'Advertisers are looking for innovations in print to get their message out': Sheena Kapoor, Head Innovations, Times Group

Ms. Kapoor began her presentation titled ‘Innovations in Print Media’ by first asking students to define innovation. Students chimed in with ‘something new’, ‘change’, ‘out-of-the-box’ as responses. Ms. Kapoor summarized these ideas by defining innovation as ‘disruptive thinking’.

“The world’s top companies believe in disruptive marketing to retain their position as category leaders and command a premium tag in the market,” she said.

And for good reason too. As Ms. Kapoor pointed out, a newspaper features 30-40 ads on average. How do you then convince an advertiser that his ad will stand out? That is where innovation comes in. “Today, advertisers are looking for clutter-breaking solutions. The sales mindset has shifted from space selling to solution selling.”

The real challenge, Ms. Kapoor revealed, was convincing FMCG companies who “don’t believe in the power of print” to use the print medium to build interactivity with readers. “The best thing about the print medium is that it is a cognitive medium. While a TVC is only 30 seconds long, print engagement is for as long as the consumer wants!”

Ms. Kapoor took the students through various formats e.g. talking newspapers, vibrating newspapers, newspapers with metallic jackets, fragrant newspapers, sample sticking etc. Several of these formats actively use technology e.g. through light sensitive microchips or the use of augmented reality. Using live examples, she showed students how a newspaper’s very form can be used to an advertiser’s advantage by creatively using gutter space, page folds or even page numbers! Ms. Kapoor also got the students thinking about other unexplored possibilities, such as an edible newspaper ‘for a chocolate brand’ or a velvet newspaper ‘for a luxury brand’.

Below is a brief interview with Ms. Kapoor based on her interaction with CFM students and her thoughts on the future of print.

1. In the interest of our students who may find themselves in an ad sales role at a print publication – you mentioned that there has been a shift from space selling to solution selling. How do you train ad sales guys in your company to proactively pitch innovative formats to advertisers?

This calls for a change in mindset and the sales guys are encouraged and rewarded for innovative approaches to advertisers. Training involves periodic presentations, special sales kits on innovations, sharing and learning of best practises from across the country, proactive & collaborative pitches to clients, sharing creative decks customised for clients, internal brainstorming sessions and of course, target weightage from the appraisal point of view.

2. You mentioned in your talk that not everything that one can imagine or think of in terms of innovative print advertising can be implemented. But has there been a moment in your years at TOI in this profile that you’ve been able to see an idea you thought wouldn’t become reality actually take shape into a successful ad?

Well, as a matter of fact, yes. We pulled off a tea bag sampling with 3 flavors after numerous negotiations and deliberations with not just the advertiser but internally, with the commercial department to ensure we got good quality, competitively priced pouches to hold tea bags; the distribution department for gluing (the pouch had to be stable to hold 3 flavors, the glue had to be strong enough to hold the entire patch); with the editorial & scheduling departments to ensure printing deadlines were met; and with production to ensure the copies were printed well in advance to hand over to the distribution department for the gluing exercise. There is a lot of effort, coordination and liasioning with multiple stakeholders that goes behind virtually every innovation and is the perfect example of teamwork and collective contribution.

3. Do you feel innovations in advertising have to go hand in hand with innovations in the content of newspapers as well to ensure their future existence?

More than content itself, newspapers need to innovate with respect to consumption of content and the touch points or media platforms for the audience – for instance, using technology to increase the lifespan of newspapers, having an integrated approach across new media like social media, mobile or even exploring newer models like the digital newsroom and citizen journalism or addressing the fact that more and more youth are taking to the internet, social media (Twitter feeds for instance) and mobile for consuming news.

To see more photos from the event, visit http://on.fb.me/170NBmu