Article

New Paper uses interactive “Rock that Tick” campaign to engage young readers

by Jonathon Roberts 9 July 2012

Use of long-term design feature — the tick — transitions The New Paper to the digital age with Facebook, Twitter, and “project bombing” components.

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Correct. Positive. Affirmative.

The tick — or check mark — says all of the above. And since Singapore’s The New Paper, a leading paid, compact newspaper, began in 1988, the tick has been part of the masthead. The original masthead was designed by Mario Garcia, and while it has changed — in colour, size, shape, and font – the tick has endured.

The tick has been incorporated into branding before, but in this campaign we decided to bring it to the forefront and get the public to “rock that tick.”

The campaign was created in-house under creative editor Ken Jalleh Jr. Although we engaged agencies initially and received proposals from them, they missed the essential spark we were looking for. The New Paper prides itself on taking the unusual, often radical route, and we were looking for something unique that would appeal to our young demographic readership.

When outside proposals missed the mark, we turned to our in-house staff for a solution. Design chief Lee Hup Kheng hit upon the idea of using the right hand with index finger and thumb extended to make the shape of the tick. From there, the ideas came thick and fast; within one session, we outlined a look that features shots of cool people rocking the tick.?

A campaign was formed, with the look and direction overseen by Assistant Creative Editor Jacqueline Wu and myself. The first phase included monochrome teaser ads. No text, just the models posing their hands in the shape of the tick. To add some mystery, we went with a creative agency's idea to “take it into the streets” with a “projection bombing” campaign.?Several nights in a row, the agency's team went to prominent, high-traffic locations to project moving footage of the hand forming a tick against the backdrop of buildings.?

Then came phase two. In the print ads, the models’ hands were coloured in The New Paper orange, complete with logo and the call to action: “What makes you tick? What ticks you off?” We wanted not merely a passive print campaign, but interaction. We wanted to go where the young hang out — on social networking sites.

To bolster our online presence, local agency Yolk created a Facebook application — Rock That Tick — to allow readers to interact by uploading pictures of themselves “rocking the tick” that could be voted on, with the winner receiving a grand prize of an iPad.

In addition, the agency also created a micro-site for people to share their perspectives and views on the hot topics of the day. They are also encouraged to vent their likes and gripes via the Twitter hashtag #wmyt.?

Could The New Paper’s hand gesture become as ubiquitous as previous positive hand signals like the thumbs up, the victory V or the surfer’s “hang ten”??Maybe. If you visit Singapore, don’t be surprised if you’re greeted by someone rocking the tick.

Author/Contact: Jonathan Roberts is assistant news editor?at The New Paper, based in Singapore. He can be reached at jonrob@sph.com.sg.