Kobo to Fund NPR Underwriting Campaign to Strengthen Kobo Brand in U.S.

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Beginning immediately after BookExpo America, Kobo eReaders and eBooks will be featured in a national brand campaign on NPR that will run until the end of the year. The news was announced first to ABA member bookstores participating in the Kobo program in an e-mail update on May 23.

Kobo will be funding the campaign, expected to begin on June 3, and the American Booksellers Association will be working directly with NPR to place the underwriting messages on such shows as All Things Considered; Morning Edition; Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me; Weekend Edition; and Ask Me Another. It’s expected that at launch the campaign will reach more than 6.5 million listeners, with more than 18 million total listener impressions.

The underwriting messages will reference Kobo eReaders, and, through the course of the year, the tag lines will be changed to reference other devices or features. All the tag lines will note Kobo’s availability at independent bookstores and will direct listeners to IndieBound.org to locate their nearest ABA member bookstore in the Kobo program. ABA has posted a special Kobo-related banner linking to a full list of Kobo program bookstores on the IndieBound.org homepage.

“This is very big, and very good news,” said ABA CEO Oren Teicher. “Responding to the needs of our market, and the direct feedback of ABA bookstores in the eReader and eBook program, Kobo has taken a significant step in strengthening their brand in the U.S. NPR is the gold standard for reaching our best customers, and it’s expected that this program’s national reach and penetration will reach markets large and small from coast to coast.”

Booksellers in the Kobo program are encouraged to contact their Ingram reps to place orders for eReaders. If you are a bookstore in the program and did not receive the recent e-mail announcing the new NPR underwriting program, please e-mail [email protected].

Information about joining the Kobo program can be found in the eCommerce/eBook section of BookWeb.org.