“Indian newspaper companies
have an interesting role in the world”
–says Earl J Wilkinson, executive director and chief executive officer, International News Media Association (INMA) in conversation with Varsha Verma, on his recent trip to India.
INMA has 6,824 members, of which 605 are leading news companies from 81 countries. It also includes 500 members from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh), told Earl J Wilkinson, executive director and CEO, INMA proudly. “INMA is an 84 years old association, which has grown virally into an idea network. For the last five years, INMA is guiding, nurturing and nudging leading news companies to become multimedia multi-platform companies.”
Earl J Wilkinson joined INMA in 1990 as publications editor, and was appointed executive director and CEO in 1992. During his 22 years with the Dallas-based INMA, he has helped transform the association into one of the world's fastest-growing and most influential press associations. He was honoured for his work with the 2005 Silver Shovel Award for meritorious service to the global newspaper industry, as well as the 2001 Golden Tie Award for contributions made to the European newspaper industry. He has logged more than three million air miles visiting the leading newspapers in 51 countries of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, and South Pacific.
Role of INMA...
Talking about the role of INMA, Earl shared that the association is a leading idea network. Interestingly, Earl feels that the greatest thing INMA members learn from this forum is learning from other’s mistakes. “We look at technology trends - from print to multimedia. Hundred years back, we could not imagine the digital technology, but it is a reality now. Our members tell us that newspaper companies need to focus on content and not on the platforms. Competencies determine product and not vice versa. So, if you focus on competencies, it will help you in the long run,” he added.
Indian newspaper industry...
Talking about the Indian newspaper industry, Earl said that 10 years back, it was a print-centric industry and newspapers could not get their hands off newsprint. “It is fascinating to see the rise of language press in the eyes of advertisers and readers. A few years back, McKinsey had projected a shift in advertising to language in tier II and III markets and this is today a reality. The language news companies are vibrant. Some big giants are at par with the English language press in terms of credibility and brand connectivity,” he said.
It is a demographic market. The role of appreciation is huge in terms of strategy for newspaper and media companies. “People got to engage to rise up apathy. Indian newspapers’ social responsibility campaigns are much better than international counterparts as they connect with the heart and soul of the consumer,” he appreciated.
“In the developed markets, print is evolving into revenue-driven situational products. Products and packaging are back, the focus is now more on packaging a product differently,” he added.
Digital – the gigantic shift
So, what’s the next innovation in the newspaper industry? “Leading newspapers are now eyeing mobile phones and smartphones. It is a gigantic shift, where 30-40 percent of total digital traffic is via smartphones, especially the young readers. But I feel that mobile publishing is more an opportunity than a threat as there would be a shift in the consumption,” told Earl.
Earl gave his own example that when he reads his morning newspaper every day, he quickly browses to the local news page as he already knows the international happenings through other digital mediums. “So, the media companies need to think what they can hold back for print,” he said.
Though digital has made inroads in Indian newspaper segment, print will stay for many more decades in India, he feels. “For the last 4-5 years, Indian newspaper publishers use international network to know where digital fits in the revenue integration when print seems to be coming down,” he added.
Indian newspaper companies and INMA: the ultimate connect
“For Indian newspaper companies, INMA is the leading association,” claimed Earl. “We connect Indian newspapers with best practices to advertising, revenue and brands. Besides, we also have a secondary role where we bring in competitors together in one room to discuss and strategise,” he added.
India has an interesting role in the world, he said. “Indian publishers are very creative, they come up with innovative advertising solutions and their CSR campaigns are brilliant. It’s more than just charity, they are literally leaders. This PR approach is very different from other parts of the world. And it’s not just English language publishers which are going big, even Hindi, Tamil and other language publishers are trying to be leaders. There is competition for readers/advertisers amongst them but not in CSR activities. They generally respect each other and collectively their CSR efforts are huge,” briefed Earl.
Talking about the innovations, Earl said that Indian newspaper companies go all out for advertisers, they are more customer-friendly and they have an agency like approach to big brand advertisers. “But they do not carry over the creativity to multi-platforms unless the advertisers need it. They have already proved the power of print, it is now time to give a multimedia solution to the advertiser,” he opined.
INMA activities in India
The 7th INMA South Asia Conference under the theme “Print: Thriving in the Age of Digital” specifically for news media companies in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, will be held at New Delhi on August 21-22, 2014. The conference will be a fast-paced tour de force of ideas and innovations to grow newspaper advertising, circulation and brand by addressing key current issues in the print + digital ecology of the South Asia market.
Talking about the upcoming INMA South Asia Conference, Earl told that the volunteer committee is trying to come up with topics like where the growth is posed strategically, balance between print and digital, where digital fits and how much acceleration digital needs when print is still growing healthy, etc. He also said that the conference will be an opportunity to know what the other Indian newspapers are doing and how to get into the minds of the advertisers.
Besides the INMA South Asia Conference, INMA also tries to do one or two smaller workshops every year based on what newspapers want. “This year, we are planning to do a circulation workshop. It is aimed to act as a bridge between India and rest of the world. We engage and talk about the latest trends, besides stirring up ideas and sparking off a debate amongst themselves,” told Earl.
Message to newspaper companies...
“Separate the cyclical from the structural as economies will go up and down, newspapers prices may vary but your competencies will remain. Focus on things that will change the business in long term. Keep an eye on how reader consumes and focus on competencies, not platforms. There is a great advantage of looking at other people’s mistakes across the world and proactively using it for your benefit,” concluded Earl.
