As the lockdown continued in Croatia, Hanza Media’s Jutarnji list wanted a way to lighten the mood for readers. In addition to the stress of quarantine, the Croatian capital, Zagreb, was hit by the strongest earthquake in the past 140 years on the morning of March 22, leaving more than 1,900 buildings uninhabitable and injuring 27 people.

So, the daily newspaper decided to give readers something special that would make their life more fun and add some creativity to the quarantine.

After discussing several ideas, it finally settled on the idea of creating a colouring book that would be included with the print edition of the newspaper.

A colouring book represented the perfect way to distract and entertain readers, and colouring is also scientifically proven to help people relax, release stress, and stimulate creativity. Jutarnji list combined those benefits with a bit of an art lesson, creating a colouring book that used the artwork of well-known Croatian painters. Nearly a dozen internationally recognised artists contributed original quarantined-themed works to be included in the book. It was a great way for readers to learn more about their country’s artists while at the same time getting to relax.

The idea was an immediate success. More than 20,000 print editions of the Jutanji list with the colouring book were sold, which is 20% more than other weekly editions. The campaign was marketed by five ads in three different newspapers, and it also included a giveaway. Readers submitted their finished works of art and the artists who designed the colouring book chose the best works. Three winners were selected to receive additional colouring books.

In addition to bringing the community together, the colouring book also was used to help support the regional artist scene, since that scene was among the industries that were profoundly and negatively affected by the coronavirus crisis.

The results speak for themselves. Dozens of readers sent in their artwork and applied for the giveway, and they counted 4,258 article readers, 1.5+ million impressions, 4,746 unique visitors to the campaign, and 23,360 Instagram and Facebook story views.

Being able to bring the art and colour into readers’ homes during a very dark time gave Jutarnji list the opportunity to truly connect with readers during the quarantine. 

This is a case study from INMA’s August 2020 report What a Pandemic Taught Media About Community Engagement, free to INMA members.

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