TOI Vs HT final
-
Upload
atul-agrawal -
Category
Documents
-
view
787 -
download
4
Transcript of TOI Vs HT final
INDEX
1. Introduction ...02
Objective of Study …03
Scope of Study …05
Executive summary …07
2. Company Profile …11
3. Product Profile …17
4. Research Methodology …39
Research Design
Information & sources
5. Limitation of Study …45
6. Finding & Observation …46
7. Conclusion …59
1
8. Bibliography …63
Annexure …65
1. INTRODUCTION
2
OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
“COMPARITIVE STUDY OF HINDUSTAN TIMES AND TIMES OF
INDIA” is a project report that throws light on the competition that Times of
India today has to face, courtesy the new entrants in the market namely DNA
and Hindustan Times.
Times of India no wonder is the Queen, enjoying a lion’s share in the market.
However things changed once the King of North India, Hindustan Times
entered the battlefield, Mumbai to claim the throne.
3
.TOI, which had so long enjoyed the monopoly in Mumbai, which had been
formulating marketing strategies, resting back on their throne now has sat up
and are formulating defensive strategies to meet the competition.
This project reveals that it is very hard to overthrow TOI from the minds of
Mumbai readers but definitely not impossible. The survey conducted throws
light on the fact that HT is not even near TOI’s readership but its coverage
and quality of news, editorial skills and prices has been welcomed and
appreciated too.
One would think why conduct a survey to find out the winner between HT and
TOI. True. The winner is Times of India, as expected. But the competition to
TOI given by HT, as per the survey, would be a surprise package for one and
all.
The survey conducted reveals consumers are the real winners, as they have
choice today. Public opting for the new entrant newspapers itself is a
competition to TOI. As competition grows, so will the quality and eagerness
to please the readers. So readers rejoice, for the time has come when you can
choose YOUR paper!!!
4
SCOPE OF STUDY
A newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising.
General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime,
business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature
an editorial page containing columns that express the personal opinions of writers.
Supplementary sections may contain advertising, comics, and coupons.Newspapers
are most often published on a daily or weekly basis, and they usually focus on one
particular geographic area where most of their readers live. Despite recent setbacks
5
in circulation and profits, newspapers are still the most iconic outlet for news and
other types of written journalism.
Newspapers are a major force in forming public opinion and affecting national and
international efforts towards economic progress and global understanding.
The circulation of newspapers in the world has increased strongly last year,
according to the World Association of Newspapers. At the same time newspaper
advertising revenues made significant gains.
The five largest markets for newspapers are:
China, with 93.5 million copies sold daily
India, with 78.8 million copies daily
Japan, with 70.4 million copies daily
United States, with 55.6 million copies daily
Germany, with 22.1 million copies daily.
The newspaper industry in Asia remains unaffected by the problems of a stagnating
market and declining circulation that have been plaguing the newspaper industry in
the West. In fact, the industry is expected to grow in the next 5-10 years, according
6
to a report of Ifra, the world’s largest association for newspaper and media
publishing.
The report pointed out that newspaper circulation is growing in the developing
countries not only because the population is expanding quickly but also because
more people can read newspapers and can afford to buy them, especially in India
and China. Over the last five years circulation growth in Asia has been more than
enough to offset the slow decline in circulation which is taking place in the
developed countries.
EXCEUTIVE SUMMARY
Newspaper companies in India came to be projected as public service institutions
after independence.
However, in the late 1980s, they became just another fast moving consumer
commodity. The companies started aggressive marketing and promotional strategies
to increase circulation and readership. The industry witnessed tough competition
both regionally and nationally. Newspaper industry has survived everything – wars,
economic collapse, social destruction etc. Many of the top publications today are the
7
ones that have lived the freedom struggle – The Times of India, The Hindu, Mumbai
Samachar, Malayalam Manorama, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, are all veterans of the
Indian freedom struggle.
In 1999, the top 10 newspapers accounted for about 90% of the readership and the
top two made 90% of the profits. There was fierce competition for the advertising
rupee. By late 1990s, electronic media like television had made a dent into the print
media revenues. Print media was facing a squeeze due to the increasing popularity of
television-initially color television and then satellite television. The ad market worth
about Rs.90 billion slowed down and newspapers saw a steady decline in advertising
share - from about 75% in 1995 to almost 50% in 2000.
All these threat posing factors still didn’t stop the industry from flourishing, with
whole lot of new entrants in the Mumbai market. Traditionally Mumbai witnessed a
monopoly of the Queen of Newspapers – The Times of India. But this was only and
only till 2005, when the new entrants came into the field. And one such grand entry
was made by The King of Northern India, Hindustan Times, fondly known as HT.
The King chose to enter Mumbai, which is already flooded with a variety of
newspapers because,
8
“Mumbai offers potential for growth. There is room for a strong number 2 or 3
and we are keen on capitalizing on these positions.”
Mumbai offers the country’s largest advertisement revenue of Rs 1000 crores which
only one player – TOI had and still has the lions share. Mumbai has a 16% share of
the country’s $1.1 billion annual market for print advertisement. TOI’s advertising
rates are the highest in the country. For long even the advertisers had no choice than
to pay exorbitant price to reach Mumbai’s up market consumers. But with new
entrants, who have a potential to become leaders, advertisers are smiling!
Today the whole of India, let alone Mumbai, is plagued with a variety of newspaper.
There are so many on the stands that it’s difficult to rate and find out who is the
leader.
Following are the top ten English daily newspapers in India, according to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) 2009
Round 1 released recently by the Media Research Users Council (MRUC).
9
TOP 10 ENGLISH DAILIES
Rank Newspaper
1 The Times of India
2 Hindustan Times
3 The Hindu
4 The Telegraph
5 Deccan Chronicle
6 The Economic Times
10
7 Mid-Day
8 The New Indian Express
9 Mumbai Mirror
10 Daily News & Analysis
2. COMPANY PROFILE
11
Hindustan Times
Vice-Chairperson and Editorial Director: Shobhana Bhatia
Advisory Editorial Director: Vir Sanghvi
Editor-in-Chief: Chaitanya Kalbag
CEO HT Media Ltd: Rajiv Verma
12
Group Editor: Mrinal Pande
Hindustan Times commonly called as "HT" was founded in 1924 by Master Sunder
Singh Lyallpuri, the founder-father of the Akali Movement and the Shiromani Akali
Dal in Punjab. Master Sunder Sigh Lyallpuri started the newspaper with
contributions from USA, Canada and locals from the Lyallpur District.
HT today has become a leading newspaper in India. Because of the authenticity of
its news, the newspaper has become a market leader for English papers in north
India. The newspaper has been working non- stop since the Indian independence
13
movement. Prominent faces like Devdas Gandhi and Khushwant Singh have at times
edited the paper.
Hindustan Times has proved its nation wide reach in India. Leadership through
quality and innovation is the hallmark of the Hindustan Times Limited. The paper
issues simultaneous editions from New Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Patna and
Kolkata. It is also printed from Bhopal, Chandigarh, Jaipur and Ranchi. HT has also
come up with India's first youth daily called as HT Next in 2004. The Mumbai HT
edition was launched on 14th July 2005. However, the print location of Jaipur HT
was discontinued from June 2006. Recently HT has launched a national business
newspaper called Mint, with an agreement with Wall Street Journal to publish
Journal branded news and information in India.
Over seven decades the organization has been a major force in the print media. The
Hindustan Times Ltd. plans to consolidate itself as a vibrant and modern media
powerhouse through strategic partnerships, ever-increasing scope of operations and a
consumer focused approach.
14
The Times of India
Director: A. P. Parigi
Director: Sumir Chadha
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer: Dinesh Wadhawan
Chairman: Vineet Jain
15
Chief Editor: Rajesh Karla
Owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., the Times of India also
known as TOI is one of India's leading English daily newspapers. TOI group has 45
dailies and periodicals in 3 languages and 108 editions from 9 centers across the
country and a combined readership of over 40 million.
16
Started 170 years ago, the paper has earned credentials for its authentic and up to
date news publications. India's largest media group, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd,
along with this newspaper also publishes “Economic Times", "Mumbai Mirror", the
"Navbharat Times" and "Maharashtra Times". In January 2007, the Kannada edition
of the paper was launched in Karnataka's capital Bangalore. The Times of India has
its daily editions from New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ahmadabad, Pune,
Nagpur, Chandigarh, Patna, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mangalore.
Recently Times group has launched a controversial new business initiative, called
"Private Treaties." It offers to take an equity stake in a company in exchange for
advertising.
17
3. PRODUCT PROFILE
THEORETICAL STUDY
Mahatma Gandhi performed the inaugural ceremony of the newspaper on September
15, 1924. First issue of the newspaper was published from Naya Bazaar, Delhi
18
which carried write-ups of C. F. Andrews, St. Nihal Singh, Maulana Mohammad
Ali, Dr. C. R. Reddy, T. L. Vaswani, Ruchi Ram Sahni, Bernard Haton, Harinder
Nath Chattopadhyaya, Dr Kichlu, Rubi Watson and many other prominent writers of
that time.
Master Sunder Singh Lyallpuri was the Managing Chairman and Chief Patron of the
newspaper himself. K. M. Panikkar was the first Editor of the newspaper, while
Devdas Gandhi (son of Mahatma Gandhi) was also on the panel of editors. Chanchal
Singh (Jandiala, Jullundur) and S Mangal Singh Gill (Tesildar) were appointed as in
charge of the newspaper. Pandit Madan Mohan Malayia and Master Tara Singh were
some of the prominent members of the Managing Committee.
Ownership of Hindustan Times
Owned by HT Media Ltd., Hindustan Times is part of the India's famous KK Birla
group and currently managed by Shobhana Bhatia, granddaughter of GD Birla. At
present the KK Birla group owns 69 per cent stake in HT Media Ltd, currently
valued at Rs 834 crore. Shobana Bhatia joined Hindustan Times in the year 1986. At
the time of joining HT, she was the first woman chief executive of a national
newspaper.
19
Hindustan Times Supplements
HT Brunch: HT Brunch is a 28 page magazine containing stories and
snippets from lifestyle to travel. It comes every Sunday.
HT Power jobs: This supplement is dedicated to careers with information on
everything from job listings to career counseling. It comes every Tuesday.
HT Premiere: HT Premiere comes every Thursday containing items on
entertainment covering Hollywood and Bollywood.
HT Horizon: A career related supplement, HT Horizon comes every
Wednesday.
HT Estates: Contains real estate and property related features and circulated
on Saturdays.
HT Sister Publications
Mint- An English Business Daily
Hindustan - a Hindi Daily published from Delhi, Lucknow and Patna.
Nandan - Monthly Children's magazine
20
Kadambani - Monthly literary magazine
HT Circulation
Based on the readership survey of 14.49 million readers, HT has a combined
circulation of 2.25 million copies everyday including Hindustan Times (English) and
Hindustan (Hindi). Due to huge circulation, HT enjoys strong brand recognition
among readers and advertisers as well.
Awards and Recognitions
Over the years Hindustan Times has won several national awards and earned
certificates of recognitions. Hindustan Times has a good track record at the IFRA
and has won several awards this year as well.
HT Group in Electronic Media
HT Media Ltd has ventured into electronic media through its subsidiary HT Music
and Entertainment Company Ltd. The company has entered into the FM radio
21
market in major Indian cities through a consulting partnership with Virgin Radio.
The radio channel, Fever 104 is currently available in the cities of Delhi and
Mumbai.
HT Events
HT Media group annually organizes a Luxury Conference and also a Leadership
Summit in Delhi. The Luxury conference had been attended by featured speakers
like designer Diane Von Furstenberg, shoemaker Christian Louboutin, Gucci CEO
Robert Polet and Cartier MD Patrick Normand. While in Leadership Summit,
prominent leaders of the country and foreign countries participate.
HT Media Ltd Annual Revenue
In 2007 HT Media group reported annual revenue of $245 million. For the fiscal
third quarter ended December 31, 2007, the media group reported a 13% increase in
revenue to $82 million and a 10% increase of profit after tax (PAT) to $9 million
from the year-ago quarter.
Hindustan Times in Internet
22
HT's Internet business, under the hindustantimes.com portal, is primarily a news
website with 2 million unique visitors and 100 million page views per month, with a
significant number of visitors coming from outside India.
MARKETING STRATEGY OF HT
Personal Contact Campaign (PCC) or Direct Marketing:
It also referred to as direct marketing because the Marketing Research Executives
(MRE) of HT directly approached the customer by making a visit at a place
convenient to the latter; usually they’re home, carrying along with them a
questionnaire consisting a set of questions with multiple answers to take the
customers opinion.
The MREs went door to door and checked whether the product is acceptable by the
customer or it required changes. The campaign saved a lot of time, money and
resources of the company. Since they took up this PCC pre launch of HT, they were
able to determine if any changes were required before the launch of HT.
23
Hindustan Times was the only player in the history of Mumbai industry to come up
with such campaign, followed by DNA and then, even by the TIMES. This
campaign was widely accepted by people of Mumbai. HT took to this campaign in
Delhi for the last ten years and is still continuing.
HT Took To Direct Marketing due to the following reasons:
To ensure HT reaches its right customers faster than its competitors.
What HT wanted to portray was directly communicated to the masses.
Vendors couldn’t be relied upon completely when it came to promoting the
product effectively.
There’re focus was to establish themselves in the identified market quickly
and effortlessly.
The right way to get to customer was through a trained team.
Indirect Marketing:
HT along with direct marketing also gave emphasis on indirect marketing. HT took
up indirect marketing because:
Customers are well known to the medium.
24
Customers quite often purchase on the basis of Word-of-mouth i.e. from a
reliable source.
Promotion is done through a medium.
Saves time, money and resources.
In direct marketing, it was difficult to reach each and every customer.
Customer may not like MREs approaching them directly.
HT marketed themselves INDIRECTLY in the following ways:
VENDORS
Vendor’s say is given great importance as he is one of the reliable sources for the
customer.
CITIBANK OFFER
Citibank credit card holders can avail HT at a much lower price. However it was for
limited period.
NICHE MARKETING
HT caters to small segment of the market called SEC A -1 in Mumbai. A-1 denotes
the uppermost socio-economic class. Such a target where only a small segment is
targeted is referred to as Niche marketing.
25
The plan was to initially target the upper class till the mass became aware of the
product & later move to other segments, which are more price sensitive.
PRICING OF HT
HT’s pricing strategy was a unique and mind blowing one. It was their price that
made many TIMES customers switch to HT. They priced their paper in such a way
26
that other paper could only dream of. HT initially carried out a research to find out
what prices customers would pay for English daily. The answers were
50 % -----------> RS 4
45% ------------= RS 4
5% -------------< RS 4
HT took this as a base and boiled down to a price which stunned the nation and
above all, their competitor TIMES. The offer was:
“HINDUSTAN TIMES AT LESS THAN Re.1
AT YOUR DOOR STEP”
And so with the grand price, launch and opening the king made its entry in Mumbai
market on July, 14th 2005!!!! Their entry was noted world wide, above all by their
competitors, TIMES .TIMES felt threatened and they indeed had to wake up from
their relaxing chairs so as to retain their numero – uno position.
HT MINT (WALL STREET JOURNAL NOW WITH HT)
27
HT Media LTD has associated themselves with Wall Street Journal, the world’s
largest business newspaper. HT is offering this new paper under a subscription of
1 year, RS 299
i.e. 311copies for 1 year at less than Re.1 per day
AND
A 30 day free subscription to WSJ.com
There are 5 reasons as to why one must read this paper:
Reading no longer is a chore
Translate news to knowledge and knowledge to understanding in a succinct
and insightful manner, so that you are in control.
HT’s partnership with Wall Mart journal enables the paper to tap 1800 news
to bring international news to its customer.
Designed to compliment your lifestyle, being available in different formats-
prints and web.
28
Backed by an outstanding editorial team, whose vast experience ensures you
get clear, crisp and relevant information at your desktop
History of TOI
29
The Times of India came into being on November 3, 1838 and was known as "The
Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce". Initially the paper served only the
British residents of western India. Published twice a week on every Saturday and
Wednesday, The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce contained news from
Europe, America and the sub- continent and was circulated between India and
Europe via regular steamships. From the year 1850 the daily editions of the paper
were started and the newspaper got its present name in 1861.
In the 19th century, the company employed over 800 people and had a good
circulation in India and Europe. The Times of India was originally British-owned
and controlled. Ivor S. Jehu was its last British editor, who left the editorship in
1950. After India's Independence in 1947, the ownership of the paper was passed on
to the industrial family of Dalmiyas and later it was over by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain
of the Sahu Jain group from Bijnore of Uttar Pradesh.
TOI Circulation
30
The newspaper has the widest circulation among all English-language broadsheets
with about 2.6 million daily paid copies. In the year 2005, the newspaper reported
that (with a daily circulation of more than 2.4 million) it was certified by the Audit
Bureau of Circulations as the world's largest selling English broadsheet newspaper.
TOI Sister Publications
Economic Times - A Financial daily
Navhbharat Times - Hindi Daily Newspaper
Maharashtra Times - Marathi Daily Newspaper
Mumbai Mirror - Morning newspaper from Mumbai
Femina - Women's magazine published in association with BBC
Film fare - English Film Magazine published in association with BBC
TOI Supplements
31
The Times of India comes with several city-specific supplements, such as Delhi
Times, Bombay Times, Lucknow Times, and Bangalore Times etc. These city
supplements carry entertainment news, gossips, page3 party news, photographs and
other lifestyle related happenings in metros and big cities.
Times Group in Merchandise
Planet M: Times Retail with Planet M outlets offer merchandise from music to
designer Other major supplements of TOI include:
Times Wellness: Carries health related news and provides solution of your
grievances by experts.
Education Times: Weekly supplement focused towards students and acts as a
counselor and advisor for student community.
Times Ascent: A weekly supplement, it seeks to introduce more
understanding of Human Resources and corporate life related stories. Also
carries the advertisements of various kinds of jobs in India and abroad.
Times Drive: A supplement related to auto-mobiles and latest development in
the industry.
Times Property: The weekly supplement has real estate and property news.
Times Life: Once in week carrying news about life of personalities and
famous people.
32
Times Classifieds: Carries advertisements regarding jobs, buy and sell of
items etc.
Times Matrimonial: Feature marriage advertisement of boys and girls
looking for match.
Rouge: A weekly supplement
Times en Vogue: A weekly supplement
TOI in Electronic Media
A 24 hour English news channel, TIMES NOW has been started couple of years
back by a joint venture between Reuters and the Times Group. The company also
owns a lifestyle TV channel - Zoom and a radio channel - Radio Mirchi. One of
India's leading radio channel - Radio Mirchi is available in Delhi, Mumbai and other
important cities of India.
.Times Group Events
The Times group organizes a number of fairs and exhibitions time-to-time all over
the country. Times Utsav Consumer fairs, Times Ascent Job Fairs and Education
Events are the fair and exhibitions organized by the Times group. The Times Group
sponsors Miss World and Miss Universe events and played host to a galaxy of stars
at the Film fare Awards. The group also organizes The Economic Times Awards for
Corporate Excellence or the Brand Equity Quiz.
33
Times Group in Social Services
The philanthropic arm of the Times group, the Times Foundation, offers Non
Government Organizations, institutions & others organizations all over India, a good
platform to converge and address the country's developmental needs.
TOI in Internet
Times Group offers Internet services worldwide that covers everything from art to
airlines, knowledge events to telecom and integrated marketing. The site is visited
by millions of users from India and other countries of the world.
TIME'S MAJOR BRANDS
The Times of India-India's (and the world's) largest broadsheet daily
34
The Economic Times-India's largest financial daily, and world's second
largest after The Wall Street Journal
Navbharat Times-The largest Hindi Daily in Delhi and Mumbai
Maharashtra Times-The largest Marathi Daily in Mumbai
Mumbai Mirror-India's largest circulating compact newspaper
Femina-A women's magazine
Film fare-A film magazine
Planet M-A music retailing brand
Times Music-Music publishing including Hindi, Pop music,
devotional/spiritual music
Times Jobs-One of the fastest growing e-recruitment portals in India
Radio Mirchi-A radio venture which mixes fun with social commitment
while providing entertainment
Times Television-The group's latest venture has an entertainment channel
called Zoom and a news channel named Times News.
Time’s STRATEGIES
Move first, Move fast
35
India times were founded with a simple belief- to create world class media product
and services. Their mission stems from the belief that consumer experience is
critical to their service.
Multiple ties
Team India times strives to create multiple relationships with global India. To do
that India times commanders and strategists wear simple hats, think disruption and
reinvest themselves every week
Continuous innovation
Being in a dramatically changing business-the internet- amounts to: act granular,
think big. India time’s customers are just joining the digital revolution. So, the
company acts on its anticipation of its customers through meticulous work,
continuous innovation and consistency in quality.
Where Ideas live
At India times ideas rarely die, because they vehemently believe in the freedom to
disagree. The company believes in keeping the floodgates of ideation open at all
36
times. They are not subsumed by it, they generously give every idea enough
gestation-time even if it means forking out time from their daily work.
Smart-sensing the future
India times seeks to be a media mega mart that infotains the customer, creates
community value, delights the smart shopper, provides cutting-edge solutions to the
advertiser and believes in the magic of the idea.
TOI’s Defensive Strategies
37
Months before Hindustan Times was launched in Mumbai, The Times of India went
on to a defensive mode and started a new “compact” newspaper, called Mumbai
Mirror. But it did not sell much, so ToI started distributing it free with the main
newspaper. Now for Rs 5, ToI reader gets more than 100 pages.
“We always knew that there was space for a 2nd newspaper in Mumbai, and so we
started an alternative to broadsheets- a tabloid. By including Mumbai Mirror with
ToI, we are improving the price performance ratio of of our brand”, says Bhaskar
Das, executive president of The Times of India Group. The Mirror is a newspaper
for the new generation, who want new-on-the-go like McD. It’s for the supersonic
age where people want to scan news without going into too much depth.
It is essentially a “blockading strategy”. You flood the reader with so much that
he/she doesn’t feel the need for another newspaper. Their strategy was “a normal
reader spends 20-25 minutes on newspapers. Do you think he/she will spend more
time reading just because there are new newspapers?” Apart from Mumbai Mirror, a
daily tabloid, ToI also launched Rouge and Culture Currie
The ToI readers are suddenly seeing a lot more news in a paper that once gave news
a back seat to fluff. They beefed up their coverage, went on massive recruitment of
38
journalists & media executives at high salaries, mopping up manpower and making
it more expensive for their competitors to recruit.
39
4. RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH METHOLOGY
40
Marketing research is the function which links the consumer,
customer and public to the marketers through information used to identify and define
marketing, opportunities and problems, generates refine marketing action, monitor
marketing performance, and improve understanding of marketing as a process.
Marketing research specifies the information required to address
these issues, designs the method for collection information manages and implements
the data collection process; analysis the results and communication the findings and
their implication.
Meaning of Research Methodology
Research Methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problems. It
may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically.
Type of research used for this project
My research is basically of descriptive type
Descriptive research aims at fact-finding and more is based on surveys.
Research definition:
“Research is careful inquiry or examination to discover new information and
relationship and to expand and to verify existing knowledge.”
Research always starts with questions or problems. Its purpose is to find
answers to the question through the application of the scientific method. It is a
systematic and intensive study directed towards a more complete knowledge of the
subject studies.
41
RESEARCH METHOLOGY
1. Relevance of the Study
The research is been conducted to survey the comparison between Times of
India and Hindustan Times.
2. Research Problem
Every research has their own problem and limitation but good has to
overcome that problem by their skill. In this research problem I would like to
understand and analyze about the comparison of Times of India and
Hindustan Times.
3. Research Design:
“Research design is the conceptual structure within which the research would
take place. The presentation of such a design facilitates research to be as
efficient as possible yielding maximum information.”
From definition it is evident that research design is more or less a blueprint of
research.
It may be noted that there are several ways of studying and tackling a
problem. There is no single perfect design. The research design can be classified into
true broad categories:
A. Exploratory
42
B. Descriptive
C. Casual
Explanatory research is focus on the discovery of ideas. Explanatory research is
carried out to define problems and development hypothesis to test later. An
explanatory study is generally based on the secondary data that are available. It does
not have to change his focus of direction, depending on the availability of new ideas
and relationship among variables.
Descriptive studies are undertaken in many circumstances. Descriptive studies
can be complex, determining a high degree of scientific skill on the part of the
researcher.
Casual research helps in determined cause and effect relationship between two
or more variables.
The present study seeks to find out the consumers attitude towards preperence
of Times of India and Hindustan Times.
Information & data sources:
For this newspaper marketing project, I have done a very extensive research right
from a generalized view like what are the common newspapers circulating in the
market, what makes one newspaper take an over-edge and boost its sales with
43
respect to other newspapers, apart from the general news what all supplementary
news does a popular newspaper provide which makes it the best.
Also, I have done a thorough study of the newspaper price with the type of content
the newspaper provides. For this in depth study and research I have visited various
newspaper web-sites to know the history and various marketing strategies they
adopt. I also went through the Wikipedia which helped me get the actual figures
thus, differentiating the newspaper trend in Indian market. Last but not the least,
personal interactions with my friends who are employed with various media
marketing and business to business marketing domain nurtured my knowledge for
the completion of this project.
PRIMARY SOURCES –
The primary data was collected through questionnaire and interviews with the
managers and the staff.
PERSONAL INTERVIEW was the major basis on which the research was
conducted. The reason for this is that the liking of an ad depends upon the
personal characteristics to an extent.
QUESTIONNAIRE was the major basis on which the research was conducted
was also formulated to gather quantitative data regarding the choice of an ad.
44
SECONDARY SOURCES –
Books and articles were consulted for theoretical knowledge.
Websites were also accessed for getting the latest trends in the ad world.
SAMPLE DESIGN –
SAMPLE AREA: Mumbai, where research was done in Residents, and general
public place.
SAMPLE UNIT: Service class and public place.
SAMPLE SIZE: 30 respondents as that was sufficient to get reliable
information.
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
While doing my study and research for this project, I had encountered some very
stiff obstacles which I would definitely like to mention:
45
1. The research is done taking into consideration The times of India and
Hindustan Times exclusively, as these two newspapers are the mostly read
newspapers in India according to the IRS (Indian Readership Survey).
2. A general overview is presented for the various other newspapers like
Mid-day, Telegraph, The Hindu etc. which again contradicts the fact there
can be a possibility of maximum sales in a particular state for a particular
newspaper depending on the origin. For example: The Telegraph is the
mostly read newspaper in Kolkata beating TOI and HT.
3. Lack of availability of the newspaper case studies and research material in
the websites, thus extending the time-span of the project deadline as
multiple websites, general knowledge Wikipedia books and constant
personal interactions were involved for the proper completion of the
project with actual facts and details.
46
5. DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
1. Which newspaper do you read? (can choose multiple)a) Times of Indiab) Hindustan Timesc) DNA
47
d) Mid-daye) Others (please specify) ________________________
Respondents reading only:
Amongst the 30 surveyed,
9 ONLY reads Times
7 ONLY reads Hindustan Times
1 ONLY reads DNA
1 ONLY reads Mid-Day
1 ONLY reads Others (regional dailies).
2. What do you look for in a newspaper?a) Overall general newsb) Businessc) International newsd) Sportse) Jokes, Agony aunt column, horoscopesf) Local news
48
g) Advertisementsh) Appointments
Respondents’ preferential requirements in newspapers
As per the survey conducted
Overall general news scores 40%, in terms of % preference, that one looks for in a newspaper.
Business scored 20%.
Jokes, agony aunt, sports ……category scored 10%
International news, advertisement and appointments scored the least with 5%.
Local news scored 15%.
49
3. Rate the following newspaper between 1-4
(1-Excellent: 2-Good: 3- Average: 4- Poor)
a. Times of India
b. Hindustan Times
c. DNA
d. HT Mint
e. Mid-day
f. Economic Times
g. Indian Express
h. Any other (please specify)____________________
Ratings for Times of India
50
60% (i.e. 18) of the respondents rated Times of India Excellent
40% (i.e. 12) of the respondents rated Times of India Good
The above readings only prove once again, that Times is too old & well
established to be overthrown.
51
Ratings for Hindustan Times
Amongst the 30 surveyed,
23% (i.e. 7) rated HT as Excellent
60% (i.e. 18) rated HT as Good
17% (i.e. 5) rated HT as Average
From the above figures, one can easily conclude that HT still has a very long way to go to get an “Excellent” rating by its readers. In fact, HT must pull up its socks and try not to get a rating of “Average”.
52
4. Has pricing scheme of newspapers affected your buying decision?
a) Yes
How? ______________________________________________
b) No
Affect of price on buying decision
77% (i.e. 23 ) of the respondents stated that price did not affect their buying
decision for the newspaper they read
23% ( i.e. 7) stated price did affect the newspaper they read.
53
5. Have you read HT?
a) Yes
Views please________________________________________
___________________________________________________
b) No
Respondents who have read HT
Amongst the respondents surveyed,
97% i.e 29 respondents,have read HT
3% i.e 1 respondent have not read HT
The above results portray the product awareness and even usage of the product by
the masses. The mass is aware of HT’s presence in the market and have even
checked it out, which means HT can be a threat to Times.
54
6. As far as local news is concerned rate HT.
a. Excellent
b. Good
c. Average
70% (i.e. 21) of the respondents rated local news of HT as GOOD.
20% (i.e. 6) of the respondents rated local news of HT as Excellent.
10% (i.e. 3) of the respondents rated local news of HT as Average.
55
7. As far as local news is concerned rate ToI.
a. Excellent
b. Good
c. Average
60% (i.e. 18) of the respondents rated local news of ToI as GOOD.
25% (i.e. 7) of the respondents rated local news of ToI as Excellent.
15% (i.e. 5) of the respondents rated local news of ToI as Average.
56
8. Do you think newspaper is a means to promote local creative writing talent?
a) Yes
b) No
55 %( i.e. 16) of the respondents believe that news papers are means to promote local creative writing talent.
45% (i.e. 14) of the respondents believe that news papers are not the means to promote local creative writing talent.
57
9. Which newspaper local advertisement is better?
a. Times of India
b. Hindustan times
c. DNA
d. Mid- day
Amongst the 30 surveyed,
40% (i.e. 12) believe that Times of India promotes local advertisement
better.
30% (i.e. 10) rated HT as Good
20% (i.e. 6) rated HT as Average
10% (i.e. 3)
58
10.Which newspaper covers job opportunities better?
a. Times of India
b. Hindustan times
c. DNA
d. Mid- day
59
6. CONCLUSION
60
CONCLUSIONS
Both DNA & HT are essentially competing for the #2 slot in the Mumbai
market. The Times of India is too old and established to be overthrown in
the short term. With a circulation of 6 lakh, it was far ahead of earlier
competitors too, like the Indian Express (58,000). In fact, it was the
Economic Times (1.47 lakh) and Mid-Day (1.40 lakh) that trailed in the 2nd
place after ToI.
From the survey conducted, it is quite evident that the demand for
newspapers is extremely price sensitive. Until now, ‘The Times of India’
was way ahead of competition. So it had high cover price and didn’t push for
greater sales, as that would increase their costs (since the cost of producing a
newspaper is much greater than its market price). They didn’t need to
increase circulation, since they milked all the ad revenue. But is it merely a
Hoax’s choice? What choice does the reader really have? It’s more in terms
of price.
61
Most of the stories in all of the newspapers are the same. Even though
readers want better content, unfortunately, the competition is taking place on
the marketing and sales front, rather than the editorial.
HT’s ad rates are almost half of ToI’s i.e. Rs. 800-840/sq cm. On the
contrary, on August 15, 2006, ToI hiked its rate to Rs. 1500 sq cm besides
making it mandatory for those buying a national package to buy its tabloid
Mumbai Mirror, at an additional Rs 100/sq cm.
HT’s circulation in Mumbai is indeed small as compared to ToI. However,
HT is definitely trying to capture the Mumbai market through line sales, the
subscription route and news stand sales. HT’s strategy behind offering an
annual subscription for Rs 398 (which is barely a rupee per copy) is readers
would be locked for a year and a base circulation too is ensured.
The companies are battling it out on the distribution front amidst much
mudslinging. Charges of buying out vendors to ensure they do not pick up
rival newspapers are flying out in all directions. Both DNA & HT are
offering Re. 1 commission while ToI is offering Rs 1.75 to vendors.
62
After years of depending upon ToI, newspaper vendors & ad agents finally
have a choice. Some have bagged contracts from HT to sell at traffic signals
while others are getting incentives from DNA to source subscriptions. Any
vendor who can locate a potential subscriber gets Rs 6.
63
7. BIBLOGRAPHY
64
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Book Referred-
1. Research Methodolgy And Project- by Dr. Mahesh A. Kulkarni
2. Resrearch Methodology
-Author KOTHARI CR
-Edition 2nd REVISED EDITION
-Year of publication 2004
-Publisher NEW AGE INTERNATIONAL(P) LTD.
www.hindustantimes.com
www.timesofindia.com
www.agencyfaqs.com
www.wikipedia.com
65
Annexure
QUESTIONAIRE
66
Name: ________________________________
Age: ________________________________
Occupation: ________________________________
1. Which newspaper do you read? (can choose multiple)a. Times of Indiab. Hindustan Timesc. DNAd. Mid-daye. Others (please specify) ________________________
2. What do you look for in a newspaper?i) Overall general newsj) Businessk) International newsl) Sportsm) Jokes, Agony aunt column, horoscopesn) Local newso) Advertisementsp) Appointments
3. How long have you been reading this paper?a) Less than a yearb) More than a year
67
c) Since last 4 yearsd) More than 4 years
If option is either a, b or c, which was the previous newspaper? Why did you change?
____________________________________________________________________________________
4. Rate the following newspaper between 1-4
(1-Excellent: 2-Good: 3- Average: 4- Poor)
a. Times of India
b. Hindustan Times
c. DNA
d. HT Mint
e. Mid-day
f. Economic Times
g. Indian Express
h. Any other (please specify)____________________
5. Has pricing scheme of newspapers affected your buying decision?
a. Yes
68
How? ______________________________________________
b. No
6. Have you read HT?
a. Yes
Views please________________________________________
___________________________________________________
b. No
7. As far as the local news is concern rate HT.1-Excellent
2-Good
3- Average
4- Poor
8. As far as the local news is concern rate ToI.
a. Excellent
b. Good
c. Average
d. Poor
9. Do you think newspapers are a means to promote local creative writing talent?
a. Yes
69
b. No
10.Which newspaper local advertisement is better?a. Times of Indiab. Hindustan Timesc. DNAd. Mid-day
11.Which newspaper covers job opportunities better?a. Times of Indiab. Hindustan Timesc. DNAd. Mid-day
70