NewsX promises clarity in a complex world

The campaign plays upon wide ranging attributes such as independent thinking, strength, persistence, global perspective, resolve and precision

INX Media has rolled out a 360 degree marketing campaign for its English news channel, NewsX. The campaign, the tagline for which is ‘Clarity in a Complex World’, follows the soft launch of the news channel in March 2008.

The campaign comprises TV promos, print advertisements, hoardings, online banners and a series of on-ground activities. It puts high value on intelligence as an attribute for the English news channel, and plays upon other wide ranging attributes such as independent thinking, strength, persistence, global perspective, resolve and precision.

NewsX promises clarity in a complex world

Anthony Pettifer

Anthony Pettifer, group director, brand and communications, INX Network, says, “The trick is that our campaign should force people to stop, have a look and rejoice in the realisation that here’s an intelligent campaign for an intelligent news channel. The channel’s philosophy has been captured in the campaign. We are stating that it takes intelligence to know the world, nothing is straightforward – the world is not just black and white, but a complex world, and NewsX brings clarity to this complex world.”

Pettifer explains that people have already sampled the product with the soft launch. Post-launch research and feedback have resulted in the campaign for the news channel.

The brief to the creative agency, Meridian Communications, was to come up with a communication plan that would force the audience to think visually and verbally about NewsX. Pettifer says that this was done keeping in mind the profile of the target audience. The campaign aims to reach people in the age group of 25 years and above. The news channel targets “people at the top of the pyramid” – chief executive officers, entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals who are leading India today and a rising, well-educated, new generation.

NewsX is a class apart

The on-air promo comprises an extension of the visuals used for the print and hoarding ads. In one of the promos, viewers can spot a distinct yellow umbrella popping out of hundreds of similar looking black umbrellas and the accompanying text states: ‘Independent Thinking’. Another promo depicts a delicate yellow flower rooted firmly in a harsh landscape and the text reads: ‘Strength’. All the promos, print ads and hoardings carry these visuals, accompanied by the tagline, ‘Clarity in a Complex World’.

Kumar Subramaniam, president, Meridian Communications, elaborates on the thematic integrated marketing communication strategy for the channel: “The campaign is in line with the image of the news channel – that of a thinking and intelligent entity which, in terms of target audience, translates into intelligent people. The idea is to convey the message that our client offers clarity in today’s muddled, confused world.”

Standing up for truth

Subramaniam adds, “The campaign has been built around specific attributes or the well accepted tenets of journalism. We wish to position the channel as a no nonsense serious news channel that does not believe in sensationalising things. Our communication plank had to reflect the fact that we are talking to an intelligent, thinking, globe trotting audience that is affected by and concerned about things happening around it. So, we have played around with words like strength, persistence and global perspective. For example, it takes courage and persistence to go beyond mere facts to present a well researched and balanced story. So, a visual of a flower in a harsh landscape says it all about braving the odds to tell the truth.”

The visuals for the campaign have used the colours of the channel, yellow and black. Subramaniam says, “The colour palette for the campaign distinctively represents the branding of the channel. This is so because NewsX’s logo, branding and even the newsrooms all sport a tinge of yellow and black. Our colours and branding are starkly in contrast with those of the other news channels, which largely play around with black and red. For us, yellow is a vibrant, youthful colour and black signifies fearlessness, independence.”

The campaign is strongly visible on various media vehicles. Promos are on air on television channels such as Discovery, Discovery Travel & Living, The History Channel, National Geographic, STAR Movies and HBO. There is heavy cross-promotion within the INX Network on 9X and 9XM. Print advertisements are spread across national dailies and trade publications. Online banners have been set up on various trade websites. Hoardings have been put up in all the major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore , Hyderabad and Kochi.

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