Print isn’t outdated. It’s evolving. At INMA’s South Asia News Media Festival, news publishers and marketers argued that newspapers are being reborn as premium, trusted, and highly localised platforms. 

With creative reinvention, editorial rigour, and strategic integration with digital, print is being repositioned not as a fading relic but as a credibility-rich companion in the multi-media world.

“Print isn’t going away — it’s going deeper”

INMA South Asia Division President L.V. Navaneeth, CEO of The Hindu Group, opened the conference with a direct challenge: “The question is no longer, ‘Is print still viable?’ We’ve been hearing that for 20 years. The real question is: ‘How do we make it future-fit?’”

For Navaneeth, that means repositioning print as a curated, premium product — one that serves both national and hyper-local audiences with trust and utility. “Print is a trust anchor in multimedia campaigns,” he explained. “It’s not a silo — it’s a lever.”

And with more than 380 million Indians reading newspapers — the vast majority in regional languages — print remains deeply woven into daily life.

Trust is print’s superpower

This trust advantage was echoed across sessions. “Print has rebuilt belief,” according to Juzer Tambawalla, director of sales enablement of Franklin Templeton. “When people want to be sure and get into detail, they pick up a newspaper.”

Surinder Chawla, president of response at The Times of India, added: “In financial or policy-heavy sectors, that trust becomes a brand’s best ally. Print is not just a media buy — it’s a credibility amplifier.”

In a digital ecosystem riddled with bot traffic and misinformation, that premium on trust is irreplaceable.

The Indian Express: print as a tool for context and clarity

“It’s where we connect the dots,” said Anant Goenka, executive director of The Indian Express Group. “It’s where we can unpack, contextualise, and challenge.”

Goenka argued that in a world of hot takes, speed, and polarisation, print provides the breathing space for depth. Sunday editions, editorial specials, and investigative journalism signal seriousness and substance. “When someone sees our front page on social media, they stop scrolling. It’s a signal of importance.”

Print continues to drive trust and brand equity — even in digitally dominant economies, Goenka said. In South Asia, where the digital wave is growing but not yet saturated, this trust advantage is particularly potent.

Depth over distraction

“Print is for divers. Digital is for surfers,” said Abhishek Karnani, president of International Association of Advertising (IAA), India Chapter — a phrase that resonated across the festival.

Print creates room for long-form storytelling, visual clarity, and advertising that lands with impact. It’s not about chasing eyeballs. It’s about holding attention.

“Print ads still work. The science proves it.”

Ashish Bhasin, founder of The Bhasin Consulting Group, was unequivocal: “Print is not emotional — it’s rational. It gives you the ability to pause and absorb. It delivers attention, credibility, and recall.”

Referencing Kantar’s global media studies, he noted that print consistently outperforms digital on credibility, attention span, and recall: “You pause. You absorb. You remember.”

In fact, Kantar’s 2022 Media Reactions report ranked print highest among media channels in trust — a finding Bhasin said marketers must capitalise on: “Why are we apologising for print? It’s one of the last trusted environments in media.”

He urged news companies to reposition print advertising as a premium strategic investment, particularly for high-end brands seeking authenticity and impact.

Innovation keeps print relevant

If you think print can’t innovate, think again. “We have 71 formats and get 50 to 60 new ideas every year,” said Surinder Chawla of The Times of India, referencing AR integrations, sensory storytelling, and dynamic zoning based on data.

From QR-to-commerce experiences to personalised newspaper inserts, publishers are infusing creativity across the value chain.

“Print can’t be one-size-fits-all anymore,” noted one brand leader. “It needs to feel tailor-made — just like every other medium.”

“Print must rediscover its swagger”

In one of the conference’s most energetic panels — featuring Anant Goenka, Vanita Kohli-Khandekar (Business Standard), and Ashish Bhasin — the focus turned to what’s next for the medium.

“Print doesn’t need a reinvention,” Kohli-Khandekar said. “It needs a reintroduction.” The real challenge, she argued, lies in perception — not product.

She cited recent case studies from Lokmat and Malayala Manorama, where revamped Sunday editions and visually rich hyperlocal supplements have driven both readership and revenue.

“We’ve allowed digital to dominate the narrative,” she said. “But the print audience is still large, loyal, and lucrative.”

Bhasin called on publishers to elevate creativity in print: “We need a Cannes for print. Show marketers what great print can do. Bring back the magic.”

Goenka agreed: “Make print a destination again. Curate it. Design it. Celebrate it.”

Pitching print with creative pride

Advertising legend Josy Paul, chairman of BBDO India, delivered a standout session titled “The Art of Pitching Print.” With characteristic flair, he challenged the room: “When was the last time you felt goosebumps over a print ad?”

Paul argued that creative agencies need to reconnect emotionally with print — not treat it as a checkbox. “Print isn’t passive. It’s provocative. It can stop time. It can move minds.”

He shared iconic campaigns where newspaper ads shaped national conversations — from political manifestos to public safety movements — and urged media owners to foster deeper collaboration with agencies.

“Don’t sell pages,” he said. “Sell possibilities.”

“Build brands with innovation and integration” 

Partha Sinha of McKinsey & Company outlined what modern marketers expect from publishers: “Print still builds brands — but only if it’s part of a bigger story,” said Sinha, formerly president and chief brand officer of The Times of India. 

From agency planners to CMOs, the message was clear: Stop treating print as a stand-alone channel. Instead, tie it into full-funnel campaigns with influencer marketing, experiential formats, and loyalty programmes.

From IPG Mediabrands: print’s place in the media mix 

During the Mumbai study tour, delegates visited IPG Mediabrands, where senior planners outlined how print continues to play a key role in integrated campaigns.

“We don’t think of print as old media,” one strategist explained. “We think of it as tactile media. It complements digital beautifully, especially in markets where credibility is a differentiator.”

Examples were shared where print front pages had driven QR-based activations, hyperlocal product launches, and even cross-platform storytelling synced with OTT releases.

“Print gets attention when used well. The key is integration, not isolation.”

Content-led collaboration builds value

What advertisers want isn’t just placement — it’s partnership. “I’d love to see more innovation coming from the publication itself,” Tambawala said. “Bring us ideas. Co-create with us.”

Brands increasingly seek editorial alignment — campaigns that blend seamlessly into the content fabric and reflect shared values.

Dhruba Mukherjee, CEO of ABP Group, put it best: “When brand and editorial come together with shared intent, magic happens — without violating integrity.”

Protect premium inventory

“Programmatic is the opposite of premium,” warned Vikram Sakhuja, group CEO of Madison Media. Clutter kills impact, he argued, especially for high-value formats like jackets, front pages, and masthead banners.

Tambawala agreed: “If there are five jackets and I’m the third one, nobody notices me.”

The solution? Sell directly. Design smartly. Prioritise context over saturation.

Solve problems, don’t sell pages

“Print teams aren’t sitting in on brand strategy conversations,” said Pradeep Dwivedi, group CEO of Eros Media World. “They’re selling inventory — not value.”

To stay relevant, print must shift from transactional selling to strategic partnership. Marketers need creative, insight-driven solutions — not just rate cards.

Best practices for reinventing print in 2025

From conversations in Mumbai, here’s what tomorrow’s print playbook looks like:

• Treat print as premium: Curated formats, rich visuals, elegant layout — make every edition feel valuable.

• Sell trust, not impressions: Emphasise editorial rigour, journalistic integrity, and clarity over chaos.

• Blend print into user journeys: Link newspaper drops with push alerts, newsletters, and social media moments.

• Bundle print with creativity: Offer print-plus experiences: AR, influencer activations, QR-to-commerce.

• Use AI in the background: Automate layout, editioning, and ad targeting — while keeping editorial human.

What’s really at stake?

The message from the INMA South Asia Festival was unequivocal: Print doesn’t need saving. It needs strategy.

The existential question isn’t “Will print survive?” It’s “Will publishers evolve it?”

Done right, the rewards are tangible: deeper reader loyalty, premium advertising, and differentiated journalism in a crowded media landscape.

Or, as Vanita Kohli-Khandekar put it: “There’s nothing broken about print. We just need to tell its story better.”

Final word: Print needs reinvention, not resurrection

Print’s greatest threat isn’t irrelevance — it’s inertia.

The message from the INMA South Asia Festival was resounding: Stop apologising for print. Start reimagining it.

As Omnicom CEO Aditya Kanthy summed it up: “Build brands with innovation and integration.”

And if South Asia continues to rise to that challenge — creatively and commercially — it may well emerge as the global bellwether for print’s hybrid future.

This article was written with the assistance of AI tools. All content has been reviewed and edited by a human editor to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.

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