MEC and Colgate execute night newspaper innovation

On January 8, 2011, the people of Hyderabad received something a little out of the ordinary - a newspaper in the night. The initiative, conceptualised by MEC, was carried out for Colgate in collaboration with the Telugu newspaper Sakshi. The intent was a simple one - to remind readers to brush in the night, before they go to bed. 

View the innovation (click on images to enlarge)

                       

                    

T Gangadhar, managing director, MEC India, explained, "Being the market leader, Colgate wanted to promote the benefits of night brushing.  The idea was an MEC initiative. Since we were aiming to  disrupt the routine of the consumer, we looked at all morning-only activities in the consumer's life. Apart from brushing, the daily newspaper is intrinsic to a consumer's 'morning-life' - so we decided to convey the benefits of brushing at night through a night newspaper."

Regarding how the initiative was carried out, he said, "Once the idea was finalised, the next step was to find the right partner. Sakshi is Andhra Pradesh's second largest newspaper and demonstrated the commitment to surmount the logistical challenges the innovation posed. Over 750 vendors had to be recalled to the depot in the evening to distribute 1,00,000 copies between 7.30 and 9.30 pm." The message was further emphasised by a segment on Sakshi TV at 10 pm about the virtues of night-brushing.

According to Rajesh Krishnamurthy, vice president - marketing, Colgate Palmolive India Limited, “As leaders in oral care, it is our objective to inculcate good oral care habits among Indians. Our night brushing initiative is aimed at educating consumers including children about the importance of brushing at night and inculcating the right oral care habits in them.  We hope that with initiatives like these, we can progress towards our ambition of taking India towards zero tooth decay”.
He further added, “For a task that requires a monumental shift in attitude and behavior, we needed a strong, disruptive device. Since newspaper reading is another morning-only regimen, the strategy was to jolt the target audience out of their daily routine which was done by distributing a night newspaper to 100,000 households – with a mix of the day’s news and smart, pithy messages around the benefits of night-brushing.” 

The campaign in being implemented only in Hyderabad currently, and whether it will be taken to other cities is a call that will be taken once its results are evaluated. 

Credits: 

Client: Team Colgate

MEC: Atrayee Chakraborty, Hiral Talekar, Rahul Jadhav, Nishit Goradia, Deepak Jayaram, Rajneesh Chaturvedi, Ashok Iyer and Chetan Shetty