Tabloid values resonate

The top-selling daily matched “very well” with the personal values of 55 percent of more than 500 respondents in the state.

Rival, broadsheet The Age, met the personal values of 33 percent of respondents.

Only 16 percent said they had the same values as The Australian and 7 percent felt in synch with the Australian Financial Review.

The study made no mention of the type of content that struck a chord.

Victoria is very much an AFL football-mad state – a fact to which the Herald Sun is acutely attuned.

Across brands outside the industry, the Herald Sun rated third behind Bunnings and Google.

The paper is the only media entity in the top 10 of companies from across the economy, beating Woolworths, Safeway, Cadbury, Coles, Nescafe, Vegemite and Target.

“Brands rise or fall based on the extent to which they connect with their audiences and how broad the audience is,” said consultant strategy planner on the study, David Chalke.

“To be in the top three brands in the state says that all elements of the marketing mix are working (product, place, price and promotion) and are resonating with the values of most Victorians.”

The Herald Sun launched in March its “digital pass”, which provides a paid subscriber access to premium content.

“Our marketing and PR efforts have clearly strengthened our brand value in the past 12 months,” said Herald Sun editor Simon Pristel.