Kim Kardashian bares her ample bum on a magazine cover trig-gering headlines the world over; the global event ‘breaks the Internet’; brands butt in with

their own japes on social media, hijacking the news for marketing mileage.

That, in a nutshell, is newsjacking. According to David Meerman Scott, marketing strategist and author, it’s ‘the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for your-self or your business.’ Companies from Coca-Cola and Mondelez to startups have people on stand-by to hijack news, from landmark bills to sport fiascos, and ride

outrage or trending topics. Because in the digital age, it’s ‘tweet first, think later’, or hardly ever, in certain cases. Marketers though are typically more cautious than individuals: the latter more susceptible to dispensing commentary on social media like a malfunctioning gumball machine .

Newsjacking is fashionable indeed. But the 21st Century marketer didn’t invent it. The ultimate case study in newsjacking, at least within the Indian context, comes from the year 1947. The year of India’s liberation from her colonial masters. In the 15th August 1947 edition of The Times of India are examples of companies leveraging the historical moment to amass goodwill and social currency but not the digital kind.

Attempts by some brands to appropriate a piece of Independence Day were subtle, while others were more brazen. Tata paid homage to those who fought for India’s freedom while pledging to build a land in which “the mind is without fear and the head is held high” in a quarter-page ad in the broadsheet; others like Usha fans suggested, ‘Celebrate the dawn of Freedom. Install a Usha fan.’

Now, in the strictest sense of the word this isn’t quite newsjacking, because it’s not in real-time. Advertisers had time to prepare, surely. Nonetheless, since social media was still a pipe dream, this was the closest thing to newsjacking in the early 20th Century. And that would make these marketers the first newsjackers of the Republic of India.

Czech footwear brand pledges to serve the weary feet of millions of Indians. The Indians return the favour by mostly forgetting Bata’s Czech antecedents

Liberty, happiness, peace, free

and India: Oriental’s

homage reads like it

was being tailored for

keyword searches

on Google

One can hardly call it opportunistic when the company’s founder went to jail for the cause

‘Half a century of national service’ — Godrej prints a reminder of its contribution to India

This is no time for sentimentality. Dalmia Cement has a nation to build

Jaago Re before Jaago Re

The ‘Make in India’ tag comes into play

Allen Berry & Co puts the onus on industry to drive a new India

‘A glamorous Stantex room with a view of the tricolour’

FIRST NEWSJACKERS OF A FREE INDIA

Here’s what newsjacking, the quintessential 21st century marketing trend, looked like in 1947. By Delshad Irani

‘Today Dawns The Liberty - Brushing Off Slavery”: Aryan Supremacy but only for Indian teeth

Usha doesn’t beat around the bush. So, take a seat and dry your blood, sweat and tears under a newly installed Usha fan

That’s clever — ‘LIGHT of liberty.’ All capitals, just in case you missed the pun

PHOTOS: TIMES OF INDIA ARCHIVES

Regn.No.MAHENG/2002/6711 Volume 14 Issue No. 32Published for the Proprietors, Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd. by R. Krishnamurthyat The Times Of India Building, Dr. D.N.Road, Mumbai 400 001 Tel. No. (022) 6635 3535, 2273 3535, Fax- (022)-2273 1144 and printed by him at (1) The Times of India Suburban Press, AkurliRoad, Western Express Highway, Kandivili (E), Mumbai 400 101. Tel. No. (022) 28872324, 28872930, Fax- (022) 28874230 (2) The Times of India Print City, Plot No. 4, T.T.C. Industrial Area, Thane Belapur Road, Airoli, Navi Mumbai-400708 and (3) TIMES PRESS, Plot No. 5A, Road No. 1, IDA Nacharam Ranga Reddy District, Hyd-

erabad-500076. Editor: Ravi Balakrishnan(Responsible for selection of news under PRB Act). © All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of the Publisher is prohibited.

THE ECONOMIC TIMES AUGUST 12-18, 2015 4

Product: ETNEWMumbaiBS PubDate: 12-08-2015 Zone: BrandEquity Edition: 1 Page: BEPER3 User: sandeepd0203 Time: 08-06-2015 23:24 Color: CMYK