Best New paper Headlines and slogans: In a news paper everything is a premium. Each column centimeter cost money. That is why the news has to be clear and crisp. The headline plays a very important role in creating interest in the news story.
Chek or Cash: It was the Wimbledon men’s singles finals of 1987. The Indian Express came out screaming “Chek or Cash”. It was a very clever way of saying decides between Ivan Lendl from Chezlovakia or Pat Cash of Australia. Even though I read this headline 24 years ago it is still etched in my mind.
Delhi or gulli: The Indian politics are dominated by slogans and nice catch phrases. This is not surprising as most of the Indian population is not educated and they have to enticed with sloganeering. Sample these. KCR the supremo of TRS came out with these – Delhi or Gulli. The Decision to grant statehood for Telengana rests with Delhi. He was saying the matter will be decided in Delhi or it will be a street fight. Gulli in Urdu means Street.
State fight and not a street fight: Next day KCR bettered himself. He said it is not a street fight rather it is a state fight. Kudos for the politicians for entertaining the people.
India is Indira and Indira is India: Similarly a fan of Indira Gandhi came out with a slogan. He said "India is Indira and Indira is India”. Not to be outdone Indira Gandhi coined a slogan “Garibe Hatov” (meaning remove poverty).
Haath ko haath dev, cycle ko vote dev: It was a state election and Telugu Desam was fighting its Bête Noir the Congress. The Telugu Desam came out with a slogan “Haath ko haath dev, cycle ko vote dev”. In Hindi it means give hand to hand and give your vote to cycle. Giving hand in Hindi means deceiving somebody after promising a certain thing.
Iron lady overcomes labour pains: It is not surprising some of the most memorable headlines are related to politics. Margaret Thatcher dubbed the Iron Lady by British Press had won a hard fight in the elections. One of the news papers came out with the headline “Iron lady overcomes labour pains”. The copy writer was punning on the fact that the main opposition in that election was the labour party.
My Foot: The cartoon in the same newspaper was even more hilarious. It showed an Iron Lady and a man groveling at her feet. The bubble had Margaret Thatcher saying “My Foot”. The Opposition leader in that election was a man named Michael Foot.
America under attack: When September 11 attacks took place most of the newspapers came out with very interesting headlines. The one that caught the eye was “America under Attack”
Andhra girls beaten: But care should be taken that the headlines are written properly or otherwise they can create wrong communication. One of the teasers in Deccan Chronicle said “Andhra Girls beaten, details in page 16”. The alarmed readers who turned to page 16 had the surprise of their life. The news story was that Andhra Girls were beaten by Maharashtra in the game of Kho-Kho.
Hum Unko Unki Naani yaad diladenge: In one of his fiery speeches Late Rajiv Gandhi had said “Hum Unko Unki Naani yaad diladenge”. In Hindi It means “we will make them remember their grandmother”. It is a very racy way of saying that they will get a lesson that they will not forget for a long time.
At last a national alternative to Amitabh Bachchan: The next day I think it was the Times of India who came out with a memorable cartoon. The cartoon depicted Rajiv Gandhi on a wall gesticulating. And a common man is watching Rajiv Gandhi on the wall. The bubble had the caption “At last a national alternative to Amitabh Bachchan”.
Masthead: This is the logo or the name of a newspaper that is published in a specific style and in specific font. For example the names of THE HINDU, THE DECCAN CHRONICLE or the TIMES OF INDIA are referred to as Masthead. As the name of the news paper is the one that is first noticed it is called the masthead.
Ear panels: Usually there are only small two advertisements that are published next to the Masthead. These are usually the height of the masthead and are of one column centimeter in width. As the name of the news paper is referred to as the masthead the advertisement are perceived as ears of the masthead and they are called ear panels.
Solus: The first page is the costliest real estate in the new paper. It is the first thing that the readers focus in the first thing in the morning. Usually there is only one advertisement that is allowed in the first page. As only one is allowed it is called the Solus (single). As there is no other advertisement allowed the newspaper will charge a 100% premium for placing an advertisement on the first page. The Solus is placed on the right hand side bottom of the first page.
NEWS: When asked how the word NEWS got originated most people are stumped for an answer. The answer is very simple. NEWS comes from North, East, West and South. NEWS gives us information about what is happening from all parts of the country and the world that is why it is called NEWS a acronym of the first letter from the words North, East, West and South.
Advertorial: Most readers are very skeptical about advertisements. They are all seen as a pack of lies that the advertisers are thirsting down the throats of unsuspecting and gullible readers. The end result is that the advertisements are seen as nuisance and at best are barely tolerated. Most of the press advertisements are ignored. But the newspaper revenue comes from the advertisements.
So the newspapers have devised a system that hoodwinks the readers. They allow the advertisements in the form of news items. The entire advertisement reads liked a news item as if a news reporter is reporting business news.
But as there are watch dogs like the ASCI and the INS watching it with a hawk eye the newspaper puts a statutory warning at the end of the article and calls it the advertorial. It means an advertisement that reads like an editorial. Advertorials should be used with extreme caution and wisely as the readers catch up with the novelty of the concept and start treating them like regular advertisements.
Advertisements are a very good way of expressing one’s creativity and the biggest challenge is to design a print advertisement keeping in mind the medium's cons which are the fleeting exposure, the clutter, the problem of cheap quality of paper and of printing. Let us examine 5 press advertisements that have stood out and become the talk of the town.
TIMES of INDIA: The old lady of Boribunder, TIMES OF INDIA always stood for innovation and bold thinking. So it was not a surprise to credit the top most innovation to this grand old lady of Indian Media. Most Readers were amused to see the masthead of TIMES OF INDIA become LET TIMES OF INDIA WAIT for ……………… The words LET and WAIT were of the same font and size of the mast head itself. .Most purists objected to the idea of the masthead becoming a part of a advertisement but like the adage goes “it is all about money - honey”. Even the old lady had to bow her head before the lucre of money.
SMELLING ADVERTISEMENTS: In many cases the press advertisements are visual in nature and leave the reader cold because he/she can't feel, touch and experience the product. One innovation that is very appealing is found in many foreign fashion magazines. The perfume and toiletries advertisements feature glossy photographs of models, perfumes and a patch of rub on. The reader can rub his finger on the rub on patch and smell his finger. And presto to he can smell the perfume. Talk about effective product demonstration. But care should be taken to see that the smell is nice and does not leak and spoil the entire magazine.
Telugu Diwali special publications over do the perfume part by dousing the entire magazine with Paneeru (a sort of perfume). The end result is a magazine that stinks and leaves a very bad taste in the mouth.
TOUCH AND SEE ADVERTISEMENTS: In the case of comparative advertisements it is very difficult to believe the veracity one's claim with another especially when the claims are based on perceptions that are very difficult to explain. Ariel tried a very innovative campaign to show that it washes better than its famous competitor. They claimed that their detergent is better than that of the competition by sticking small bits of cloth washed by its famous competitor and a small piece of cloth washed by Ariel itself. Needless to say the cloth bit washed by Ariel was cleaner, brighter and better looking. Like the saying seeking is believing.
TALKING ADVERTISEMENT: the biggest problem with the press advertisements are that they can't speak and they can't move. Both these issues have been addressed. First let us examine the talking advertisement . THE TIMES OF INDIA had featured the talking advertisement. That particular day’s edition of TIMES OF INDIA (Delhi edition) was split into two sections: a 26-page news section, and a 10-page wraparound.
The opening page of the wraparound carries this announcement: " THE TIMES OF INDIA and Volkswagen have created four pages of content as part of a special media innovation. Don’t miss reading and listening to this ‘speaking newspaper’.” On the last page of the wraparound is a full-page Volkswagen advertisement for its new model Vento.
As the page is opened a light-sensitive speaker—yes, a light-sensitive speaker— weighing no more than a mere 10-15 grams and stuck on the extreme left panel in the advertisement , belts out the line in a loop:
“Best in class German engineering is here. The new Volkswagen Vento. Built with great care and highly innovative features. Perhaps that’s why it breaks the hearts of our engineers to watch it drive away.
“The new Volkswagen Vento. Crafted with so much passion, it’s hard to let it go.
“Volkswagen. Das Auto.”
Talking Press advertisement of Vento carried in TIMES OF INDIA
THE MOVING PRESS ADVERTISEMENTS: In October 2008, to commemorate the magazine’s 75th Anniversary, Esquire published a limited edition digital cover that featured electronic ink with moving words and flashing images. In 2009, Esquire launched an augmented reality where actor Robery Dopney Jr’s avatar can be controlled using QR code barcodes printed in the magazine.
