In a first for the two companies, News Corp Australia and Coles have partnered to deliver one of their largest retail sales partnerships to date, launching an exclusive Little Shop 2 mini newspaper under the Kids News masthead.
The collaboration between the two businesses will see consumers offered a bonus Kids News mini newspaper with the purchase of a participating News Corp Australia newspaper in Coles stores this weekend. Driving in-store newspaper purchases with an exclusive two-day only offer, an intensive ATL and BTL fully integrated campaign will support the promotion.
Lou Barrett, managing director national sales at News Corp Australia, said: “The Little Shop phenomenon took Australia by storm last year and we are thrilled to grow our Coles partnership with this exclusive Kids News mini newspaper.
“Kids News is News Corp’s national education platform for children and teachers, with news stories specifically crafted for children and housed in a safe, online environment.
“We are passionate about the issue of literacy and improving the reading and writing skills of all Australians and we are thrilled to work with Coles and bring Kids News to the attention of more parents.”
Lisa Ronson, Coles CMO, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with News Corp Australia to create the exclusive Kids News mini newspaper. The surprise addition to the Coles Little Shop 2 mini collection is a wonderful way to encourage children to read and learn in a fun and engaging way.
“We know that many parents and teachers are using the Little Shop 2 minis as educational tools to help kids with their numeracy skills. The new mini Kids News newspaper extends this learning and also encourages children to enjoy reading and writing.
“Customers can visit any of our supermarkets this weekend to get their hands on the exclusive Little Shop mini newspaper with any participating News Corp newspaper purchase.”
To amplify the launch of the Kids News mini newspaper, News Corp has partnered with Channel 10’s Studio 10 program to find Australia’s youngest newsreader. The nationwide search will saw the winner on Studio 10 Friday morning.
News Corp’s Kids News publisher Toni Hetherington, said: “We are excited to showcase a little taste of what the Kids News website is all about.
“We are immensely proud of the daily content we produce for classrooms across Australia, and are passionate about inspiring and educating the next generation of readers through the power of news. We hope the Kids News mini newspaper helps to achieve this.”
The campaign is supported with a joint marketing campaign including press, digital, TV, radio and point of sale.
Twenty-eight News Corp Australia metro and regional print titles in NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, NT and TAS will be participating in the Coles Little Shop 2 offer this weekend.