Issue 7, vol. 1 - August 2005

We love Dose. We wouldn’t be surprised if you hadn’t heard of it (well, if you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months). It’s the latest effort to reach young Canadians in a daily newspaper format and it’s brought to you by CanWest.

Dose has attempted (and succeeded, in our opinion) to do the impossible, to speak with a distinct tone that appeals to a young Canadian audience, aged 18 to 34. Each day, 200 to 320K issues are distributed in five major Canadian markets – Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Toronto.

A more casual approach to the news – both in content and in look – is just what the doctor prescribed. Dose’s sarcastic tone and no-bullshit attitude fall in line with the Jon Stewart’s of this world; The Daily Show, being an immensely popular news source for young people. Also, note the rise in interest in documentaries and blogs among youth as another indication of youth-driven journalism where youth report on the news as they see it from their own experiences.

Dose also takes a transparent approach to advertising; ads are even labeled as such. Generally speaking, young people are appreciative of transparency when it comes to marketing.

Now that Dose has survived those first few critical months, pick up rates have improved and advertisers are really starting to take notice. Dose.ca is a strong Web site with growing monthly traffic and opt-in email lists.

More interesting for us is that Dose is extending their brand, as so many good youth brands do. Dose will soon be launching Dose Live, a campus tour with Kardinal Offishall; a Canadian tour with Bedouin Soundclash (TBC); and a Dandy Warhols concert in Toronto around the time of the Toronto International Film Festival. In addition, Dose’s fall plans include a highly unique and innovative mobile blogging campaign that will put the power of SMS blogging in consumers’ hands.

All in all it’s looking good for Dose. And if you’re a youth marketer who needs to reach young adults 18-24 with a relevant youth-inspired media channel, Dose should be a top consideration.

For more information on Youthography's marketing, advertising, events and promotions expertise, please contact Jeff Roach at 416 204 1256 x231 or email jeff@youthography.com

From Our Marketing Desk...

According to 2004 PING data, 16-29-year-olds spend on average two hours per week reading local weekly newspapers (like Now Toronto) and one and a half hours each week reading daily newspapers.