Finding the unicorn, or a making a win-win-win situation... two ways to describe successful brand building in a disrupted world.
Or yet again, immersing your publication "so deeply in the community that its, and your, uniqueness is preserved".
The latter was I Gde Palgunadi's take on the subject of brand building and activation at the Publish Asia conference on the Indonesian island of Bali, where he senior editor at the Bali Post and general manager of Bali Travel News.
Bali Post Media Group has extensive interests in all areas of print and electronic media for the holiday island, plus a strong events department in an arts and culture environment focussing on a population which is 90 per cent Hindu.
He says, "We see ourselves as promoting and maintaining our uniqueness, and boost expression of what we call the Bali principles, a social caring attitude, love of homeland and promoting harmony with our people and our environment."
The chief operations officer of Jagran Prakashan, Sanwal said 69 per cent of iNext readers were aged 16-39, with its city-centric circulation predominantly subscription based, and publication in a mixture of Hindi and English.
A number of recent campaigns had been designed to build communities, "identify the need gap and fill it." Projects had included an 'Indian Intelligence Test', aimed at 18-25 years olds and designed to fill the gap between campus and career.
"Around three million students were covered across five sessions in 1500 schools - integrated campaigns and activities created strong bonds with the market and advertisers," he says.
An initiative to make readers aware of widespread hunger in the nation, at the same time as massive food waste was called The Blank. Around 190 million Indians go hungry daily, while 40 per cent of food is being wasted. "Our mission was to make people think, and initiatives included table mats in restaurants and events during World Hunger Day, with input from the government and the UN.
"A popular and fun event focussed on freedom and fitness was the Bikeathon, to get the community together and feature healthy commuting and lifestyle changes," he says. "A multimedia campaign in cities in our Hindu heartland promoted a rally track and popular Saturday activities.
Sanwal says both readers and leaders respond very positively to the to our iNext campaigns, and advertisers see them as offering community reach so advertising has doubled from last year.
He urged delegates to choose something readers feel strongly about, and to involve the account planning team in their sales and marketing department.
Making a return to the conference was Geoff Tan of Singapore Press Holdings, where he is now managing director of market development for its magazine division.
Turning to the popular term for a billion-dollar idea, he said brand building was "finding the unicorn".
"Brand activation is not a measure in sales terms but it reinforces your sales proposition, increases visibility and builds brand awareness, and it provides a two-way face-to-face conversation that social media does not provide," he said. "Advertising is passive but brand activation is active and emotive, and fights fake news."
Despite its 173 years of history, SPH was still thinking of new ideas, with Tan citing luxury lifestyle magazine The Peak - which circulates in Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia as well as its home country - as an example.
Featuring the finer things in life for C-suite executives and professionals, The Peak had been "the preferred magazine for the consular corps and diplomatic service". But while its focus when it was launched in 1948 had been on "old money and male old power" in the island state, it has now moved on to the new rich, current high flyers and professionals, in both print - which the older readers still request - and also tablets, mobile and web.
"The face of the product is hugely important and we have started to put women and the new rich on our covers, younger gender-neutral entrepreneurs and start-ups, looking deeply into how millennials resonate.
"Our annual Peak Powerlist of disrupters and innovators is very popular and our first Peak diplomatic ball in January was an exquisite occasion supported by Singapore's best brands."
Tan says that as advertising declines, it is essential to build revenue through non-media assets, "doing more with less" and maximising digital channels. "Make your brand as well-known and well loved as it can be, with engagement on multiple levels emotional, rational, psychological and experiential.
"It is essential to have the right mindset across all staff and to reward them for all their ideas," he says. "Stop selling features but sell benefits and have key intensive revenue streams and multiple business strategies to stem the decline from print advertising.
"Act like a start-up, and be positive."
Maggie Coleman
On our homepage: I Gde Palgunadi
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