The newspaper has three editions - Monday, Thursday and Sunday - and the relaunch sees the weekday edition published on Mondays and Thursdays change from broadsheet to tabloid with a new look and feel while the Sunday edition has been refreshed with new look but remains in its current tabloid size.
The new-look Ilanga hit the streets on for the first time on Thursday ,12 November 2009, and is claimed to have been well received by its readers.
“We have been a standard-bearer of IsiZulu language for more than a century. Although our success has opened space for competitors, we are confident that the new, modern Ilanga will continue to lead in the years ahead,” said the newspaper's MD Arthur Koningkramer. “We welcome competition”, he added.
The relaunch is a result of an extensive reader research process during which the newspaper conducted a series of focus groups to test the appeal, relevance and usefulness of its product. Mlamuli Nxele, the newspaper's commercial general manager said, “The decision to introduce the new look was mainly informed by our readers. They told us that they prefer a tabloid size instead of broadsheet as tabloid is easier to read particularly when they are commuting.”
The research also revealed the change in how the newspaper's readers consume news. “The readers indicated that the tabloid format, which allows for more concise presentation of content, was more convenient especially because today's consumers do not have as much time in their hands. We believe the new look and the new size format will deliver a more pleasurable reading experience to our readers”, said Nxele.
Ilanga has also invested heavily in marketing to create awareness of the new size and the new look. “We are making a huge investment in marketing to ensure that these changes are known and well received by our target market. We are rolling out a campaign that will include outdoor billboards, taxi branding and radio spots. We are also running a six-week promotional competition where our readers can win a highly sought-after prizes that will give them “a new look” like Ilanga. We are giving away novelty prizes like a big screen plasma TV's, Apple i-Phone, DSTV PVR decoder etc”, says Nxele.
