On Monday, Aucklife ventured to Coffee News HQ in Pukekohe to talk to Helen Fisher (The boss lady) about the return of Coffee News on June 8th after taking a short hiatus due to Covid-19. Currently you can get your local edition Coffee News online here.

How did you get involved in Coffee News Helen?

I was managing a small business in Papakura and was approached to do advertising. I received a letter in the mail (she gives a slight grin at the old school nature of it). The letter explained that a new advertising medium was coming to NZ and asked if we would be interested in hearing about an exciting new opportunity.

Can you tell us about the growth of Coffee News in NZ?

Well, after the letter, I took the ‘bull by the horns’ and I started the first edition in Papakura, then six weeks later in Franklin and six weeks later in Manukau. From there Coffee News has expanded to approximately 30 editions around New Zealand. Each edition is independently owned by different individuals in NZ and operates under licenses with exclusive territories. They were unable to print or distribute during Lockdown so we created digital copies of Coffee News and pushed it out online.

Can you tell us about your target market? Who do you promote?

We specialise in the ongoing promotion of small to medium size businesses from tradesmen, accountants, lawyers, mechanics, funeral directors, real estate agents, property management, photographers… the list goes on.

Is there a minimum length of time you suggest for advertisers and why?

We recommend that people advertise for 3-4 months as a start. It is a nice complement to their marketing mix. And readers like to see advertisers in print in an ever-increasing digital world. Marketers understand that the more humans are exposed to something the better we remember it. Some suggest it takes 15 or more exposures of a new idea or concept before we really accept and understand it. So that is the same for your business. It is important to get exposure as many times as you can.

What’s is the Coffee News key to success?

We only allow one business from each category to advertise. I.e. if a family lawyer wants to advertise in the Ponsonby Edition, then no other family lawyer can advertise there. In the same respect, as the ads are exclusive and reasonably priced, people are reluctant to give up their space. We still have some advertisers who have been with us from day one. That goes to show the popularity of the publication.

Why has Coffee News lasted the distance? Is there a secret formula?

Coffee News took some months of research before it was started. It employs different psychological and super-learning techniques. The style, the uniformity of the size and the way the outline is set out is designed to draw the eye from one ad to the next.

Coffee News has an item of interest to someone. Some people enjoy the horoscopes, some can’t wait for the lucky numbers, or the trivia to challenge friends.We do have some “Coffee News addicts”, these people even collect them every week. We are often asked, “where we can get a copy” when people move out of the area.

Helen, we noticed that there are often competitions and giveaways in the Coffee News. How can Aucklife readers get in on this action?

There is a competition entry on my website and we even take competition entries by snail mail.

For more information about Coffee News advertising please contact below.

Hayley 0277197700 : Ponsonby, CBD, Remuera/New Market, Sylvia Park & Eastern Bays
Helen 09 239 1702 : All other areas/General Enquiries.