Yeas can go by in a flash and so it has been — it is a decade this week since the Mayo Advertiser first arrived on your doorstep. Being a Mayo native myself and continuing the sterling work what the Galway Advertiser had achieved in Galway since its foundation in 1970, it was with great excitement that we commenced publishing the Mayo Advertiser in October 2006.
The Galway Advertiser brand was well known to many of us from Mayo who had studied or worked in Galway. It was a brand that enabled us to find a home, a site, a job, or a location for a good night out. In Galway, the Advertiser is the runaway market leader in terms of getting information to 150,000 readers each week. It it wasn’t in the Advertiser, it wasn’t happening.
And so, our decision to open in Mayo seemed an obvious one. Our belief in the economy of Mayo has been justified by the development of the Mayo Advertiser as the strongest advertising medium in the county. At a time when the circulation of paid-for newspapers in general was declining, the Advertiser, as a free newspaper, controls its own circulation so that it can guarantee that businesses get their messages across to readers.
Having the largest audience means that your message gets to a bigger audience and is more cost effective per customer than in other media.
Mayo is one of the most competitive media landscapes in the country and was already home to several fine longstanding paid-for newspapers and a strong radio station when we arrived — and we are glad to have contributed to the continuation of that fine tradition of storytelling.
A hunger for news and information exists in Mayo the likes of which is not replicated elsewhere. We knew that if were to meet this need, we would have to provide a product unlike any other. With a talented team, we have achieved this. A decade later, the Mayo Advertiser stands a strong independent voice allowing communities and organisations across the country a platform from which to air their views and publicise their events.
What enabled us to build this strong product has been a team of energetic staff working in the Mayo Advertiser, From editorial to sales to customer service, all have contributed to making the Mayo Advertiser the effective news, information and marketing solution it is.
For a decade, we have been bringing you a variety of voices and commentary on matters pertaining to life in Mayo. We have been there for all the successes and celebrations, and sadly, for all the tragedies and losses. We are blessed to have a large audience — so please feel free to share this audience if you want us to highlight your events, your opinions, your news.
A lot has happened in Mayo in the last decade and the county will be at the centre of the news agenda again for the next one. And the Mayo Advertiser will once again be there to bring you the news and information in print, and online, and through our social media platforms.
On behalf of the management and staff of the Advertiser Newspaper Group, I would like to thank you for your advertising custom and loyalty. We would like to thank all the shops and businesses that stock us; and the owners of the thousands of doormats we fall upon each Friday morning.
We pledge to continue serving you as your free community newspaper well into the future. Here's to the next decade, and beyond.
Declan Varley, Group Editor,
Advertiser Newspaper Group
