Begin right with a newspaper

Morning has broken, or has it? The coffee has come, the cock has crowed and yet for some people the day has not dawned unless they open their personal copy of the newspaper. It is not that they remain enthralled by what they read – it is often predictably the same news rehashed from its previous version – but the way the day is decided by the interaction of the reader with the newspaper that is so fascinating.

Newspapers have been around since 59 BC when Acta Diurna was circulated in Rome. It first came into print in Antwerp in 1575. Relation Aller Furnemmen happens to be the first newspaper to be published. The world’s first daily newspaper was published on 11 March 1702, The Daily Courant by Elizabeth Mallet. So, the three hundred odd years run has produced a wonderful heritage for society.

Merchandisers found this form of media an absolute god-send. They could talk about their merchandise to thousands and thousands. They could do their merchandising without leaving their home or shop. The newspapers continued to thrill the masses because they held vital messages. They informed the people about happenings – some common place, some thrilling and yet some others, intriguing either in its concept or the conceptualization. For instance, people wanted more messages like what their Government was up to and who actually reached the North Pole first – Robert Peary or Robert Cook.

Watershed era for the newspaper

We soon will have no more paper, no more cover pages and no more paper for our kites. It will live in the memories of people who grew up with them and died with them. We will pass this watershed era and enter another glorious era – the era of the internet. And maybe, soon there will come a time when they say – this is the end of the internet, it was glorious. So let us remember how it is with newspaper and its messages, and the inevitable merchandising.