Size matters. And judging by the flurry of interest and activity there is in this subject, it would appear it is going to matter more and more ... or should I say less and less.

In Europe, as in the United States, more and more publishers are looking to smaller formats. For some time now, publishers, advertisers and even readers have been anticipating the demise of the broadsheet. Who in truth wants a newspaper that can only be read on a table, is too big to read on the train or plane, and requires the eye to exceed its scanning ability as it subliminally identifies what to read?

The mythological tradition that somehow big represented best, has now been blown away.

The London Independent, the United Kingdom’s youngest and in circulation terms, smallest, broadsheet has enjoyed a radical reputation since it was launched in the mid-1980s.

Conversion awakens

But its lurch toward tabloid has awakened the entire U.K. newspaper industry (see Newspapers & Technology, November 2003).

Following a tough few years when the paper lacked direction, it has been greatly revitalized by its new owners, the Irish group Independent News and Media plc.

But as the weakest player in the U.K. market of four other broadsheets and five tabloids, The Independent lacked the marketing muscle to exploit its steadily improving editorial service.

That all changed last Sept. 30, when The Independent appeared in London in both broadsheet and tabloid formats.

Vendors and retailers showcased the two versions,  each boasting identical advertising and editorial content, side by side, inviting readers to choose between them.

It was a brilliant move for a number of reasons. First, the simple commitment to consistency signaled to the market that the product was the same, overcoming any insinuation that somehow tabloid represents a different set of values to broadsheet.

The provision of both formats not only minimized the risk of the new format failing, but actually encouraged the market to choose between them, thereby providing a perfect piece of market research.

Market decides

The market has decided. More and more people are turning to the tabloid at the expense of competitors. In the areas where the paper is offered in dual formats, overall sales of The Independent are up by more than 40 percent.

This fantastic experiment is now being extended to other parts of Britain, with some outlets only now receiving the tabloid version.

No one seems to have been more impressed with this move than The Independent’s most formidable opponent, Rupert Murdoch, owner of The (London) Times, perhaps the world’s most famous broadsheet.

Murdoch’s message to his own team in London was simple: Copy what The Independent has done. No frills. No ideas. Just repeat their formula.

Over the past 10 years, Murdoch has failed in his ambition to dominate the U.K. broadsheet market, despite a ferocious pricing policy.

It has been rumored that Murdoch has wanted to convert The Times to a tabloid format for some time in an effort to attract a more populist audience, but feared a backlash from those charging him with dumbing down one of the world’s great media institutions.

His excuse

The success of The Independent’s experiment has given him the excuse he needed. Late last year, The Times followed The Independent’s lead, and it too is now available in a broadsheet and tabloid format.

The Independent was the first national broadsheet newspaper, in the U.K. at least, to realize that readers prefer tabloids. The Times has followed and two other broadsheets, Conrad Black’s Daily Telegraph and The Guardian, are known to have at least produced trial dummies.

An indicator of things to come may lie in 20 Minutes. This free distribution commuter newspaper is the brainchild of the Schibsted Group. It is little larger than (a magazine) size. It has now been launched in cities in France, Switzerland and Spain. Aimed at high-spending young commuters, it features a strong news agenda  and lively graphical presentation.

Hijacked?

Our industry has been hijacked by the notion that tabloids somehow suggest tacky, and that magazine format suggests comic strip, even though both research and experience have shown that readers clearly differentiate between content quality and product format. I know of one publisher who is actively considering (a note-pad-sized format).

Over the years I have worked on many broadsheet-to-tabloid migrations and on every occasion, not only have the readers welcomed the move, but also the research has demonstrated that they regard our industry’s veneration of the broadsheet as absurd.

Such a migration is not without challenges, in particular in advertising. Any move from broadsheet to tabloid, or indeed to (magazine-sized), results in yield dilution, first because more newsprint space is devoted to guttering and margins, and second, because advertisers are not prepared to pay broadsheet page rates.

In papers with heavy pagination, there are also issues of volume, but these are tackled through more creative sectioning. On the other hand, smaller papers accommodate higher ad quotas more effectively, allowing publishers to tighten newsprint consumption.

One weakness

One weakness in The Independent’s change is that the commitment to the identical product means that what was a broadsheet design execution looks weak in the tabloid format, but this can and no doubt will be resolved over time. The differences in visual navigation of different formats need to be recognized.

In the last week I have received e-mails from publishers in four countries inquiring about specific aspects of size reduction. Clearly, it is an issue on the minds of many publishers and editors. Judging by the evidence to-date, such moves can be very successful. Judging by the wider interest, many more such moves are under way.

Is it too soon to predict that the broadsheet is dead?