What is "The News Moment," which creates buzz through newspaper ads and Twitter?

I'm Yukio Hashiguchi, Creative Director. We've developed "The News Moment," a solution that delivers brand experiences by combining newspaper ads with Twitter. It enables the efficient production of newspaper ads that spread on Twitter. Below, we explain what this solution is and what it can do.

The Best Mix of Newspaper Ads and Twitter

As the importance of SDGs, ESG management, and corporate purpose grows, the value of newspaper advertising is being rediscovered. Newspaper ads offer distinct advantages: social relevance, credibility, and ample space for detailed content. They are ideal for companies to communicate social messages and craft new brand stories.

These newspaper ads are known to pair well with Twitter. Especially ads published during moments like New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, and International Women's Day often become major topics of conversation on Twitter.

Newspaper ads that capture moments resonating with everyday users can generate organic buzz—spontaneous engagement not driven by influencer-led word-of-mouth campaigns.

Many newspaper ads spread organically, often sparked by tweets from regular users. This is precisely why they hold such high value, though intentionally creating such buzz is admittedly difficult.

On the other hand, Twitter ads like Follow & Retweet and Conversational Cards can be managed strategically. However, they are less likely to generate explosive buzz that gets picked up by news sites or TV.

Exactly. The strengths and weaknesses of newspaper ads and Twitter are complementary.

Newspaper ad → Generate buzz on Twitter → Drive traffic to a special site

The News Moment mechanism is simple: just place a newspaper ad and distribute its image via a promoted tweet.

You can also add a special site to both the newspaper ad and the tweet. Use the newspaper ad to make your appeal, spread it through buzz, and then provide detailed information on the special site.

This approach is more cost-effective than running each component separately.

Creative by the SNS specialist team "Nakanohito"

Even though newspaper ads are Twitter-friendly, not just any ad will become a topic of conversation. To get ordinary users to spontaneously talk about it, you need to understand the ever-changing atmosphere and user sentiment on Twitter and translate that into creative work that resonates.

That's why The News Moment entrusts creative execution to Dentsu Inc.'s cross-functional team "Nakanohito," renowned for crafting numerous hit social media campaigns. Collaborating with newspapers, they deliver creative that balances the quality demanded of print ads with the virality required for Twitter.

Here's one example of work by "Nakanohito": the newspaper ad for Nami Kishida's book "It Wasn't Because They Were Family That I Loved Them, It Was Because I Loved Them That They Were My Family." (This project started from my personal belief, after reading the book, that "if we create an ad for it, it will surely become something great.")

It ran on March 21st this year, the UN-designated "World Down Syndrome Day." Every year, various activities are held to spread understanding about Down syndrome. We advertised Nami Kishida's book, which chronicles her daily life with her brother with Down syndrome and her family, during this moment when interest in Down syndrome peaks.

The ad's goal was to make people who don't usually think about Down syndrome want to read Kishida's book. So they wrote a catchphrase based on the book's content: "Life gets okay, little by little, bit by bit." It's a phrase anyone can relate to, whether they have a disability or not.

The result? The newspaper ad garnered numerous retweets and likes on Twitter. Furthermore, author Nami Kishida tweeted about the feelings she had entrusted to the newspaper ad. Seeing this, some people bought the newspaper specifically for the ad, and bookstores displayed posters promoting it, causing the topic to spread.

https://twitter.com/namikishida/status/1370247712050847744

"Capturing the Moment" means creating a trigger that makes people spontaneously want to talk about a certain theme. Leveraging this characteristic, what kind of campaigns can be implemented with The News Moment? Here are three examples.

Example 1: New Year's Day Advertisements

New Year's Day newspaper ads are a popular topic on Twitter. Every year, images of these ads are widely tweeted, and summary sites appear. However, this spread was driven by Twitter users acting independently, leaving companies in a passive role.

With The News Moment, New Year's Day ads can be leveraged as part of a Twitter strategy.

Example 2: International Women's Day

As SDGs and ESG management gain attention, the importance of social moments is increasing. Notably, International Women's Day on March 8, 2021 saw many companies place newspaper ads, becoming a trending topic on Twitter. Undoubtedly, attention will only grow in the coming years.

Using The News Moment, you can amplify newspaper ads with Promoted Tweets, just like on New Year's Day. Furthermore, you can prepare a special site created by the newspaper and drive traffic to it from tweets. This enables highly credible messaging from newspapers known for their expertise in social issues. For example, it's ideal for introducing a company's gender equality initiatives.

Interest in corporate purpose is growing. To communicate what your company values and how it acts, be sure to utilize The News Moment.

Example 3: New Product Launch Announcement

The News Moment is also effective for promotional campaigns. Consider the launch of a functional food product. You could announce it with an impactful newspaper ad, amplify it through Promoted Tweets, and explain the product's features in detail on a special website—creating a communication strategy that maximizes the strengths of each medium.

If you're interested in The News Moment, feel free to contact us! We accept inquiries via the contact form on the official "Nakano Hito" website!