The Oxford of the East, Pune, has been a thriving metropolis. A center of academia and business, Pune epitomizes a New India that thrives in a heady mix of capitalism and rich culture. As a city, Pune, like Hindustan Times, has been able to charge on a developmental path while still keeping its cultural roots and history intact.
Over a period of time, Pune has well-deservingly acquired the crown of being called Maharashtra’s cultural capital because of its rich tradition and history and also for being home to various communities for over decades. But, in recent times, the city has made a conscious effort to be recognised more than just a cultural city to the state of Maharashtra and contribute to the state’s economy and development through an ever-growing and promising industrial hub. Pune, as a city has a huge potential for growth and this was also recently recognised by the Government of India as the city was ranked No. 2 in the top 20 smart cities list in the country. From a cultural capital to an industrial hub, the city has had quite a transformation over the years.
This transformation has hugely impacted the millennial population who has aggressively tried to maintain a balance between being traditional but yet modern. Connecting this to the reading habits, households which were strictly a single language household have upgraded to a second aspirational language. Moreover with digital penetrations hitting the sky, the Pune reader has become more aware and precocious on news that matters to them and the city.
Why Pune?
Hindustan Times, since 1924, has upheld its strong legacy by being the voice of the country with its methodical and unbiased journalism. Hindustan Times entered West with Launch of Mumbai edition in 2004. Today HT is not only the leader in, but also a strong force in Mumbai with over 1.6 million daily readers. Thus, it was only natural for HT to expand its presence in west. Pune is young and growing with an appetite for English daily.
Produced by an editorial team known for its quality, innovation and integrity, Hindustan Times is the choice for nearly 4.5 million readers across India, who turn to it daily for news, information, analysis and entertainment. Driven by the commitment to providing news, information and knowledge that is unbiased and credible – HT will seek to make mornings brighter in Pune.
What will be different?
The ideology: HT will have Pune and its citizens at heart of the paper, covering topics that affect them and are of interest to them. Right from the very first issue, the effort will be to foster the community spirit of Pune for the pursuit of the common good, by including local stories which impact the city, day-in day-out.
The product: HT Pune edition will be an unmatched offering with power packed 50+ pages of national, state and local affairs, entertainment & lifestyle and specials. The weekend edition of HT Pune shall see unequalled offerings ever seen in the country including HT Brunch – India’s largest read magazine, every Sunday; Mint Lounge – the weekend edition of Mint, that focuses on the arts, food, culture, fashion, sport, music, and the like, every Saturday and HT Café – the buzzy supplement that is redefining entertainment and lifestyle space in newspapers, daily.
The surround: With product being the core, it will be supported by massive surround marketing activities during the launch to create buzz and excitement amongst readers. Digital will be the key driver to create launch awareness amongst the TG complimented with Outdoor and Print. Over the weekends, Punekars would also get a glimpse of HT’s on ground activation which celebrates the culture and tradition of Pune.
Bobby Ghosh, Editor-in-chief, Hindustan Times says, “We are bringing a lot of history in this youthful city; rich and credible journalism and along with it our commitment and passion to bring to you the newspaper that the city has ever seen.”
Rajeev Beotra, CEO HT English adds, “Our goal is to bring to you a paper that is community-centric, that captures the ideas, ideals and aspirations of Pune. A newspaper, that serves as your chronicler and companion and a genuine member of the community. A newspaper, that the entire neighborhood tunes into for solutions for the common good.”
Rajan Bhalla, Group CMO, Hindustan Times, adds passionately, “The weather in Pune is just about to heat up. Through Hindustan Times, we will give everything you need to understand your neighborhood, your city, your state, your world better. We are looking forward to wake Pune up, daily, with innovative content and a passion that will be an industry-first.”
Who is it for?
Hindustan Times prides itself in being the highest read newspaper in the country with over 4.5 million active readers and the website www.hindustantimes.com is the highest visited Media Website in the country.
With a diverse coverage of different topics, HT-Pune will be focusing on Punekars who wish to gain their knowledge base and be involved with the real issues of the city and the country.