Although the Daily Sun saw its largest growth ever in the third quarter, almost 70 percent of daily newspapers in South Africa saw circulation drop compared to figures the same time last year, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations data released Thursday, BizCommunity Africa reported.

Although dailies and weeklies are down compared to 2007, and the hybrid category (The Times) is unchanged, “within this general performance, we still see specific titles delivering significant growth, which provides proof of consumer or reader vitality and support,” ABC Vice President Gordon Patterson said in an ABC presentation in Johannesburg Thursday, according to BizCommunity.

Newspapers seeing growth amid an overall decline were The Weekender, which was up 15 percent in the third quarter over last year; The Sunday Sun saw “the largest numeric gain in circulation” by gaining more than 10,000 copies; and Ilanga Langesonto was up 10 percent, BizCommunity reported.

Patterson said that overall, the newspaper industry continues to innovate, despite poor economic conditions.

“To deliver a profitable future, we all will have to change the way we operate. Understanding consumers and advertisers will be paramount,” he advised, according to BizCommunity.

Hendrik van Vuuren, statistician and research director at Millward Brown, advised newspapers to continue strengthening their brands even in the face of a poor global economic climate.

“A brand is a sign of recognition and is linked to hopefully positive consumer experiences. A brand is a sum of all people's mental associations and those associations are not automatically voided during tough economic times,” he said in a presentation, BizCommunity reported. “Remember, recessions come and go, brands are for life.”