ASIA-PACIFIC – KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, FEBRUARY 24, 2012: When readers of the Malaysian newspaper News Straits Times (NST) opened their paper on February 21, they were surprised when their copy started talking to them. Apparently, the day’s paper contained an audio box featuring a mother and her child talking.
Created by McCann Malaysia, the "talking newspaper" is Friso’s effort to invite mothers to participate in its "Growing Up Together" (GUT) event, which is a campaign to support mothers in looking for new and fun ways to interact with their children.
“Adding the rich dimension of sound to the static print medium is an innovation that opens up new possibilities for brands to make a distinctive difference,” says Prashant Kumar, president, Mediabrands Asia and CEO of Universal McCann and Initiative Malaysia.
“With such a cutting-edge technology-enabled platform, we also needed an equally innovative approach in striking an emotional chord with mothers. NST was a willing partner in creating the country’s first ‘talking’ newspaper which created the desired buzz," explains Kumar.
“Modern mothers are inspired by the joys of motherhood, and they enjoy playing an active part in their children’s growing up process,” believes Rahul Colaco, marketing director, Dutch Lady Malaysia. “They want to indulge and grow with their kids in a holistic manner – physically, mentally, and emotionally.”
Aside from the newspaper, a virtual world in an interactive tunnel will be set up at each Friso GUT event where parents and their children can team up to play interactive games projected onto the walls and floor of the tunnel. Other activities include customising their own t-shirts, badges, and hanging mobiles, and creating their own toys at the craft stations.
The sound bytes used in the newspaper can also be heard on the iPad and online versions of NST, and on three audio books via the the newspaper’s website, through QR code on the print edition. The campaign has also been applied to radio stations and Facebook.
