400 Newspaper Executives To Discuss Battle For the Individual At New York INMA World Congress.

Business Editors/Publishing Industry Writers

74th Annual INMA World Congress

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 2004

Nearly 400 delegates from 42 countries will converge on New York's Plaza Hotel May 16-19 for the 74th Annual INMA World Congress of Newspaper Marketing.

The annual conference of the International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA) will provide the year's most innovative examination of strategic opportunities and threats facing the newspaper industry. The conference theme is "The Battle For the Individual" and how newspapers must move from mass-market strategies to a series of niche market and one-to-one strategies.

Among the presentations will be a look at The New York Times Company's pursuit of up-market readers by Chief Operating Officer Janet Robinson and the pursuit of the middle market by Murdoch MacLennan, managing director of London-based Associated Newspapers. And in a first for the newspaper industry, four of the world's leading publishers of free commuter newspapers - from Metro to 20 Minutes to amNew York to Quick - will gather on one stage to discuss their pursuit of young up-market adults.

Meanwhile, the INMA World Congress will examine key issues facing newspapers in 2004, including:

-- A McKinsey & Company look at the business implications of

quality broadsheets converting to tabloid format.

-- A Microsoft cultural anthropologist discussing how the

Internet generation interacts with media and specific

opportunities for newspapers.

-- Major advertising trends worldwide by the chairman of the

London-based World Advertising Research Center (WARC).

-- The structural shifts in the classified advertising

marketplace post-Internet boom and post-recession.

-- And, digital trends for newspaper companies ranging from SMS 

text messaging to the Internet to next-generation

technologies.

Case studies presented during the conference include Norway's Aftenposten and the adaptation of cutting-edge customer relationship management (CRM) principles, the launch of a quality popular newspaper in Guatemala that more than doubled the publishing company's circulation, and the Tampa Tribune's branding campaign and how it has impacted the company.

Meanwhile, a post-conference workshop on Wednesday, May 19, will look at what New York newspapers are doing in circulation and readership development - including how the New York Post has become a world-class newspaper, Newsday's recent redesign, and The New York Times' circulation marketing efforts.

A pre-conference workshop on Sunday morning, May 16, will examine key trends in newspapers worldwide.

In addition to the program, the INMA World Congress will feature a trade show of leading newspaper industry vendors and an exhibit featuring award recipients in the 2004 INMA Newspaper Marketing Awards Competition. The 2004 newspaper marketing awards will be announced Monday afternoon, May 17, during the New York conference. INMA's Silver Shovel Award, signifying excellence to the newspaper industry and a commitment to the association, will be presented at a closing reception Tuesday evening, May 18, at Tavern On The Green in New York's Central Park.

Most delegates to the INMA World Congress represent the leading newspapers in Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and the South Pacific, among others.

More information on the INMA World Congress may be obtained by web at www.inma.org/nyc.cfm

INMA (www.inma.org) is a non-profit association dedicated to promoting advanced marketing principles within the newspaper industry. The Dallas-based INMA has more than 8,000 members and subscribers in 125 countries.