Remember how we used to wake up, take the newspaper from under the door and enjoy the latest occurring with a cup of tea in our hand? Since a lot of us made a substantial amount or an entire transition from print to digital, as readers, we have a lot of expectations. As an audience who’s reading the news on the digital platform, I would prefer a clean site with a friendly interface, a platform where I can blindly have faith since it provides credible news, and a news platform where I have the convenience of reading news in my own preferred language.
There is no doubt that social media has taken over a very dominant share of our leisure time. Again, there is also no doubt that this had led to the proliferation of fake news more than ever. People are seeking for trusted news than ever during this COVID19 crisis. Trust and convenience are the two critical elements a reader always puts into the frontlines while consuming news.
And when we say convenience it's not only about how (Print Vs Online) you are receiving the news. It's also about in which format you are preferring to consume the news (Text Vs Video), in which language (Bangla Vs English) you are preferring to read the news.
As a marketing head of the leading English Daily, I always wonder why our investigative or editorial pieces are not getting the desired traction considering the growing market we have. Why still clickbait or news with spice are taking over trusted or credible pieces? Why the brands are also sometimes running after these impression numbers which are driven by substandard news?
Every time I shared this frustration with our Executive Editor - Syed Ashfaqul Haque Bhai, he stressed the fact that the responsibility of media is not only to inform people with reliable information but also to educate them regarding the importance of knowing them. He also stressed the importance of media in nation-building.
But what he proposed as a possible solution to it is to serve the bigger audience of the nation. The bigger part of the entire audience searches for credible news but more convenient in consuming those in the native language. It was not an easy decision to make to go beyond our own domain. But it was a bold step indeed.
And as a marketer, I am happy to announce that we, from The Daily Star, are finally executing something for the readers, catering to that. We have launched a new bilingual site last night, which you can visit at our usual address - www.thedailystar.net
But let’s get to the main question. What’s new?
Firstly, let’s talk about the interface. We have a layout where English and Bangla news is sorted out, in several categories. A user doesn’t have to feel like there are so many news pieces to read, he/she can spend some time with comfort and scroll down till finding which section they want to spend some time on. And before putting these categories into your menu we can assure thorough research had taken place.
Then, the question of the hour. As the leading English daily of Bangladesh and being a trusted name, it is our responsibility to deliver something extra than just English news. For the love of our supportive audience, this bilingual site will give a blend of credible news in both English, and Bangla. You now have the option to choose, and you also can view the site in complete English, or Bangla, upon your interest. From the eyes of a marketer, I think it will help us further strengthen the relationship with our audience.
My own daughter watches one video after another when I hand her my phone. In this era where video content is becoming more popular, we have a new multimedia section, and on this site, we plan to introduce a lot of video segments that will portray credible content in the most alluring manner.
New multimedia products like 'Straight From The Newsroom", "Star on the Spot" will not only enlighten our readers with a more in-depth analysis of the news but also give them the convenience of interacting with our newsroom colleagues as well.
We have been working on this product for more than one year. While developing a product, there are a lot of testing phases, and finally after feedbacks and improvements, here we are. I also believe that in the near future, we will develop our platform even better, and for that, we need your support.
Feel free to suggest us your thoughts and tell us how we can serve you better. Because it’s your right to know, and it’s your right to experience.
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