Partner Messages: Mansoor Kareem

It takes true courage to launch a newspaper in this day and age. When the newspaper industry is shrinking globally, challenged by the rise of on-line readership, The Express Tribune proved that you can still succeed! With a newspaper that focused on not just quality content and a fresh perspective, but also how the paper looks and feels, ET has brought a revolution to Pakistani news. The success of the website has given marketers a fresh understanding of the power and reach of the internet in Pakistan and the that journalism can be achieved in ways we never thought of. It used to be that newspapers were only read by people of a certain older age group, the younger audience having migrated to social networks and the rapid-fire news bites delivered by television. Today, thanks to The Express Tribune, young people are as passionate about the news! They swap editorial columns on Facebook, leave comments on every article and feel like they aren’t just reading information but participating in the creation of it.

The question is, if The Express Tribune could accomplish so much in the first year alone, what will the next few years hold? Will we be browsing the paper on our iPads while getting headlines on Twitter? The Express Tribune is already doing that! For a newspaper that took such an old medium and placed it on the cutting edge of technological development, the challenge will be to continue innovating. Given the track record so far, I am quite excited to see what lies ahead. They are truly up to the task!

CEO, JWT

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12^th,  2011.