Fevicol A+, the new crafting glue from Pidilite, celebrated the festival of Rakshabandhan with its nationwide ‘bond of love’ campaign. As part of this initiative, Fevicol A+ associated with the National Association for the Blind India (NAB), to create 1.5 lakh rakhis as a mark of support to the jawans of the Indian armed forces.
The initiative was organised across nearly 16 cities of the country. Around 2.5 lakh rakhis were created which were sent to the Army Jawans on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
Said Shantanu Bhanja, CEO, Consumer Products, Pidilite Industries Ltd: “As a part of our Fevicreate initiative to foster creativity for everyone, the ‘Bond Of Love’ endeavour was a way to express our love and respect to national heroes. It is wonderful to see the enthusiasm with which the women at NAB and school students created hand-crafted rakhis to thank the Jawans for protecting our nation. The skills demonstrated by the visually challenged women are remarkable, and they are an inspiration for everyone who wishes to take up art and craft and ignite their inner creativity. It gives us immense pleasure to offer a product like Fevicol A+ to students so that they can utilise their creative art and craft skills to pay tribute to the Jawans.”
It’s is very difficult to pin Shantanu Bhanja, Chief Digital Officer of HT Media, down to anything. He operates out of Gurgaon and Delhi and is super-busy. But he’s forever courteous, agreed to meet at short notice, and once you are with him, he is at ease and gives you all his attention. I think the time he has  spent in London and Lisbon helped!
I started by asking him:
Are you lucky?
Yes, Life has been good. Fun things have happened along the way. He worked with Reckitt in London and Lisbon. His bosses have been nice to him although he has taken care to choose his bosses carefully!
The beliefs that define him?
He read in Reader’s Digest that it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice. He follows it. I have not known of anyone in the industry say negative things about him. He is very courteous, soft-spoken and genuinely makes you feel nice, even if it’s with an impish grin. Whatever you do, do it with a 110% of what you can bring to the table. No half-measures for him. Ethics: Life needs it. The world is so open. Everything is so transparent. Can’t afford to be non-ethical. It’s not like Shantanu to not be genuine.
How do you destress?
Shantanu takes three holidays a year. Two of these are international. One is in the UK with a large part of his family being there. If he is really stressed whilst at home, he takes refuge with TV and likes to surf the internet. Reading is a long time love as is theatre. Work is worship for him, so he never lays off it.
If a movie were to be made about his life who would play him?
He said ME. That is, Shantanu himself! Acting is a hobby and he has essayed the roles of Professor Higgins and Shylock. When pushed, he said Farhan Akhtar or Aamir Khan. They are smart and intelligent and that would be required to play him, he says.
If Bill Gates were to walk in and say here is a 100 million, give me one big idea and it’s yours?
He has the big idea in his new digital job, though he will not share it for now. It would come in very handy, he says for his new business venture. The digital business can create large business ides, he says.
Dream job
Doing what I am doing today, else I would have moved on. I work for long stints with companies. He completes eight years this year at HT
Favourite animal and why?
Tiger, because it’s majestic, powerful and a leader.
One word that describes him?
Passionate
And, lastly, a CEO he admires?
Steve Jobs is an almost instant reply. He loves everything about him. His ideas, the fact that he was a visionary, passionate, driven, obsessed and a perfectionist.
Coffee & Conversations with Rahul Kishore will henceforth appear on Mondays
The Hindustan Times is finally exerting itself in Mumbai via various city-linked activities. First it was promoting the various editorial features on improving Mumbai’s infrastructure. Then it was the awards for public-spirited citizens and organizations. And, now, there’s partnering the Kala Ghoda festival which has been a property The Times of India has supported for the last 8 years.
The festival will now be titled ‘Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival’. Â The theme of this year’s festival is ‘Momentum’ and the festival will also have a new section on Urban Design and Architecture.
Speaking on the collaboration with Hindustan Times, Maneck Davar, Chairperson of the Kala Ghoda Association, said: ” Starting with its 16th edition in Feb 2014, the Kala Ghoda Association is proud to be associated with HT. In the period that it has been in Mumbai, HT has been aware of the aspirations of citizens and has instituted many campaigns that reflect the needs of the city.”
Commenting on the collaboration, Nitin Chaudhry, Business Head, HT Mumbai said, “It is a great moment for Hindustan Times to be hosting one of the biggest traditions in Mumbai city. It reiterates our belief in the city and gives us a great opportunity to offer more to the city.”
Speaking on the Kala Ghoda Festival’s role in building the HT brand in Mumbai, Shantanu Bhanja, VP Marketing said: “The true goal for us in Mumbai is to bring meaningful change in the city – change that is socio-economic, infrastructural and cultural. Hosting Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is a significant step in that direction since it integrates us with the arts and culture of the city.”
The Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (HTKGAF) will be held over nine days from Feb 1- 9, with 450 programmes conducted across 15 venues in South Mumbai.
Getting news media top brass to take questions on their product isn’t easy – either they don’t trust media websites or other news journalists or just don’t think it’s critical for them to speak to journalists even though expect their own staffers to chase news stories. MxMIndia though has been fortunate to get many of them to speak on their moves – especially those from the mainline dailies.
Earlier this week, leading daily Hindustan Times introduced a refreshed look with some changes in the design, but most significantly an innovation in the form of a slim tearaway sheet on top of the Page 1 of the main paper called the ‘Page One Plus’. To coincide with the refresh (created by the HT Design team led by Anup Gupta), a new multiple media brand campaign by Lowe Lintas, New Delhi was unveiled.
In an extensive emailed interaction with Editor-in-Chief Sanjoy Narayan and Shantanu Bhanja, Business Head and Vice President – Marketing, the editor-marketer duo take questions on Page One Plus, the editorial direction and why paid content in the form of promotional features hasn’t gone away from the paper.
01. We’ve been hearing about the changes that have been introduced, but one had expected it to happen after your new managing editor Nicholas Dawes had settled in?
We have been working on the refresh for almost a year. No such big initiative is ever dependent on one individual; even here, it has been one big, multi-department project driven by the editorial, design and marketing teams. As for Nicholas, we are delighted to have him on board. His experience and expertise is going to further strengthen the product, as we seek to make continuous improvements day after day.
02. The use of the tearaway, slim jacket as an editorial add-on is interesting. Since HT also carries full ad jackets and full page ads on Page 1, how will the ‘Page One Plus’ be configured in the pagination (given the various full-page ads)
Page One Plus, which is an industry-first concept, is an integral part of the regular Page One, and research and preliminary findings point to very high likability because of the utility value. Ad jackets and full-page ads will continue the way they have been, giving advertisers the high impact they desire.
Any size restrictions for ads on Page One Plus?
We have put together a set of advertising norms for Page One Plus. The endeavour is to give readers sufficient news and information, while also giving the advertiser some additional premium advertising space which they have not had hitherto.
03. Can you take us through (the investments in) production facilities that led you to introduce the ‘Page One Plus’?
We have invested substantial amounts in our printing facility in Greater Noida, following on from our previous large investments in Mumbai printing facilities, to build significantly higher capacity both in terms of pagination and number of copies.
04. We notice that the ‘Page One Plus’ has been introduced only in Mumbai and Delhi. What about the other editions which have also gone in for a new look? Will we see a Page One Plus-like innovation also in Hindustan or Mint?
To begin with, Page One Plus has been launched in our Delhi-NCR and Mumbai editions. We are evaluating the option of taking it to other cities we are present in. Â At the moment, there is no plan for incorporating it in Hindustan or Mint.
05. Was the movement of business to the main paper in the Delhi edition caused by the addition of the ‘Page One Plus’?
Not really. In Delhi, we moved HT Business to the main book following reader requests over the last few years. Research indicated that readers preferred business and industry news to be part of the main newspaper; incidentally, it also helps advertisers who have been keen addressing readers of the Business section within the Main-book environment.
06. Could you give specifics on the new editorial features and columnists? Any new columns, any replaced/dropped?
We’ve introduced a number of new features and columnists as part of this refresh and you’ll see them soon. We continuously evaluate our list of columnists and try to ensure we have an eclectic mix of writers. We’ve also introduced a community column. For instance, we had a Delhi-based Maharashtrian writer contribute to the Delhi edition on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi.
07. Your last para notes: “…we want to change the depressing narrative of news around us. From corruption and inflation to crime against women, there’s so much negativity around us. Let’s come together to fight this”. What does the “change the depressing narrative of news around us” mean? On Day 1 of the new-look we’ve seen the Delhi edition leading with the UP story while Mumbai had Leander Paes taking pride of place on the top? So, will the new HT be a more, activisty paper in the civic sense rather than politics, corruption and government inefficiencies
News today is full of negativity – from stories of strewn garbage to crime against women and deaths due to bad roads to the state of education that continues to plague a 21st century India. HT’s approach will be to take this ‘bad news’ head on. We will put the spotlight on these issues — both local and national — that affect our readers, cover them relentlessly, partner citizens and impact change. We will, together, make news better. 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.
Therefore, HT will certainly focus on civic issues which impact readers, but also continue to report and follow up on all types of issues ranging from politics to corruption and government inefficiencies, which interest and affect the readers just as much.
08. With the rising dollar rate, there’s been a pressure on newsprint and production costs. HT too has dropped some pages over the months (in Mumbai at least, unsure about Delhi). In the refreshed paper, do we see the return of any of the features done away?
While the industry has been forced to cut columns, we have not dropped any special features, sections or columns. The refreshed paper will, in fact, see a few interesting additions.
09. Will we see any revision of cover price in the near future?
Price revisions will happen from time to time, depending on the economic situation, as indeed they have happened in the past when the cost increases necessitate that.
We have remained true to our editorial values, ensuring that we are carrying due disclaimers for our readers whenever there are promotional features in any section, and we will continue to do so.
The Hindustan Times (IRS 21.83 lakh till 2012, Q4) has renewed its Gurgaon focus with increased local coverage for residents of Gurgaon. The special product for Gurgaon, which greeted residents last Friday morning, started off with a massive survey of Gurgaon’s residents, asking them about their opinion on all the issues that count to them. The responses highlight the problems that beg to be addressed- safety, sewage, power, water, roads and traffic in their city. And that is where Hindustan Times’ Gurgaon special intends to contribute – by doing in-depth stories on the various issues that affect the lives of the citizens, and helping take them to their natural conclusion.
The efforts go beyond the printed newspaper. A special dedicated website has also been launched with the new edition of Gurgaon’s HT – www.htgurgaon.com, which will not only have more stories and information but also be a platform where the residents can share their views, suggestions and comments about this ongoing project to make their city truly world class.
“Hindustan Times has been the voice of Delhi for the last 89 years. With the city’s expansion into Gurgaon and Noida, we’ve gone ahead and expanded our presence in these newer areas to fully cover them and seek to give our readers a flavour of the entire national capital region. The renewed focus on Gurgaon is a step towards helping the city realize its potential,” said Sanjoy Narayan, editor-in-chief, Hindustan Times.
Shantanu Bhanja
Shantanu Bhanja, Business Head and Vice-President Marketing, HT Media Ltd, said, “Gurgaon, as we all know, is a city of the future. Its breathtaking growth in the past decade has been awe-inspiring. Hindustan Times’ increased Gurgaon focus bears testimony to the growth the city has witnessed. Our Gurgaon-focused approach, in which we will take up news stories and issues that matter to the residents of Gurgaon, will benefit both readers and advertisers.”
The Gurgaon Special has been launched with a multi-media campaign that affirms HT’s positioning to Gurgaon residents through the tagline “Your Gurgaon, Your Voice”.
Recently, The New York Times set up a news analytics team with the aim of establishing a better understanding of how editorial content is consumed – to know if the content being created is actually working, and if they’re publishing the news the right way, and where and how can they fix the gaps.
With more and more people consuming and sharing news in real time, do media houses in India too need analytics team to make data-driven decisions? Would it help the editorial decisions? Do Indian media houses need it yet? While Sriram Kilambi of Bloomberg preferred to not comment since Bloomberg is considering it, the industry thinks it is the right time to employ data analytics for editorial decisions.
Mitrajit Bhattacharya, President-Publisher, Chitralekha Group
Different media houses have their own methods of assessing the efficacy/ response to their content. We religiously go through the traditional letters and emails from our readers. The feedback is very sharp on new media like Facebook. Based on continuous feedback from our readers we decide to make changes in our edit mix. It’s a continuous process though. Use of analytics is always welcome. It just makes the feedback process bias-free and scientific.
Niteen Bhagwat, Executive Director & CEO – Asterii Analytics
The data analytics and its role in news and journalism was the tipping point in US market after the Obama election campaign. Nate Silver, an analyst had predicted that Obama would win even when expert commentators had predicted that Romney might win. However, Silver’s prediction was right since he based his theory on data available. He made an editorial comment based on marketplace. Now, that was the tipping point. There is a lot of data around that can be used. Even the US papers moved to data-based journalism from opinion-based journalism.
There are three kinds of journalists in a news room: traditional, social media or digital-friendly journalists, and quant or quantitative-oriented journalists. Quant journalists are the ones who can make sense of huge amount of data. Now, whether it is journalism, corporate communication or PR, we will need people in all three buckets or people who have all three qualities.
The second point is, NYT is one of the 100 publications that have a metered payment gateway. And it has registered more subscription revenue than advertising revenue. This makes the publications enjoy more freedom when it comes to content. With data analytics in place, one can understand the online reading habit – can know the demography, or which part of the publication is being consumed more, which will allow more tailor-made content.
Shantanu Bhanja, VP (Marketing), HT Media Ltd
Yes, for sure. While the editorial judgment is paramount, analytics are valued inputs to that judgment. Our analytics team helps us give the editors a pulse of the consumer, as well as feedback on our news offerings in real time as well as over periods of time. The final editorial decisions are taken solely by the editorial team. However, an analytics team provides the reader interface. We carry out various studies, both online and offline some continuous (with different periodicity) and some as and when the need arises.
Projit Chakrabarti, Head – Marketing Services, NDTV Limited
Well certainly for genres of news that fall into the category of ‘information’ or ‘news you can use’; with more and more 360-degree targeting to the consumer becoming increasingly relevant, data and analytics will drive the dissemination of certain kinds of news and information. It will most certainly help from a contextual and utilitarian point of view but may be not so much from an editorial point of view.Indian media houses definitely need it.
Ashish Pherwani, Partner, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young
At the end of the day, a media house (whether TV, print, radio, website, whatever) provides audiences to advertisers. With the growth of digital distribution channels and the proliferation of lower-cost hardware options, audiences are changing the manner in which they consume content. Hence, media houses now not only need to provide their content to their audiences in the manner and format of their choice, but also keep using analytics to understand changing audience preferences, to better cater to them.
Analytics will also enable better sales efficiency – enabling ad sales teams to sell in a more targeted manner. And of course, editorial teams, to understand what type of content do their audiences prefer, at what time and how it must be packaged. Hence, analytics leads to (1) better serving the audience and (2) better monetization of the audience.
Given the continual struggle of advertisers to grab attention of consumers, Hindustan Times has launched an initiative to engage its readers with the advertisements appearing in the newspaper daily.
Called ‘Spot the Dot”, Readers have to find a mnemonic dot that appears in two advertisements in the Hindustan Times every day and message the brand names to a shortcode. Respondents stand to win attractive daily and weekly prizes such as watches and laptops.
“As leaders in our field, we have always strived to innovate and set new benchmarks. We believe the advertisements are an important part of the newspaper, and a reader looks forward to the combined package every morning. This contest further increases engagement with the ads, and the response has been quite remarkable,” said Shantanu Bhanja, VP Marketing, HT Media.
Dinesh Jain, CEO, Hover Automotive India, an advertiser with HT, added: “Spot the Dot is a unique initiative undertaken by HT, which helps in building brand recall and creating buzz around the brand. We applaud HT for this initiative.” Promoted every day in the paper through innovative ads, the promo has generated buzz amongst the readers as well as the advertiser fraternity.
HT Media Limited is one of India’s foremost media companies, and home to three leading newspapers in the country in the English, Hindi and Business news segments – ‘Hindustan Times’ (English daily), ‘Hindustan’ (Hindi daily, through a subsidiary)Â and ‘Mint’ (business daily). ‘Hindustan Times’ was started in 1924 and has a more than an 85-year history as one of India’s leading newspapers. The Company also has four FM radio stations – Fever 104 FM inDelhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
The Company has also made a foray into the Internet space through its subsidiary Firefly e-Ventures Limited and has launched successful portals, www.Shine.com, www.HTCampus.com, www.Desimartini.com. These are in addition to the existing websites livemint.com, livehindustan.com and hindustantimes.com.
Hindustan Times has renewed its Noida focus with increased local coverage for residents of Noida and Greater Noida. The Noida Special, which greeted residents on February 20, will start off with a special series on what Noida should be proud of, followed by a survey on Noida specific civic issues on February 24. The Noida Special reinforces HT’s commitment to local readers.
Speaking about the Noida initiative, Shantanu Bhanja, VP Marketing, HT Media Ltd, said, “Noida is today a world-class city. It has top-notch educational institutes, leading MNCs, a thriving film city and outstanding infrastructure . Hindustan Times’ increased Noida focus bears testimony to the growth the city has witnessed. Our Noida-focused approach, in which we will take up news stories and issues that matter to the resident of Noida, will benefit both readers and advertisers.”
As part of this effort, Hindustan Times has also launched its Noida First initiative, aiming to help Noida truly embody its promise of a ‘City of Hope’. Apart from its superb infrastructure, Noida is an education and corporate hub and is also home to affluent HNIs who’ve chosen to live in this bustling metropolis. The editorial team at HT has lined up a series of articles that will explore the various facets of Noida. In addition, the paper has planned cultural events across the city in the month of March.
“Hindustan Times has been the voice of Delhi for the last 87 years. With the city’s expansion into Gurgaon and Noida, we’ve gone hyper-local and tried to give our readers a flavour of the entire national capital region. The renewed focus on Noida is a step towards helping the city realize its potential,” said Sanjoy Narayan, Editor-in-Chief, Hindustan Times.
HT Media Limited (HTML) launched a new product from its stables on January 14 called HT Mini. HT Mini, half the size of a tabloid, is designed exclusively for people on the move and will have daily editions from Monday to Saturday. During the launch period, it will be available in select areas of Delhi-NCR and will be sampled heavily outside Metro stations.
HT Mini has been designed keeping in mind the needs of people on the move. The size (smaller than an A4) makes it perfectly suited to be read in a crowded Metro. It packs 24 pages of light, snippety content ranging from the top news stories to city news, sports, entertainment and lifestyle. It. Currently the newspaper is being circulated free of cost.
The Outdoor campaign is being handled by Mudra Max while Lowe Lintas is doing the creatives. The campaign has been in full swing since January 16, and radio spots too are being used to push HT Mini further. The campaign also includes engagement building measures, such as ongoing ‘character of the day’, with the target audience, the metro commuters.
Shantanu Bhanja, Vice President – Marketing, HTML said: “The needs of people on the move are quite different from those reading the newspaper at home. They want something to pass time while traveling which they are able to pick up on their regular route, and hence their need is for something portable, conveniently-sized, with light, entertaining content. With the introduction of the Delhi Metro in the last decade, such travelers have grown exponentially. According to our research, over 60 per cent of Metro travelers would like to spend their commute reading something, but nothing was readily available to fit their requirements. We have customized HT Mini to cater to such people. We are very excited about the launch of HT Mini and are certain it will address a major need in our readers’ lives.”
Vasantha Angamuthu, HT special projects editor, said: “HT Mini is a reflection of HT Media’s practice of keeping the consumer at the heart of all our initiatives. The words ‘daily commute’ conjure up images of crowded trains, cramped spaces and the drudgeries of repetition. Until now, there was nothing to look forward to on Metro rides but the launch of HT Mini is sure to inject some fun and entertainment into the daily commute.”
Hindustan Times, the top English daily in New Delhi, has been celebrating the 100th Birthday of New Delhi under the banner of ‘I Love Delhi’ throughout 2011 and is getting ready for a high point on December 15 – which is the day the foundation stone of New Delhi was laid and which paved the way for the metropolis to develop.
Shantanu Bhanja, Vice President – Marketing, Hindustan Times, has said, “I Love Delhi is a continuing initiative for Hindustan Times since it encapsulates our feelings for this beautiful city perfectly. Every year, we have a theme for the initiative and this year, what else could it be except the Centenary of the Capital. We have done a series of events already and hope to bring it to a grand closure now.”
Hindustan Times is organizing the New Delhi 100 Conclave (on December 15,), inviting Delhi’s most prominent citizens to share their vision of Delhi over the next 100 years. On the occasion, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will release a coffee-table book that puts together Hindustan Times’ entire coverage of New Delhi 100 over the last year.
Hindustan Times has a large outdoor campaign around Delhi-NCR on currently. In the campaign’s innovation, most sites have been decorated with red and blue balloons, wishing Delhi on its 100th birthday. The balloons give the city a festive and colourful look.
Hindustan Times kicked off the celebrations for New Delhi’s 100th birthday on January 1, 2011 with an editorial series around various aspects of the evolution of the city. Chronicling how the political, cultural, social and architectural landscapes of the city have changed through the decades, this series was done at regular intervals throughout the year. One of the highlights of this series was the 100 Icons of Delhi – a listing of 100 buildings and institutions that define New Delhi as we know it today.
In addition to the editorial features, Hindustan Times carried out several initiatives to increase reader engagement throughout the year under the Delhi 100 platform.
Are you lucky?
By A Correspondent
Mitrajit Bhattacharya, President-Publisher, Chitralekha Group
Niteen Bhagwat, Executive Director & CEO – Asterii Analytics
Ashish Pherwani, Partner, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young
By Akash Raha