Two Asian publishers with positive ideas to combat COVID are in the spotlight this week.
One, Hindi publisher Naidunia’s Kuch Positive Karona – meaning ‘please do something positive’ – is a finalist in INMA’s global awards, winners of which are to be announced this week.
The other, with novel branding side-benefits, has already been used in other forms by Indonesian publisher Kompas.
In an INMA Ideas blog this week, Kompas brand communication manager Tarrence Karmelia Kontessa Palar tells of the graphic promotion which put the faces of its readers, literally, while promoting the paper’s fifty-fifth birthday.
Celebrating the anniversary in the midst of the pandemic last June, the publisher invited readers to participate in a social movement that encouraged people to reinforce a key habit – wearing masks.
A special design cover invited readers download Kompas’ June 28 front page, use an art app to superimpose a front-facing photo of themselves, and upload it to Instagram with a caption about how they are adapting to the ‘new normal’ era.
The promotion increased both advertising revenue and circulation numbers, the latter lifting about one per cent on the same day of the previous week.
Advertisement revenue on the day of the Kompas55Mask promotion increased more than three times compared to Kompas Minggu average for April 2020, and was 23 times that for May.
Digital performance of Kompas on social media also increased, and the promotion has been used as a model for projects coinciding with Hari Anak Nasional (National Children Day) and Indonesia’s Independence Day in July and August.
Indore-based Naidunia’s Kuch Positive Karona campaign was an effort to “bring in some positivity” and make people realise the positive aspects of lockdown.
Relatable for the Hindi speaking readers, it came at a time when being ‘positive’ (COVID-infected) was considered a ‘negative’ and vice versa. A play on words, the slogan used the Hindi word for ‘something’, while ‘karona’ – which sounds like corona – is a Hindi expression urging someone to ‘please do It’.
Naidunia received 4153 resonses for the 15 contests, with 489 readers’ projets featured in the newspaper.