The Hindu, India’s national newspaper since 1878, has been relaunched with a contemporary design, sharper packaging and reinvigorated content. This transformation underlines the organisation’s commitment to distinctive journalism and serving genuine readers, while up-holding the core values of credible and accurate reportage that both shape and reflect public opinion. “We are relaunching The Hindu with the same sentiments that our founders did back in 1878 – with a strong sense of purpose to serve our readers, yet with some diffidence and hope that the indulgent public will give our offerings a warm reception and support”, said Rajiv Lochan, MD & CEO of The Hindu Group.
With the reader placed at the epicentre of all content changes, there will be more news and stories related to cinema, business, international, sports and lifestyle through the week. A single, comprehensive, All-India edition of The Hindu is being circulated in the north of the Vindhyas, coupled with supplements, Mumbai Local and Delhi Metro, carrying relevant local content in Mumbai and Delhi, respectively. In the southern cities of Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, the MetroPlus carries a theme every day, Monday through Friday, along with cinema content published daily. These themes cater to interests such as wellness, technology, automobile, travel, food and fashion. Other sub-brands such as Friday Review, EducationPlus (rebranded as Edge), and DownTown have also undergone changes in design and content. For sports enthusiasts, the Saturday edition now carries two additional pages of sports news, highlighting the best sporting events to watch out for during weekends. The Hindu on Sunday, the first ever Sundayonly product in the country, provides readers a substantive, relaxed, and informative read through multiple sections of the newspaper.
The Hindu’s new look has been created by Aurobind Patel, one of the country’s finest designers. As he re-introduces The Hindu, the Editor, Mukund Padmanabhan says, “In an age, where journalism sensationalises and screams in order to grab eyeballs, never before has the term ‘old-fashioned’ seemed so comforting and so full of promise.”
“We kick-started a 360-degree marketing campaign, The Hindu ReFRESHED, through which we communicated the change to our community across the country. On the launch day, we carried an innovative format called the ‘French window’, inviting the reader to open two flaps that revealed the new masthead and a personal note from the Editor. We explained the changes in content and design to help the reader navigate through the refreshed sections. In addition, we communicated to readers and advertisers through multiple media channels such as print, TV, outdoor, radio and digital forums, in addition to several teaser ads in our own publications. We touched over 5 million people through the various digital platforms. The outdoor branding, cinema advertisements, TV commercials, radio spots and other print advertisements helped us target all the major locations across multiple cities”, says Sathya Sriram, Head – Strategy & Marketing.
The official Facebook and Twitter handles have also been promoting the campaign and the relaunch.
