1. The Sunday Times STM Evaluation © Copyright 2007 The Sunday Times

2. 2 J24685July 2007 Background  In 2004, after the launch of STM, research was conducted by Synovate to understand reader perceptions of STM and provide guidance for future development of STM.  More recently, STM has been relaunched as a glossy magazine with refreshed design and content.  As such, The Sunday Times were interested in revisiting reader attitudes and perceptions toward the new-look STM magazine.  Additionally in March 2007, the STM brand was extended to include STM Entertainment.

3. 3 J24685July 2007 Objectives – what was the research trying to achieve?  The overall objectives of this research were to:  Understand future direction and development of STM.  Use information internally to build business cases for potential advertisers and to reaffirm current advertisers commitment to The Sunday Times.  Specifically, the research sought to answer the following:  Understand how readers currently view STM.  Appeal – likes and dislikes.  Product attributes.  Areas for improvement.  Understand who reads STM.  Establish how readers are using STM.  Longevity of magazines – how long does STM remain in the house?  Frequency of use – how many times is STM referred back to?

4. 4 J24685July 2007 Methodology  A quantitative telephone survey was conducted for this survey.  The survey was conducted with 300 people who read The Sunday Times at least once a month. These people were classified as either:  Regular readers: people who read The Sunday Times every week.  Frequent readers: people who read The Sunday Times between 1 and 3 times out of every 4 weeks.  Interviews were conducted between 8 th and 17 th of June 2007.  The results were weighted on the basis of gender.

5. Newspaper Readership

6. 6 J24685July 2007 Readership of The Sunday Times Q:In the last 12 months, how often have you read The Sunday Times? % of all respondents n=570

7. 7 J24685July 2007 Reasons to Buy/Read The Sunday Times n=300 % of STM readers The top 4 purchase motivators are: News, TV Guide, Sport and STM Q:Which of the following sections would you say are reasons for you to buy or read The Sunday Times?

8. Frequent and Regular Readers

9. 9 J24685July 2007 Readership of STM Q:Have you ever read STM? % of all respondents n=359n=300 Q:Thinking about the last four times you bought or read The Sunday Times, how often did you read STM? % of STM readers

10. 10 J24685July 2007 Referring back to STM Those who read STM every week are more likely to refer back to it. Feature articles were most referred back to, followed by the Donna Hay recipes. n=124 Q:Which parts of STM do you normally refer back to? % of STM readers who refer back to magazine

11. 11 J24685July 2007 Referring back to STM Q:How long does the copy of STM usually stay around in your home?

12. 12 J24685July 2007 Household Readership of STM Q:Who else in your household has ever read STM, as far as you know? % of STM readers In 72% of households, more than one person reads the STM, typically a partner. n=300 Q:What is the total number of people in your household who have read STM, as far as you know?

13. Attitudes and Perceptions of STM

14. 14 J24685July 2007 Attitudes Toward STM % of STM readers 78% believe they can always find something of interest to them in STM, while 59% of people agree that STM is better in a glossy format. Q:To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements about STM? n=300 The style & use of photographs in STM is of a high quality STM has strong WA content STM always has something of interest to me STM is even better now it is a glossy magazine STM reflects WA's lifestyle STM is one of my favourite sections of The Sunday Times STM has relevant stories to me * Significantly more women than men

15. Profiling STM Readers

16. 16 J24685July 2007 Profile of STM Readers % of STM readers who agree I live a full & busy life I believe quality is more important than price I am always ready to try new & different products It is important to have a full social life STM Readers WA Population WA Population Source: Roy Morgan Readership Survey, 12 months to March 2007

17. 17 J24685July 2007 Profile of STM Readers % of STM readers who agree I try to look stylish I look for new experiences every day I enjoy clothes shopping I keep up-to-date with new ideas to Improve my home STM Readers WA Population WA Population Source: Roy Morgan Readership Survey, 12 months to March 2007

18. 18 J24685July 2007 Profile of STM Readers  STM’s core demographic is 25-44 year olds  25-44 year olds are more likely to buy The Sunday Times just to get a copy of STM  25-44 year olds spend more time reading STM  25-44 year olds have greater associations with the magazine than those in other age groups  25-44 year olds have a greater overall attachment to the magazine

19. Conclusions

20. 20 J24685July 2007 STM continues to improve  Since 2004, STM continues to improve in popularity with The Sunday Times readers:  84% have read it (an increase from 40% in 2004).  71% read it the last four times they read The Sunday Times (an increase from 54% in 2004).  56% agree STM is one of their favourite sections of The Sunday Times (an increase from 49% in 2004).  The magazine is perceived as interesting, entertaining and informative.

21. 21 J24685July 2007 Women  Women are more likely to purchase The Sunday Times just to get a copy of STM.  It is one of their favourite sections of the newspaper.  They are more likely to read it every week.  They find the magazine more interesting, relevant and inspirational than men.  Their favourite sections are Feature stories / Articles, Perth Confidential, Donna Hay recipes, Letters and Fashion and Beauty.  The introduction of the Donna Hay revised format recipe section is proving a success:  Apart from Feature articles it is the section most referred back to.  It is the most popular section, read every time by two thirds of all readers (including men).

22. 22 J24685July 2007 It’s hitting the target market (25-44 yr olds) STM appears to be well marketed to 25-44 year olds :  More likely to read Feature Stories, Donna Hay recipes and Book Extracts (than those who are younger).  More likely to read Fashion and Beauty and Wine Reviews (than those who are older).  More likely to buy The Sunday Times just to get a copy of STM.  Spend more time reading STM.  They have much greater associations with the magazine than those in other age groups.  They are much more attached to the magazine.

23. The Sunday Times STM Evaluation © Copyright 2007 The Sunday Times