Check out the Indy explaining why people read newspapers. They quote Mark Gallagher, press director at media strategists Manning Gottlieb OMD. Seems like a decent chap. Media strategist, though? What is Manning Gottlieb and why are they with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark? Ah, they buy ad space. Not so much strategists in the classic McKinsey sense then…but at least Mark knows what makes people read papers. Crosswords.

“Crosswords mirror what newspapers are all about – they’re thought-provoking,” he says.

“News channels report news. Newspapers, however, offer more comment and so are a more engaging medium – puzzles therefore fit naturally into that. And the clear benefit to publishers and advertisers is that they increase the time a reader spends with a paper and generate a considerable degree of loyalty – more so than many columnists, in my view.”

I hope the clients get this kind of advice – I’m really excited about seeing the first Ximenean ad campaign…