Economist hopes to benefit from economic downturn

Katie Allen of The Guardian in London writes Tuesday that The Economist believes it can boost subscribers during an economic downturn.

Allen wrote, “Though some advertisers warn that the credit crunch will hurt spending on marketing and therefore put pressure on media companies, Alexander sees a potential boost from the turmoil.

“Asked about being able to capture new readers hungry for analysis and comment during downturns, she said circulation had indeed been counter-cyclical at some points in the past. There had been some signs since this summer.

“‘On critical financial things people do turn to the Economist … but we have yet to see that come through fully yet,’ she said. ‘It comes back to the point of how we make sense of the world. It’s absolutely a highlight of the brand: forming opinions and having points of view. A viewspaper, not a newspaper.'”

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