Market

Newspapers are the lifeblood of a country and

even though diverse electronic media compete
to keep the public abreast of the news,
newspapers still play a vital role in disseminating
information and shaping opinion. Electronic
media enjoy an edge as far as breaking news is
concerned, but national newspapers such as
Divaina serve to inform the public how and why
events occurred, as well as provide in-depth
analyses of issues behind the news. Given the
plethora of newspapers in three languages and
the range in terms of content offered by both
daily and weekly newspapers, Sri Lankas printmedia market could be considered a dynamic
and highly competitive one.
The newspaper market in Sri Lanka is
presently valued at over 400 million rupees a
month, taking into consideration news-stand
sales and advertising revenue, which is
considered vital in determining how a
newspaper is run. Editorial policies define the
stance of newspapers and are instrumental in
creating the desired impact among the target
readership. The public usually buys a newspaper
for both reportage and commentary. To
maintain its leadership in the Sinhala-language
segment of the newspaper industry, Divaina has
been able to strike a delicate balance between
editorial and marketing policies. This has enabled
the newspaper, which has been in operation for
almost a quarter of a century, to achieve
Superbrand status.
Despite stiff competition, the daily and
Sunday versions of the Divaina have maintained
the second-highest readership levels for both
daily and weekly Sinhala-language newspapers,
as indicated by the National Media Survey.
Divaina attracts an educated and discerning
segment of readers, according to the survey.

All other Sinhala-language newspapers and,

to some extent, English-language newspapers
compete with the Divaina brand with regard to
advertisements. In Sri Lanka, daily and weekend
newspapers both tabloid and broadsheet
compete for a share of the advertising pie. Only
the vernacular daily newspapers compete with it
in terms of news. The electronic media, which
attract a major share of advertising in
comparison to the print media, poses the
biggest challenge to Divaina in relation to
advertising revenue. The internet, which hosts
numerous websites that publish news virtually
instantly and provide regular updates, has also
become a competitor to reckon with.
newspaper can retain its talented workforce as
Divaina has done, this would be a significant
achievement in itself. The management policy of
little or no interference in the newspapers
editorial stance, which has given the journalistic
staff a much vaunted freedom of expression, is
appreciated.

History

financials of a newspaper are driven not by the

price at which it sells at the news-stand, but by
the advertisements it attracts.

Achievements

Divaina is presently posed with the challenge

of devising ways in which to stay ahead of the
competition. Since it is also an online
newspaper, Divaina could compete with the
internet to some extent. But the battle with
electronic media is more difficult, especially in
terms of breaking news, since TV and radio are
quicker to respond to and reflect eventualities,
thereby attracting the attention of viewers.
Newsprint and its availability, as well as
expenditure on printing, have been known to
impact the newspaper industry grievously, on
occasion. Presently, newspapers compete to
attract the attention of readers through welldesigned pages and eye-catching layouts to
say nothing of headlines. If the newsprint is of
inferior quality, advertisements published in a
newspaper are not likely to yield the desired
results. So publishers try to use the best
available yet most economical newsprint.
Increased income from advertisements means
increased revenue for the newspaper, which
could then employ more journalists on its
editorial team and obtain the services of quality
graphic artists to improve its aesthetics. The
30

SUPERBRANDS

Divaina has been commended for impartial and

neutral reporting by the EUs election monitors
in 2005. The newspaper also won a Silver at the
SLIM Advertising Awards in 2004 for its Mohini
TV campaign, which focused on the brands high
quality of journalism. The campaign used the
local idiom of a well-known Sri Lankan folk tale.
Editors and journalists working for Divainas
sister publications have won many awards for
reporting during the brands 25 years of
existence.
Divaina, which claims to enjoy a market share
of 30-40 per cent in terms of readership, is
considered second only to Lankadeepa, in terms
of reach. This is a significant achievement,
because there are many Sinhala-language
newspapers such as Lankadeepa, Dinamina,
Silumina, Lakbima, Ravaya and Rivira with which it
competes. Divainas popularity stems from its
longevity and staying power. The brand is 25
years old and obviously, this inspires customer
confidence.
Divainas achievements and its progress,
spanning over a quarter of a century, are
attributable chiefly to its committed workforce.
Some staffers have been with Divaina since its
inception and continue contributing to the
brands success. Editors, journalists,
photographers, graphic artists, proofreaders,
printing and circulation staff, marketing and
advertising people, have all contributed to its
attainment of Superbrand status.
Editorial staff members, who comprise the
core of Divaina, are a committed lot. If any

The Sunday Divaina and its daily counterpart

were launched in 1981 and 1982 respectively, at
a time when the local press was dominated by
the state media and remained under stringent
government control. The late Upali
Wijewardene, one of Sri Lankas most respected
entrepreneurs, launched Upali Newspapers,
which still publishes Divaina. At that time, it was
the first privately owned, independent news
organisation in Sri Lanka.

Product
Divaina is published in broadsheet format in the
Sinhala language. Both publications are also
available online. Divaina is distributed nationally
and strict deadlines are met daily. The
newspaper attracts a wide cross section of
advertisements from the countrys leading
marketers who consider it a viable medium for
marketing their respective products.
From a political perspective, Divaina is an
important newspaper. At election time, it
attracts significant advertising from a diverse
range of candidates, confirming its popularity
and positioning among readers. It impacts
strongly on public opinion. National market
surveys on newspapers, which are conducted
once a year, do not always provide accurate
information about the circulation of newspapers
in Sri Lanka.
Although it is speculated that Divaina may be
leading the market in terms of readership, the

lack of audited circulation figures is a lacuna in

the newspaper industry.
From its inception, Divaina has been
committed to presenting readers with impartial,
in-depth and up-to-date news and information.
It has firmly resisted periodic attempts to
manipulate or restrict media freedom from time
to time.
In general, the brand has been targeting the
more educated reader, and it has focused on
presenting news in a responsible manner, in
keeping with the media ethics and regulations
set by the authorities. It has also endeavoured
to present news professionally, without catering
to the lowest common denominator.

Recent Developments
Sri Lanka has experienced a turbulent period in
its history in the 2000s, both socially and
politically. Reputable world bodies such as the
EU despatch their representatives to this
country from time to time to monitor, amongst
other things, media freedom and media
performance. During the past few years, EU
observers have repeatedly identified Divaina as
being an impartial publication.
Many newspapers have recognised the
importance of presentation. While Divaina has
always presented breaking news and cuttingedge feature articles, its present focus is to
display eye-catching layouts and photographs to
appeal especially to younger readers.
Other newspapers, especially the Englishlanguage print media, have focused on projecting
business news in a prominent manner. This focus
has not been noticeable among Sinhala-language
newspapers.
Divaina, which caters to the educated Sinhalaspeaking readership of the country, seeks to
explore and exploit this and, perhaps, become
number one in terms of business readership.

Promotion
Divaina, which is a platform for promotion in
itself, does not need to spend much on
promoting the brand. However, some publishing
costs for newsprint, for example could be
categorised as indirect promotional expenditure.
If the newspaper can stay ahead of the pack
in terms of the news, it is likely to attract new
readers. In this regard, human-resource
development especially in retaining talent
would ensure consistency of performance,
which would promote the newspaper in the
longer term. Meanwhile, a range of competitions
in the newspaper seek to reward its readers
and to retain their readership. Divaina also offers
media sponsorship for business events, to
further popularise the newspaper.

Brand Values
Divaina seeks to uphold media ethics sans
compromise. It concentrates on the accurate
reporting and adopts a responsible approach to
both reportage and commentary. Its
management has granted the newspapers
journalists and editors a high degree of media
freedom, and adopts a policy of noninterference with editorial policy. Divainas aim is
to provide readers with impartial news and
quality analyses, presented in an interesting and
entertaining format, whilst steering clear of
sensationalism. It innovates by dint of the
manner in which it presents the news and
through its creative application of design.

www.divaina.com
THINGS YOU DIDNT KNOW ABOUT

Divaina
The weekend and daily editions of Divaina
were the first privately owned, independent
newspapers launched in Sri Lanka, following
the nationalisation of the local press in the
1970s.
Divaina celebrated its 25th year of publication
in 2006.
Divaina, along with The Island the Englishlanguage sister publication of Divaina is the
only Sri Lankan newspaper to receive a
commendation for impartial reporting from
the EU as well as PAFFREL, the independent
election-monitoring organisation in Sri Lanka.
SUPERBRANDS

31