User:Blechler/SNAP Newspapers

The SNAP Newspaper Group Inc. is an organization that franchises community-centric media and marketing business that focus around positive local monthly publications.

In 2004, Canadian businessmen Paul Dutton and Dr. Jon Henderson founded SNAP Newspaper Group Inc. after the introduction of SNAP Newmarket, a photo-based publication that showcases a local suburb just north of Toronto Ontario, Canada. This particular community was chosen as a test market for SNAP’s unique style of ground-up community based advertising, marketing and public relations; as the existing newspapers and other publications in that area, as well as those nationally and internationally, had been growing stale in the public eye for some time. Local media markets had been continually eroding over the years as large nationals and multinationals became dominant players who delivered mostly negative and sensational editorial content. In short, these local publications had drastically lost touch with their readership and advertisers alike, but the community and local business had little other alternative. Utilizing their extensive knowledge of the advertising, marketing and technology fields, Dutton and Henderson recognized an opportunity to deliver a truly Positive Community Based Publication, blending community support and public relations with a dynamic financial model to make it all possible. Not only did SNAP Newmarket successfully grow as a community paper in its own right, it also proved to be an excellent role model for future SNAP business and SNAP publications.

By adopting a strong community foundation and gradually implementing a progressive use of technology, SNAP Newmarket set the stage for a unique and efficiently lean business model for other communities to emulate. With this viable foundation in place, SNAP Newspaper Group Inc. began the hiring of key personnel to further reinforce the business model so that it could be easily replicated and transferred into other communities. Within the next 5 years, SNAP grew to more than 53 franchises across North America, with SNAP newspapers being published in the United States and Italy, and continues to grow today. While constant upgrades and efficiencies are introduced on both a technological side and in relation to franchisee support, the business model has ultimately remained the same to this day.

Each individual SNAP Newspaper Group Franchise Business operates a community-based media, public relations, marketing, and networking (business to consumer, business to business, and social networking) business in a defined territory, using the proprietary brands, publication format, advertising and content structure, rules and regulations and procedures, and proprietary business methods of SNAP Newspaper Group Inc. The central component of each Franchise Business is the periodic publication (presently published monthly, and delivered FREE to the consumer), branded as a SNAP™ publication, specializing in a “non-political” friendly and entertaining photographic view of living in the particular local community. Each publication is intended to cover everything of local interest to that community, including: home, business, birthday and surprise parties; sporting events; business openings, sales and events; festivals & concerts; people on the street; parades; carnivals; and general daily life. Local content from the print publication is included on local and/or regional web sites, and may be used in conjunction with other media initiatives, and new forms of media, as demand allows and the opportunity to provide profitable service offerings develop.

Each SNAP Newspaper Group Inc. publication and each Franchise Business acts as a hub for serving the public relations, marketing, advertising, and networking needs of its community. Each Franchise Business becomes a trusted tool to connect people, and to sell goods and services within that community. SNAP Newspaper Group Inc. as a family of Local Newspapers strives to represent the optimistic side of the community: the barbeques and seniors days, baseball tournaments, charity car washes, business community involvement, live shows at bars and restaurants, opening nights, ribbon cuttings and the multitude of diverse cultural and seasonal events that breathe life into each community on a monthly basis.

Each SNAP Newspaper Group Inc. franchise is designed to be operated and managed by a single person, possibly (but not necessarily) with the assistance of a sales, photography or administrative employee. The creative, pre-press and publishing components are all handled by SNAP Newspaper Group Inc. on behalf of, and in conjunction with the franchisee. Therefore, the entire process is viewed more as a partnership between the franchisee and franchisor to make better use of time, staff and economies of scale. Through this model, SNAP franchisees are able to spend much more time covering events, developing community contacts and selling advertisements/PR, and much less time on the building, designing and printing of a newspaper.

SNAP Newspaper Group’s common goal is foster positive involvement with and engage both the private and public sector within each community, through celebrating and showcasing the various programs, fundraisers, business openings, team sports and other community based events on a monthly and ongoing basis. The Head Office of SNAP Newspaper Group, still located in Newmarket Ontario, facilitates corporate growth and advancement strategies, regional and national adverting initiatives and the design of all its franchise media products centrally and works digitally through ftp (file transfer protocol) to communicate with its various partners around the continent (and abroad) to print and ship the paper to the franchisee as needed. SNAP also produces a strong web-based photo and video component to community events and supplies various links to other community organizations.