RIP Evening Standard: How to win new audiences in a post-print world
When the phone replaced the paper as the way to hide from another human being, we lost a lot of that randomness, the joy of the unexpected, a little something to spark your curiosity.
The first rule of the London Underground is never make eye contact. And one of the traditional ways to stay unseen was to bury your head in a copy of the Evening Standard.
Now after nearly 200 years, it’s printed its last edition, and a small but somehow significant part of life in the capital has quietly disappeared. Reborn as a weekly review, it’s both a surprise the daily edition is gone and a shock it didn’t vanish a decade ago.
But we’re not putting this article to bed just yet – this isn’t another tired nostalgia trip about the end of newspapers.
When paper to pixel means no more surprises
There was something oddly communal about flicking through the Standard on the Tube.
Whether you picked it up for the main headline or just for something to hide behind, there was always a chance you’d accidentally stumble across something that stuck with you – from an important piece on politics to a great bit of celebrity gossip.
But when the phone replaced the paper as the way to hide from another human being, we lost a lot of that randomness, the joy of the unexpected, a little something to spark your curiosity.
Hidden behind the glow of the screen, the algorithm-driven, post-print experience delivers precisely what we want – but means we don’t get that commuter community exposure to the things that other people love.
If all you want is politics from Number 10, you’re not going to accidentally keep up with the latest scandal from Love Island – or get the latest scandal from Number 10 and a deep dive into the politics of Love Island.
How niche content can narrow your appeal
As our post-print habits become more and more niche, brands need to adapt to a world where fewer things are really shared.
For marketers, at one level this hyper-targeted individualised content is great. You know exactly who you’re talking to, and you can serve them precisely what they’re interested in.
But that’s also the problem. They’re already there, and they already know you exist.
By thinking too narrowly, brands risk failing to grab people’s attention who weren’t looking for them in the first place – losing the chance of the thrill of discovery, and the chance to win new business.
In this atomised world, brands that succeed will be the ones that can balance the power of personalisation with the need for cultural relevance – finding stories that resonate not just with individuals but give people a chance to feel part of something bigger that brings them together.
The fall of the Standard is just another reminder of how much the world has changed. It highlights the challenge of reaching consumers in an atomised landscape where communal experiences and surprise encounters are harder to find.
Time for a new standard in marketing
At Sticky, we believe marketers can help bridge this gap by tapping into what drives people to seek out the new and the unexpected – their curiosity.
Rather than relying on dated demographics to make niche ads for narrow interests, brands can use curiosity to spark surprise and invite consumers to explore something new, without having to rely on a chance encounter with a second-hand newspaper.
Our research shows when you can spark an audience’s curiosity, they are more likely to connect on a deeper and more meaningful level – build stronger emotional connections, increase loyalty, and drive consumer action.
In one way, the fall of the Standard is just another reminder of how much the world has changed. It highlights the challenge of reaching consumers in an atomised landscape where communal experiences and surprise encounters are harder to find.
But it also highlights a marketing opportunity. A chance for brands to look for ways to bring people together by create meaningful communal experiences in an increasingly disconnected world.
If you’re looking for a new and proven way to reach an atomised audience, why not take a look at our Curiosity Cohorts and get in touch with the Sticky team.
