Generation of Metro

Poland’s free daily newspaper Metro changed its editorial focus, layout and launched a nation-wide advertising campaign.

Metro is published by the Polish media group Agora. It was launched in 1998 as a weekly local supplement to the paid daily Gazeta Wyborcza in Warsaw. It evolved into an independent free-of-charge daily in 2001. Currently, it is distributed in 19 cities and its average circulation reaches 512 thousand copies.

In July 2008, the new editor-in-chief Waldemar Pas and the publisher Joanna Parczynska announced their plans to chang Metro’s editorial strategy. They wanted to focus more on readers up to 30 years old, an attractive and large demographics due to birth boom in 1980-90s.

”We give a priority to young generation’s problems that other [newspapers] neglect,” said Ms. Parczynska.

”We identify ourselves with this boom generation’s needs and aspirations,” added Mr. Pas.

They promised to invest in the newspaper’s contents, as they wanted Metro to become more and more quality-like daily: engaged in certain issues and actively taking part in a public debate.

They announced also a re-design of the newspaper (scheduled to August, 8th) and an advertising campaign in outdoor, newspapers, radio stations and online websites.

Here you see examples of Metro’s billboards:

The ad slogan reads ”Generation of Metro” and features staff members: journalists, editors, designers.

”We want to show that this newspaper is created by young people for young people,” explained Mr. Pas.

The quotes from the ads read: ”Sometimes one has to get off the boat”, ”Sometimes it’s hard to be humble”, ”I like to listen to people”.

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