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The Daily Sun turns 19
On 2 July 2021, the Daily Sun celebrates their 19th birthday and reflects on the enhancements of their multi-platform strategy that they hope will further extend their reach into a market that the late founder of the newspaper Deon Du Plessis described as 'the real South Africa'.
Media24 GM of Lifestyle and Community News Minette Ferreira, witnessed the launch of the Daily Sun newspaper. She tells of the initial battle to convince advertisers of the size and value of a then largely underserved market. ‘No-one gave us half a chance, then we cracked the right circulation level and the paper just flew.’ says Ferreira.
Media24 remains committed to the Daily Sun brand and serving an audience of loyal users whom advertisers can engage with too. More than 2 million Facebook followers rely on Daily Sun for news, human interest stories, advice and assistance as well as nearly 1 million monthly unique browsers on their website. ‘It is important for us to sell 360-degree solutions to clients. They are excited to experiment with us as part of the journey and acknowledge Daily Sun’s content positioning. Our editorial teams identify with this growing middle market and produce content critical to South Africa,’ added Ferreira.
Editor Mapula Nkosi describes their current journey as an evolution that the staff are passionate about being part of. ‘Staff participated in our revised pay off-line by submitting suggestions. Our Lives. Our Paper has become Our Lives. Our Journey, reflecting Daily Sun’s expansion across media platforms, and their understanding of and reporting on how the lives of their consumers are evolving.’
The original brand positioning, describing the typical reader as 'The Man in the Blue Overall', has also evolved. The reader carries a cellphone in his or her pocket and whether rural or township based, he or she is on the move, we speak their language and champion their voices in a credible way. Their journey becomes part of our journey.’
Following a thorough analysis of the Daily Sun print distribution network, a decision was made last year to focus on areas that traditionally attracted the most readers. The newspaper is currently available across Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Subsequent to these footprint changes, in June 2020 the free weekly Daily Sun On the Go was launched to fill gaps in the distribution network across the country.
Armed with a well-known and trusted brand, targeted print distribution and a growing digital and social media profile, the team at Daily Sun turned their attention to broadcast media opportunities. This led to the launch of Sun’ceda – an advertising funded TV-series broadcasted on Mzansi Wethu and carried on the brand’s digital properties - covering real-life stories in keeping with the popular Daily Sun content formula and allowing further access to their brand.
Mapula describes the past year as one of massive innovation. She is particularly proud of initiatives aimed at giving back to readers such as SunPower, part of Sunland’s DNA, influencing sub brands including Mr Fix It and TV programme, Sun’ceda.
