Wherever I go on the world I buy a newspaper but I don't think I have ever found a better one than The Guardian, which I have bought pretty much every day for 30 years. Today, I was presumably joined by some non-regular readers, enticed to hand over their 70p (about a euro) by a free gift. Now UK readers are used to free gifts - hardly a week goes by without a free DVD tumbling from the paper - but the promotional sensation of the last few months has been glossy posters. The Guardian pioneered this idea with UK mammals, sea birds, insects and the like; this morning, casual readers were tempted away from their usual purchase by a poster of .... tomatoes! Newspaper promotion is a strange science but who could conceivably have predicted that a poster of tomatoes would shift papers.... And who, for goodness sake, wants the poster?
At the same time, one of my old papers is trying a different tack, attemting to drive visitors to its fast-expanding website by offering a video joke of the day (at least I presume the intention is to drive them to the site, not away). Here is editor Peter Barron explaining the initiative on Hold the Front Page.
The Northern Echo has set out to prove that a national survey is wrong.
The survey concluded that North-East people have the worst sense of humour in the country, so the Echo website has launched its own Joke of the Day slot.
Every day, North-Easterners - from children to pensioners - are shown on video, telling their favourite jokes.
Editor Peter Barron said: "It is a travesty to suggest that the people of the North-East lack a sense of humour.
"We aim to show without any doubt that we are a region that likes a laugh."
And here is star writer Mike Amos telling his joke. The website quite rightly acknowledges Mike as a legend. He is a superb writer - but as a sitdown comedian, well judge for yourself...
"The dole is my shepherd, I shall not work."
They've obviously never heard of Bobby Thompson, The Little Waster ;)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Thompson
Posted by: Stuart Bruce - Wolfstar | October 18, 2006 at 08:26 PM
If that is northern humour, I think I'll remain south of the Midlands next time I go to Britain ;-)
Posted by: Serge | October 21, 2006 at 01:20 PM
I for one would not like a poster with tomatoes on, image or otherwise.
I have a tomato joke. What did the big tomato say to the little tomato that was lagging behind?
Ketchup!
If my poor jokes continue it may be advisable to stand in front of the tomato poster, to save the rotten variety being thrown at me!
Posted by: Michelle Lavery | November 09, 2006 at 06:06 PM