UNITY PAPER

Short List
TitleUNITY PAPER
BrandWIJEYA NEWSPAPERS LIMITED
Product / ServiceADA NEWSPAPER
CategoryA01. Creative Effectiveness
EntrantLEO BURNETT SOLUTIONS Colombo, SRI LANKA
Entrant Company LEO BURNETT SOLUTIONS Colombo, SRI LANKA
Advertising Agency LEO BURNETT SOLUTIONS Colombo, SRI LANKA
Media Agency STARCOM WORLDWIDE Colombo, SRI LANKA
Production Company 24 FRAMES Colombo, SRI LANKA

Credits

Name Company Position
Subhash Pinnapola Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Executive Creative Director
Sithum Walter Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Creative Group Head
Chaturangi De Silva Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Art Director
Michael Holsinger Starcom Worldwide Sri Lanka Chief Executive Officer
Eraj Wirasinha Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Creative Director
Farzad Mohideen Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Creative Group Head
Ranjana Amaradeva Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Creative Group Head
Malaka Samith Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Copy Writer
Somasegeram Nadarajah Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Copy Writer
Manoj Dharmawardhane Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Senior Copy Writer
Mehnaz Ilhamdeen Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Director Operations
Ranjith Perera Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Senior Manager Digital Art Production
Anuradha Cooray Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Senior Executive Production
Nilusha Wanasinghe Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Senior Media Manager
Jayantha Liyanage Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Digitial Artist
Prasad Chaturanga Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Illustrator
Kishani Gunasekera Arc Worldwide Sri Lanka Director Public Relations
Tasneem Siddeeque Arc Worldwide Sri Lanka Public Relations Executive
Jehan Adahan Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Photographer
Murtaza A. Tajbhoy Leo Burnett Solutions Inc Head Of Brand Planning

Brief Explanation

How a newspaper helped a nation heal the wounds of war In 2009, Sri Lanka’s brutal 30-year civil war finally came to an end. Four years on, the process of reconciliation was still not complete. After a generation of ethnic divisions and conflict, Sri Lanka was still a society in need of healing, reconciliation and a heightened sense of nationhood. In 2013, Ada (‘Today’), a Sinhala-language newspaper, saw an opportunity to promote national reconciliation through the approaching traditional New Year, which is celebrated by both major ethnic groups, the Sinhalese and the Tamils. Such an effort could also give a sorely needed fillip to a brand struggling to hold on to its 4% readership share in a category where 16 newspapers compete for a declining reader base. As a flanker in the portfolio of newspapers owned by Sri Lanka’s multilingual Wijeya Group, Ada was challenged to attain a #3 position in the category. To leverage the opportunity, we created Sri Lanka’s first bilingual newspaper. Mast headed ‘Unity Paper’ and released on New Year’s day, it was a resounding success in terms of both its social and marketing objectives. The launch of the Unity Paper was preceded by the creation of a new bilingual font combining phonetically similar characters from the Sinhala and Tamil script. The campaign focused on the socially active younger demographic, sparking online excitement. Even celebrities began using the letters in various ways, for example as Facebook profile pictures. TV networks and other national newspapers also discussed the campaign, resulting in plenty of free coverage. On publication day, the issue of Ada/Unity Paper was snapped up in a few hours. Over the longer term, this initiative helped Ada double its circulation and increase readership by 351%, currently making it Sri Lanka’s second most popular Sinhala daily. Its success in promoting national unity is less easily measured, but there is no doubt that the effect was positive.