Still a little Topsy, but a whole lot less Turvy

One year later, the Topsy Turvy concept is back in this week’s ANR, though on a much smaller scale.
Hoping to shift your perspective a bit and invite readers to spend a little more time reading the content in their hometown weekly newspaper, we got a little bit sideways with some of you last September. The ANR staff designed pages with advertisements placed at the top of the page rather than their traditional spot anchored at the bottom, which was in and of itself an effective promotion. Many readers said they were at first confused, some offended, but that they did spend more time reading the ads and in general it took longer to scan through that week’s edition.
Mission accomplished, I thought as ANR co-publisher. When readers are talking about that week’s edition long after it rolls off the press, that’s a good thing.
However, in an effort to let the news staff get creative we published some pictures and headlines upside down or sideways last year as well, which readers told us loudly and clearly went a step too far. What I simply had not factored in was the fact that e-edition readers who tried to flip those pages upside down to see the pictures right side up were frustrated when the computer kept flipping the images. That was an oversight.
“What have you done to my newspaper?” one reader asked. 
“I don’t like it,” another added, bluntly. “It took a lot longer to read this week’s edition and I don’t appreciate that.”
“Why would you do that?” asked another.
On the flip side, we had some readers say they loved the Topsy Turvy concept, admitting that it challenged their brains having to piece things they’re familiar with together in a different way. We took a bit of a gamble with that edition, to be honest, and it was refreshing to hear that some of you got the intended message and took it in stride, with a smile.
So, a year later we discussed at length rather to bring the Topsy Turvy concept back for another shake-up or let it rest in peace. Based on last year’s mixed reviews, we decided to challenge your perspective again, but in a kinder, gentler way. Thus you’ll see ads on the top of many pages in this week’s edition, though all the news elements are right side up and where they should be.
Bekah Mead, our energetic young advertising/marketing representative, came up with the idea last year in hopes of putting more emphasis on ANR advertising. “Local businesses are a fundamental part of the community,” Mead wrote, and on that point I could not agree more.
My hunch is that many of you can’t help but spend a little more time looking over this week’s ads since the eye is naturally drawn to the top of the page. This edition may not win any awards for page design, but we hope this one-week change of perspective makes you think a bit more about the local businesses that work hard to provide quality products and services on your behalf.
Perspective matters, and from my perspective Hamilton County would simply not be the wonderful, dynamic place to live, work and raise a family that it is without our local businesses.
On that point I’m sure we can all agree!
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net