Advertisers’ top choice: The STAR

The Philippine STAR continues to be the No. 1 choice of advertisers in the last 12 months, generating some P 2.2 billion in display advertising revenue, a survey of the Nielsen Media Research Print Advertising Information Service revealed.

In an age when competition among dailies is no longer confined to just readership, gaining the confidence of advertisers is as much a feat as earning the respect of the public.

The STAR has been leading in terms of display advertising among the major daily broadsheets since November 2006, the research said.

From January to October 2007, The STAR’s advertising revenues totaled P2.28 billion compared to Philippine Daily Inquirer’s P2.08 billion and Manila Bulletin’s P1.07 billion. The research firm included in its survey all regular ad types based on published costs.

In October 2007, The STAR’s aggressive advertising efforts reaped significant rewards, with the paper acquiring a large chunk of the advertising pie and zooming to a 46-percent share of the market, compared to Inquirer’s 37 percent, and Bulletin’s 17 percent. The recent month reflected the biggest lead of The STAR since November 2006.

Founded on July 28, 1986 by veteran journalists Maximo Soliven, Betty Go-Belmonte and Art Borjal, The STAR has since grown remarkably in terms of advertising and number of pages. From an eight-page single section newspaper in 1986, the paper now averages 80 pages a day with full-color capability in each of its pages.

In 2006, The STAR was given the “Newspaper of the Year Award” by the Rotary Club of Manila “for consistently upholding the principles of responsible journalism in maintaining fair and balanced reporting, as well as espousing the pursuit of good governance, free enterprise, social justice and key aspects of nation-building.”

Cited for its “neutral” frontpage stories in the last midterm elections by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, the paper was also last year’s recipient of the coveted Marketing Company of the Year Agora Award bestowed by the Philippine Marketing Association.

As a way of thanking its loyal clientele for their patronage, The Philippine STAR highlights its major presence in the ongoing 20th Philippine Advertising Congress with a luncheon sponsorship today, where it will be raffling off two 2007 Toyota Vios units worth over P1.5 million along with other major prizes.

The company’s booth participation is also drawing raves from Congress participants, with no less than Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon belting out a song at the KTV lounge of The STAR booth while other Ad Congress execs tried their hand at Nintendo Wii video games.

The Ad Congress, which opened yesterday and ends on Saturday, is being held for the first time in Subic Bay Freeport, Olongapo City.