Copper phone network? Gone. Newspapers? See you later.
Technology constantly evolves, and media companies must adapt or get left behind — but Coffee News refuses to do either.
Coffee News is a folded-in-half, A3 weekly publication with less news and more trivia, horoscopes, and jokes. Coffee News is available anywhere people wait, from the local fish’n’chip shop to the doctor’s waiting room.
Coffee News started in Canada in 1988 and came to New Zealand in 2001. It’s sepia-coloured, with outdated font and cartoons. The overall design looks like it hasn’t changed since its initial inception in 1988 — because it hasn’t.
Despite this, Coffee News is read by locals up and down the motu.
Penny Lane’s Bakery in Onehunga has Coffee News pamphlets proudly displayed next to their sweets cabinet. Seven Sharp asked a server, Jack, if people actually read the publication.
“Yes, they do. They always come in and buy food, and then they take one and read it.”
Coffee News looks like it’s stuck in time, so how does it stay relevant? We sat with New Zealand franchisor Rudy Kokx to find out.
“It’s just a really positive publication that’s available for free. It’s a great way of spending your time, rather than being on your phone,” he said.
A head office provides the content in the middle of Coffee News. There is a broad range of trivia, horoscopes, and lucky numbers, but all the content has one common theme: Good news.
Kokx is just as emphatically positive as the newspaper he promotes. He believes in it so much that he advertises himself in Coffee News Whangārei.
Coffee News has a pretty simple recipe for success. Costs are low because it carries the same central content for every issue.
Local franchisees facilitate local advertisers who sponsor the print and distribution of Coffee News to their readers, who enjoy it for free.
However, this still doesn’t explain why Coffee News’ design hasn’t had a spruce up in over 20 years.
“This works, so why change?” Kokx said. “Everyone wants to go retro; we are the original retro because we have never changed.”
Perhaps nostalgia has readers reaching for Coffee News instead of their phones.
It’s nice to know that some things will remain the same in a constantly changing world.