The initiative by Better Retailing’s sister title, RN, to revital­ise the ‘Just Ask’ cam­paign is finding success, with more wholesalers and pub­lishers coming on board. Just Ask encourages shoppers to ask if they can’t find the magazine they are looking for so stores can order it in as a ‘shop save’, kept at the counter ready for their next visit. Previous trials show the initiative can boost sales in local shops.

In addition to producing new materials for publish­ers and retailers, the cam­paign seeks to convince publishers to include Just Ask advertising in their pages and to promote shop saves for magazine buyers. The campaign is run­ning in collaboration with the Professional Pub­lishers Association and backed by the Fed.

Retailers can expect to see refreshed Just Ask advertising in magazines, as well as new Just Ask-branded merchandising such as PoS, shelf edges and posters. This week, Reach PLC, which publishes local shop staple titles such as OK! and New!, joined DC Thomson in pledging its support. A spokesperson for Reach said: “We are pleased to be backing the Just Ask campaign and will work closely with the Fed to support our retail­ers and readers.”

Both major wholesalers are now also onboard. A spokesperson for Men­zies said: “As part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring the long-term sustainability of news­papers and magazines, Menzies welcomes the opportunity to work with our supply-chain partners in supporting the Just Ask campaign, promoting in-store ordering.

“We will be backing this initiative through the distribution of important information, collateral and PoS to our retail cus­tomers, along with addi­tional awareness raising via social media, targeted emails and via i-Menzies. We look forward to play­ing our part.”

A spokesperson for Smiths News also con­firmed that the company would be “happy to sup­port the campaign”, and discussions are ongoing into what support can be offered.

Great to be back

Neil Selby was part of the team at distributor Comag that helped launch the Just Ask campaign a decade ago. He now advises pub­lishers on circulation strategy as managing di­rector of Magcirc. He told Better Retailing: “The magazine trade has been losing sales, and there’s a need for some­thing to bring it together and get it invigorated.”

Selby added that many of the smaller magazines that he works with benefit a lot from publicising shop saves, explaining: “Shop saves are great for certain types of readers, especially older readers. I fully support the campaign, and think it’s a great idea to bring it back. We used to have packs with advice on how to ad­vertise shop saves as well as merchandising like shelf wobblers and post­ers, and I would go out to stores with them.

“A lot of retailers felt like the publishers were abandoning them, and it was great to be able to go out and tell them we were here to help.”

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