All industries need to innovate – even if it is an industry as traditional as the newspaper publishing industry. But why has this industry remained slow as compared to others? It is believed that the main pitfall to print innovations was not someone else but the media owners themselves. They had the spirit, but the equipment which they had was not up to the mark. Innovations were way too expensive, so they had to be planned.
However, things have changed. Innovations are being taken seriously by the regional and language papers too. AndhraPradesh-based Sakshi, for example, created a night paper for Colgate to encourage brushing before bedtime. SatyakiGhosh, Director – Consumer products division, L’Oréal India choose to print the world’s first newspaper completely on recycled newsprint with The Times of India.
New Delhi Times, a weekly international, was the first newspaper to print their 12-page edition on premium magazine-style paper in 1996. The readers were awed and the newspaper has continued to print on the magazine-style newspaper.
Times also did a Johnson & Johnson advertisement where the pages filled with the baby powder scent – this is something that ensures brand recall and made the experience exceptional and memorable for the readers. Multiple brands have incorporated the fragrant newspaper successfully.
Arab News, one of the oldest English newspapers in the Arab world, has changed dramatically over the years. INNOVATION´s Vasco Ferreira created remarkable pages, which were enveloped in a green front and back page. This makes sense to a certain level that the national color was retained to portray a transformed Saudi news brand across the globe. Content–driven redesign is quite evident as we glance through Arab news. This has become an impeccable news brand similar in content, look and feel to the premium media brands. The latest print and digital responsive design portray Arab News’ print legacy reflecting modernity and change, and the pages and screens also provide an at the Arab world. This particular kind of journalism is grounded on core values such as providing information, insight, and inspiration.
There have been innovations in terms of the subscription model as well, and not just how the newspapers are printed. The New York Times (NYT) flipped its entire narrative when they were slashing jobs a decade back and now making getting insane profits in 2017-18. They ensured a sleek roll-out from free to paid content with the assistance of a cutting-edge technology team. This managed to bring back revenue into their paths. Indian papers would need a similar path to survive the heavy digitization of the news world.
When free content is so readily available, why would the Indian readers hover around high-value content by paying the price? It’s pretty challenging to answer the question.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
