On the occasion of National Sports Day on August 29, the Free Press Journal, in existence for nearly nine decades, changed its masthead to The Free Sports Journal. The initiative has been conceptualised by Taproot Dentsu, and will highlight the need for free and easy access to sport. The agency came up with this idea to boost the newspaper’s strategy to position itself as a change-maker by drawing the country’s attention to important issues.
Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Taproot Dentsu, explains the genesis of this idea. “A simple yet brave idea is what we had. One that was born out of the name of the newspaper itself – Free Press. We live in an era where less is more. I’m delighted that this new-age approach was liked the minute it was presented. And even more delighted that this won’t be a one-off – we’ll be running this campaign through the year, highlighting national issues on relevant days,” he says.
The newspaper also dedicated two full pages to sports, which include opinions and solutions to the issue from Union Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju, veteran sports journalist Ayaz Memon and Maharashtra’s Sports Minister, Ashish Shelar. “Today, we aren’t the Free Press Journal. Today, we are the Free Sports Journal,” the Journal states in a release.
Speaking about the change in masthead, Abhishek Karnani, Director, Free Press Journal says, “Print has the potential to be an innovative and exciting medium. We, as a publication, are always on the lookout for bold, progressive, cutting-edge innovations and ideas that prove that statement to be true. And that allows us to stay relevant to our new-age audience. By changing our masthead to reflect the issue, we are reflecting upon and dedicating two full pages to amplify it. We will be taking this idea forward through the year, shining the spotlight on multiple issues – like access to education, healthcare, safety, etc., on relevant national and international days.”