
I also hope the powers that be look into some other areas to improve efficiences. There is so much wasted effort, mainly because of a lack of competency in certain corners. In the future, if there are cuts, I hope they cut the dead wood first. I didn't understand the strategy of letting so many good people walk away last year, while the rest of us are burdened with coworkers who not only are low producers, but actually create extra work for others with their inabilities. I am talking managers and hands-on employees who are simply in over their heads.
USA Today is burdened with a signficant number of people who are a drag on the company, not just financially, but in morale. So along with marketing schemes and eventual cuts, maybe the future will see a leaner but more competent workplace at the flagship, which in turn means better products.
I agree with 11:26, that some USAT workers are a burden. But it's not always because of their lack of hands-on or managerial skills (although there are those folks out there). Some are simply problem people. Spoiled, egotistical, obnoxious, arrogant...you name it. Most folks at USAT are wonderful, but some have been getting away with sub-par personalities and lack of professional respect for others for years. It doesn't take many people like that to ruin a work day!
ReplyDeleteGreat! Now that Gannett has finished gutting two dailies in Detroit and one in Indy, it chooses to celebrate its brand in those very towns. I'll be sure to pick up a Gannett coffee mug next time I fly somewhere.
ReplyDeleteLike we really needed any more proof that this company is run by a pack of gibbering imbeciles.
ReplyDeleteForget the Gannett coffee mug.
As a souvenir of my years of working for this third-rate company, I want a souvenir that I can hang on the wall ... assuming I have a wall to hang it on, after I get laid off and my home gets repossessed ... so I can show it to my friends and say: "That was the Gannett that was."
The memento I'm thinking of, the one that every ex-employee will find meaningful, is a douchebag with the GCI logo.
You know, I think this idea is great, but there may be a downside to it all. Some people equate airports with a bunch of negative memories and experiences. Makes me wonder if exposing the brand in a more positive environment might make more sense.
ReplyDeleteI did not see this coming but good for them...they realized USA Today is a brand and not just a newspaper. Brand extensions create brand value.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great idea and overdue. This will help begin to establish USAT's brand identity beyond its traditional bases.
ReplyDeleteDetroit offers an advantage for USAT Publisher Craig Moon -- an advantage known to a handful of we Little Rock alumni: He can go jogging (hah!), should he still partake in that sport.
ReplyDelete10:59
ReplyDeleteDon't know how this establishes the brand identity beyond traditional bases. Do you mean to travelers? I thought they covered that base by depositing all those papers in all those hotels.
anon 8:06 - It establishes the brand beyond its traditional base as a newspaper. This move helps establish USA TODAY as a broad based consumer brand (not just a newspaper brand) with multiple products to offer people (including travelers).
ReplyDeleteBroad-based as in coffee, books and reading glasses?
ReplyDeleteCome on. I know I'll be accused of lacking innovation, but this just seems like a silly thing to do at a time when customers are crying out for solid news reporting. why not put the focus on the news product?
While circulation for USAT print may still be strong, advertising demand isn't as strong as it used to be and isn't likely to ever be that strong again. With advertising revenue contributing the bulk of the revenue, USAT simply needs new revenue streams in order support "solid news reporting" - this is the crux of the business model shift that USAT and other "old media" entities are facing.
ReplyDeleteBooks, coffee, reading glasses all help contribute new revenue streams and grow the Brand presence while diverting very little, if anything, from the core journalism products.