CASE STUDY: How a simple idea helped turn a newspaper around

Background: Iwate Nippo, a newspaper publisher in a rural town in Japan, was suffering from dwindling circulation. Working with Hakuhodo, the company launched a campaign to enhance its relevance to the local community.

Idea: Hakuhodo recognised that while globalisation and global knowledge are important features of modern life, the majority of people tend to be more interested in issues that concern them directly.

The agency and publisher worked in partnership to create a system whereby individual readers were able to use the newspaper to communicate their own good news — such as a marriage, or the birth of a child — to their friends and family.

Execution: Users are encouraged to use the Iwatte ‘special edition newspaper service’ by signing up online and providing the information they intend to publish. The story subsequently features on the front page of the personalised newspaper, with the day’s main news events appearing on the back. The service is promoted under the slogan ‘Not global, but personal’.

Results: Immediately after the launch of the initiative, the Iwate Nippo website recorded two million new accesses. There has been a reported 151 per cent increase in awareness of Iwate Nippo since the launch of the service, and a 100 per cent maintenance of circulation. In addition, Iwate Nippo has seen a 20 per cent increase in interest from young people wishing to work for the company.

Credits

Client: Iwate Nippo
Creative agency: Hakuhodo DY Media Partners
Media agency: Hakuhodo DY Media Partners
Chief technical media producer: Kensuke Joji
Art director: Azumi Maruyama
Copywriter: Tomohiko Kawanishi