Though Hindustan Times has always successfully been able to buck the trend by appealing to younger readers as compared to its competitors, there is still a pro-active and concerted effort that has been made to reap benefits from the demographic divide that India as a country enjoys.
Given that news consumption pattern is changing, whereby consumers are getting more news from dynamic mediums like TV and Internet, people still do turn to newspapers for a different reason - an affirmation of the written word and knowledge that it will help them move forward.
Keeping this in mind Hindustan Times has undergone a complete transformation. The content-led design change saw the re-launched HT hitting the stands on Saturday, July 11, 2009.
Editor-in-Chief Sanjoy Narayan, who joined Hindustan Times last year in August, has over the last few months engineered this editorial revamp and design change. Well-known newspaper designer Mario Garcia is the man who has led the redesign. His portfolio boasts the likes of The Wall Street Journal, Xpress and La Tribune. He is also credited with introducing the Berliner format in India with Mint.
According to Rajiv Verma, CEO, Hindustan Times, “The challenge is to be continually relevant to a large mass of readers of 20-29 years, who have been moving away from the newspaper category. Such (in last five years the contribution of this age group to AED has declined from 31 per cent to 27 per cent) and at the same time not losing older readers who constitute the core readership of English dailies.”
The prominent changes in the paper, as Narayan put it, “is much more than an aesthetic transformation, it is a complete change in the way we are organised, the way we collect news, the way we edit copy. We have reoriented the entire processes dealing with reader navigation, use of colour palettes and above all providing that real understanding beyond the news that no other medium can provide”.
“The overarching need from newspapers is to have awareness that helps an individual succeed in his personal or professional life. It goes beyond ‘What’ and explores ‘Why’ and ‘How’,” he added.
The need to move forward through real understanding is especially relevant to the younger generation, who have been born or grown up in post-liberalised India and are restless for success, as Neelanjan Shome, Chief Marketing Officer, Hindustan Times, confirmed, “This re-think goes beyond the product, and it is a complete transformation of how we position this newspaper in the minds of readers.”
With the time spent on newspaper and other news medium declining, there is more emphasis on how news is being presented. The need to scan-read and surf takes greater precedence, given the fast paced lifestyle of readers. It is important to provide news in a manner, which is easy to read and provides variety to readers to pick up the story that they want to read and be engaged by it adequately.
So, is it too big of a risk for a company in the times of economic slowdown to undergo a project like this? Verma explained, “HT has always been at the forefront of innovation and has successfully built respectable and popular brands like, ‘Mint’ and ‘Fever 104’ in a short span of time. Even in these times of recession, we have clocked a positive growth in profit, one of the few media companies to have been able to do so.”
He further said, “With the enthusiastic vote of confidence from readers in our extensive researches, we are sure about a fantastic acceptance of the new proposition and product because it has been painstakingly developed after 18 months of extensive efforts. We have never shied away from investing in projects that will have long term benefits. No wonder Mint has become the second largest business daily in India in just two years and Fever 104 has consolidated its leadership position in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore.”
On choosing Garcia, Narayan said, “He is the best in class, he understands our requirements. He is conversant with market reality and has also worked with us previously on Mint and HT City, both of which have been highly appreciated.”
Commenting on the brief given to Garcia, Shome said, “The brief was simple. We needed a modern and contemporary newspaper, which provides for a quick and easy read, and offers a choice for readers to pick any story and be engaged by it. We wanted a balance of the functional benefits and the youthful, contemporary feel to come through strongly.”
Talking about the campaign, Shome said, “Our new communication for the re-launch has an attitude that resonates with the youth of today. In our communication development researches, the target readers have voted most enthusiastically. My thanks to Balki and team from Lowe, the creative agency. We have aggressive multimedia communication planned to capture their mind space.”