Discussion

By Alvaro Mantilla on Feb 16, 2024

Indeed the FSIs were a great source of advertising revenue for Newspapers and a great business for large commercial web offset printers. Other than the Sunday Paper, the Thanksgiving Day Paper had always to highest #s of FSIs.

By James Kohler on Feb 19, 2024

I get my FSI's via the wonderful USPS. Even more interesting our local newspaper in Erie has announced that they are working with the Postal system to deliver the local paper (part of the USA Today System) doing away with all the local drivers who presently delivery it plus the USA Today, WSJ, NYT, etc. Should be interesting! My morning paper won't come until the afternoon and my Sunday on Monday - I suspect! I do miss all the ads we got in the local Newspaper just before Thanksgiving for all the ads!!

By Joe Treacy on Feb 20, 2024

Frank, great video summary of what’s happened with print FSIs.

There’s also the very real adaptation that consumers who had been acclimated to rely on printed FSIs have had to go through as they’ve transitioned into using the online versions.

There are sometimes multiple generations of shoppers within families or households, for example, who’ve had to change their FSI browsing habits, and collect digital coupons (that sometimes don’t work).

Especially when stores sometimes now test alternate weeks of not even placing print FSIs in-store, to test the reactions and force more customers to go find them online.

And, if they habitually shop multiple stores weekly, having to go find and visit multiple store websites, rather than having all the various store FSIs handed directly to them inside their newspaper or sometimes in the mailbox.

Consumers who have been making the transition to finding their nearby store FSIs online have sometimes found that it’s often difficult to find things in the online version.

It’s a process that will undoubtedly get more efficient over time, but currently for many people, it can be more time-consuming than using the print versions.

(Although the average consumer has gotten somewhat savvier over the past 25 years online, it’s often more challenging for them. Versus for all of us on the graphic arts who live on our computers.)

I’ve always enjoyed rifling through print FSIs. I’ve really appreciated the truly considerable work the artists, prep and printers have gone through weekly to make food in cmyk look not just mildly appetizing but really vibrant and desirable.

On newsprint that’s most likely not even white and a thicker sheet, but plain.

Let’s hear it for all those dedicated experts behind the scenes who make that happen.

Joe Treacy
President & Director of Typography
Treacyfaces.com
2024: Our 40th Year!

By dave cesaro on Feb 26, 2024

Frank, thank you for showing that circulars are still distributed efficiently in the Vericast Save Direct Mail (shared mail) program. Each week the Save program is delivered to over 45 million households and each month the Save program is delivered to 23 million additional households. And the cost to deliver a circular via the USPS thru Save is a fraction of the cost of solo mail. At Vericast we are actively looking for publications and printers to form beneficial partnerships. For publications a partnership with Vericast could allow you to distribute your publication via Save at 50% less than what you are paying today. For printers resell your clients into Save and increase your revenue and profit. If you are interested please contact me.
Dave Cesaro
Executive Director Product Partnerships
Vericast
[email protected]
860-930-7286