Innovations that make
newspapers alive and kicking
There’s nothing worse than the fact that a newspaper facing the lack of interest from its readers. Taking this challenge forward, many newspapers keep innovatively changing their looks using modern concepts, designs, info-graphics and other approaches to pop up themselves among competitors and impress readers. All About Newspapers picks up a couple of leading dailies which have recently gained popularity through innovations with a great deal.
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The wave of newspaper innovations is quite naturally an attempt to stand out in the current market mayhems and eventually giving readers a chance to enjoy a new flavour of look and reading. The most innovative change which Hindustan Times has done in the recent past was the national daily’s ‘Page One Plus’ in which a vertical quarter page stripe on the left of the front page compiles a quick snapshot of everything a reader needs to know about important stories inside in the form of ‘breaking news.’ This additional flap page is perforated on the spine of the main newspaper as it gives readers the chance to remove it, carry it and read it on the go and can be used throughout the day as a pullout ready-reckoner.
Brand new avatar
HT Media Limited, of course the publisher of Hindustan Times, calls its innovation Refresh’ed Avatar through which they launched the Page One Plus as well as their band new campaign ‘Let’s Make News Better’. Sanjoy Narayan, editor-in-chief, Hindustan Times said, “We’ve introduced several brand new features, a few design changes and planned a number of special editorial initiatives. All of these have been done keeping our readers in mind. The new Hindustan Times reflects our relentless commitment to inform, analyse and explain. It will tirelessly work to make our readers’ lives better.”
“In this ever-changing world, the newspaper has, over the years, continued to be the most trusted medium. Readers rely on the written word and strongly believe in the power of newspapers - from changing governments to lighting up dark streets. Hindustan Times has always been one of the most credible newspapers in India and has remained a paper for the people and of the people. The ‘Let’s Make News Better’ campaign is a statement of our vision, and is aimed at joining hands with our readers and impacting change around us,” asserted Rajiv Verma, CEO, HT Media Ltd.
3D effects
Industry’s first-of-its-kind concept in newspaper ads, The Times of India in mid-September this year sported one of the most impressive full-page 3D advertisements of the TV series Mahabharat. The same had been put on the front page of the paper’s Hindi edition Navbharat Times (NBT) which brought out with its changed masthead reading Mahabharat Times (MBT). Now the fact is revealed that newspapers are no longer in the way it was around a decade or two. Onset of modern printing and imaging technologies have revolutionised the overall outlook of prints and presentations of newspapers, magazines, books, pamphlets, etc.
Research confirms that readers, particularly young generations, increasingly access multiple sources of news and infotainment in which the challenge is to strengthen affinity towards newspapers, making their time spent most productive and entertaining. In this respect, 3D ads of The Times of India or Mahabharat Times (MBT) and Page One Plus of Hindustan Times make a good sense to continuously keep fingers on the pulse of their readers. Such innovations in the newspapers indicate that what all readers expect from newspapers is not just info but infotainment which comes along modernism in terms of technology or anything related.
Added opportunity
Innovations in newspapers have been triggered not only as a reader-friendly approach since it would be an added opportunity which advertisers can tap to effectively campaign their services or product more impressively than ever before on a print media. The 3D ads of The Times of India have dropped many jaws and flashed various eye balls. In the similar way, Page One Plus of Hindustan Times opened more windows of innovations and interesting engagement opportunities for the advertisers through HT Active, its AR platform, as well as the capacity of printing more pages in the main newspaper and supplements.
Doubtless to say, behind the innovation in newspapers is creativity. But additionally, the credit must be shared with high-end printing technologies on which newspaper publishers have strategically invested. Hindustan Times and The Times of India have been investing regularly on their printing facility, which is among the world’s best and modern, to outpour innovations any time!
