Hindustan Times says 'thank you' to its readers

HT recently rolled out a campaign – #SayThanks – to connect with the people and create a way of positivity that cuts across mediums, platforms and age-groups

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | August 20, 2015

In the recently announced IRS results, Hindustan Times established its dominance in Delhi-NCR. With over 23 lakh readers, not only did it reinforce its dominance, but also increased its lead over its closest competitor, The Times of India, to nearly 6.5 lakh readers in Delhi-NCR.

With such resounding support from the reader, Hindustan Times wanted to give back to the readers for the support and patronage. HT wanted to thank its readers for their participation in its campaigns, their encouragement and continued support. That is how #SayThanks was conceived. A campaign to connect with the people and create a way of positivity that cuts across mediums, platforms and age-groups.

Rajan Bhalla

Rajan Bhalla, Chief Marketing Officer, HT Media, said, “Thank You are two magical words, for they have power to spread a smile. It is a simple act that has far-reaching effects, but it doesn't happen as often as it should. #SayThanks is our effort to change that. We want people to express their gratitude to the people who touch their lives, and watch the world change right in front of their eyes. Let's #SayThanks”

Ashu Phakey

Commenting on the #SayThanks campaign, Ashu Phakey, Business Head, HT Delhi, said, “There are so many people that touch our lives every day. If we all start showing a little appreciation to these people who made difference in your life, everyday can be made worthwhile! Also, it doesn't take much to make someone feel special, a simple thanks is sufficient.“

Vandana Krishnia, Marketing Head, HT Delhi, wanted to make this campaign very easy for people to participate in. She said, “We wanted everyone to participate and also wanted the campaign to cut across mediums. To participate, you can make an album or share a post on Facebook, leave a tweet or give it a go on Instagram with pictures or maybe even leave a physical note.”

The campaign was launched with a jacket ad in Hindustan Times, in which the paper said Thank You to its readers.

To complement the campaign and induce the habit of saying thanks, the 'taken for granted' relationships were used through a series of ads.

#SayThanks was adopted by users across varied platforms. Fever FM came on-board and started making mornings better for its listeners by thanking them. It started trending on Twitter and people started to connect with the core thought. The brand was also picked up by many celebrities and even other brands to connect with their user base. Organic conversations begun and #SayThanks, in a natural and un-forced way, trended twice organically on Twitter on separate occasions.

The campaign has seen more than 157 million impressions served for #SayThanks with an overall reach of over 22 million. 75 per cent of the user-base was organic.

The onus was on Hindustan Times to make #SayThanks more personal and ultimately more special for the people who were actively using the message. HT addressed them directly and thanked them for their enthusiasm and support.

HT also created personalised messages for their loved ones based on the way they expressed themselves.  A chosen few were gratified and encouraged to share with the people they were thanking.

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