The Power of Print

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AUCKLAND, Today: Phantom Billstickers has added a passionate voice to the growing chorus of ad/media experts reawakening to the power of print.

Here’s an extract from the latest edition of the company’s Phan Mail newsletter: “In the first quarter of 2020, a virus from Wuhan went from being an object of scientific investigation to a global catastrophe.

“In New Zealand we locked down our country and closed our border. Lives were saved but businesses took a hit, including many familiar media brands.

“On 2 April 2020, the multinational media giant Bauer announced it was dumping its New Zealand magazines, including The Listener, Metro and North & South.

“It was a depressing moment in a tumultuous year. These magazines published independent journalism from New Zealand voices. For decades, they’d provided a place in our culture for our culture. They mattered.

“That’s why it’s so heartening to see all three magazines – plus a host of newcomers – rising from the ashes of the Covid disaster.”

“Talented writers, editors and production staff saw the opportunity to bring back the Bauer titles under new owners. And that’s exactly what they did.”

Print vs The Pandemic
“At Phantom Billstickers we sing the praises of digital media without losing our passion for print. That’s because printed posters – like printed magazines – offer something valuable to advertisers: ownership.

“When you buy a poster in a Phantom frame or a full-page ad in The Listener, you don’t have to share that space with anyone else. Your brand has a presence in the world of people and objects. It becomes more substantial – more familiar.

“It seems that Kiwis agree. In the midst of the pandemic, they pined for their much-loved magazines. Some talented writers, editors and production staff saw the opportunity to bring back the Bauer titles under new ownership. And that’s exactly what they did.

At Phantom, we’ve been thrilled to see the return of Metro, The Listener and North & South under independent ownership.

“We’ve shown our support by taking out full-page ads in inaugural issues. Like the publishers of these magazines, we believe in the importance of the arts, with poems on posters and a continuous flow of listings and events. Aotearoa needs them all.

“In the first quarter of 2020, few thought the Bauer titles would return to New Zealand’s newsstands.

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