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The Daily Mail is to hike its advertising rates by a hefty 15 per cent

as it seeks to capitalise on rising sales following the closure of

Today.

The Mail has increased its circulation by around eight per cent since

Today folded in November. It topped the two million mark in both January

and February.

The rise is significantly more than the recent increases imposed by

rival newspaper owners. The Mail on Sunday hiked its rates by 5 per cent

in November, the Mirror Group recently pushed its rates up by an average

of 7 per cent, while the Sun has increased its rates by 7.5 per cent.

Agency press buyers gave a mixed reaction to the news, with some calling

the numbers and profile of the Mail’s new readers into question.

Agencies expect the new readers to be older and more downmarket.

Caroline Simpson, the head of press at Zenith Media, said the Mail would

probably have ‘a degree of success’ in pushing through the increase, but

stressed that the changing readership profile meant that a flat increase

across all target audiences would be resisted.

Tim McCloskey, the deputy media director at BMP DDB, said the move had

been expected in the wake of circulation gains and rate increases at

other newspapers, including the Daily Mirror and the Daily Telegraph.

‘Nobody expects to get the full value of any rate increase,’ he added.

‘They aim to get a percentage of it in order to maintain their

differentials in the marketplace. On that basis, the Mail is right to do

it.’

The Mail’s ad director, Mike Ironside, confirmed the increase would

start on 9 April and claimed that new NRS figures showed a high

proportion of its new readers were young, male and ABC1.