“A STUDY ON THE SUBSCRIPTION STATUS AND

READERSHIP BASE OF TIMES OF INDIA MAGAZINE

AT VADODARA”

A PROJECT REPORT

Submitted by

ANANT AGARWAL

in partial fulfilment for the award of the degree of

MASTERS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

IN

MARKETING AND RETAIL

INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION & RESEARCH

(TECHNICAL CAMPUS), BHOPAL

BARKATULLAH UNIVERSITY, BHOPAL

MAY-JULY& 2017
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to INSTITUTE OF PROFESSIONAL

EDUCTION AND RESEARCH and The Times of India Group for offering a unique
platform to earn exposure and garner knowledge in the field of Sales and Marketing. First of all,
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my project guide Mr. Bholenath Tiwari, Manager, Results
and Market Development at Times of India, VADODARA for having made my summer training
a great learning experience by giving me his guidance, insights and encouragement which acted
as a continuous source of support for me during this entire period. I would also like to thank Mr.
Prateek Verma, Sinior Officer, Results and Market Development at Times of India,
VADODARA for her help and guidance in sales and all my colleagues for their sincere
cooperation. Without which the success of this project wouldn’t had been possible. I would also
like to express my profound gratitude to my faculty guide Dr. Amarjeet Singh Khalsa & Prof.
Aashish Ghosh for his constructive support during the summer internship period, which leads to
successful completion of my internship at Times of India, VADODARA.

Place:-VADODARA ANANT AGARWAL

Date:-10/09/2017 MBA 2016-17

 STUDENT DECLARATION

This is to certify that I have completed Summer Project titled “A STUDY ON THE
SUBSCRIPTION STATUS AND READERSHIP BASED OF TIMES OF INDIA
MAGAZINE AT VADODARA under the guidance of “Prof. AASHISH
GHOSH” in partial fulfilment requirement for the award of Degree of Master of
Business Administration at Institute of Professional Education and Research,
Bhopal. This is an original piece of work & I have not submitted it earlier
elsewhere.

Date: 10/09/2017 Signature:

Place: VADODARA Name: ANANT AGARWAL

University Enrolment No:

 CHAPTER - 1

CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW
 CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW
Print media is one of the most powerful and cost effective medium to transfer information and
knowledge. The print media industry in India is more than a century old. Also it is a well
established industry. This industry mainly comprises of publishing newspapers and magazines.
India has the second largest population and one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Along with these the increasing level of income of peoples and the robust competition in this
industry help print media in its growth. Producers are increasing day by day, new entrants from
outside India is also a factor of tough competition. Indian readers prefer Hindi magazines rather
than English magazines. In the case of Times group also the readership of Hindi Femina is
higher as compared to English magazines. Ernst & Young said in their survey report “Indian
magazine segment: Navigating new growth avenues”, it has been said that out of the 20 most
read magazines in India, only three magazines are in English, while the remaining are in Hindi
and other regional languages. This survey also said that more than 300 million literate
individuals do not read any publications. According to ArcGate, the dramatic effects of internet
and globalization in current scenario are playing high impact on media industry. Even people are
now consuming news and information from internet through computers or mobiles, the
popularity of print media is not decreasing. To avoid declining of market share in front of other
media the producer must able to produce high quality printed content and magazines. They also
need to make the contents available on mobile and web platforms to provide a choice to its
subscribers to explore the contents anytime anywhere. Dr Saukat Ali, in his paper “A Study of
Consumer Behaviour& Loyalty InPrint Media – Challenges & strategic prescriptions with
Special reference to English, Hindi, Marathi News Paper readers-Mumbai”, says developing
customer loyalty & retaining readership can be a huge challenge for the publishers. There are
huge options available to readers now. Therefore publishers are busy to create something very
special and innovative in contents or subscription schemes to impress upon the readers. They
should address the needs and demand of consumer to strengthen their loyalty and readership.

The revenue of magazines consists of subscription sales, trade sales and mainly from advertising.
More than 70% of the total revenue comes from advertising. The Times of India Group, being
the market leader in the industry is also stepping with the current growth and development of the
demography. World Wide Media, a subsidiary of TOI Group is producing high quality
magazines in India and worldwide. But still they are facing some problems. They are losing
subscribers. By having an opportunity to be a part of the group, by acting as an summer intern,
this research has been done with the objectives, To explore the customer demand in terms of
price, Quality and Services. To find out the reasons for discontinuing subscriptions. What drives
a customer to adopt a product? His demand and needs. The product must be able to fulfill the
needs and wants of the customer. When a product has less demand in comparison with other
products? Thus what a customer a wants? This study is mainly to explore the customers’ demand
for the magazines of World Wide Media (WWM) in terms of price, quality and services. We can
say, to explore what customer wants from the publisher and what publisher gives to the
customer. It is also being taken to find out the lacks behind fulfilling the demand.

ORGANISATION PROFILE

The Times Group (Also referred as Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.) is the largest company in
media and entertainment industry in India and South Asia. It has completed 179 years of its
journey in media industry from 1838, established in Mumbai. Starting off with The Times of
India – which is now the largest English publication in the world, BCCL and its subsidiaries
(called The Times of India Group), are present in every existing media platform – Newspapers,
Magazines, Books, TV, Radio, Internet, Event Management, Outdoor Display, Music, Movies
and more. Having strength of more than 11,000 employees, its revenue is exceeding $1.5 Billion,
it has the support of more than 25000 advertisers and a vast audience spanning across the world.

Key Business areas:

 Publishing
 Television
 Digital
 Out of Home
 Other Activities
Publishing:-

 Largest publisher in India: 13 newspapers, 17 magazines, 16 publishing centres, 26

printing centres
 Largest English newspaper in India by circulation (and the world), the Times of India.
 Largest Business newspaper in India by circulation (2nd largest English Business daily
in the world, behind WSJ), the Economic Times.
 Largest Non‐English newspapers in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore by circulation (India’s
three largest cities).

Television:-

 Largest English News TV Channel, No. 2 English Business News TV Channel.

 Largest Bollywood News and Lifestyle TV Channel, No. 2 English Movies TV Channel.
Digital:-

 Largest Indian network based on traffic and revenue (behind Google, Facebook, Yahoo).
 Operates 30+ digital businesses, most of which are Top 3 in their competitive segment.
 Most popular B2C mobile shortcode in India, across SMS, voice, WAP, and USSD
Radio.
 Largest radio network in India by revenue and listenership, with 32 stations.
 Operates the largest rock radio station in the UK.
Out-of-home:-

 Largest Out‐of‐home advertising business in India with presence in all major metros.
 Owns advertising contracts in most major airports in India.
Other Activities:-

 Music
 Movies
 Syndication
 Education
 Financial Services
 Event Management
 Specialised publications - including books and multimedia
HISTORY
1838
In November 3, 1838 the first edition of The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce were
published, reflecting basically the business community of Bombay. It was a bi-weekly
publication. Dr. J.E. Brennan was the Editor.

1850
Shareholders decide to increase the share capital and the paper is converted into a daily.

1859
Bombay Standard and Chronicle of Western India merges into The Bombay Times and Journal
of Commerce to form Bombay Times & Standard.

1861
Editor Robert Knight amalgamates The Bombay Times & Standard and Bombay Telegraph &
Courier to form The Times of India - giving it a national character.

1892
T. J. Bennett becomes the editor and enters into a partnership with F.M. Coleman to form a joint
stock company - Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (BCCL).

1907
Editor Stanley Reed revolutionizes news production by extending the deadline to midnight. Until
then any news that came in after 5 pm was held over for the next day. The newspapers’ first price
war was also initiated with cover price being cut from 4 annas to 1 anna – leading to a five-fold
increase in circulation.

1946
The Times of India gets Indian ownership with Seth Ramakrishna Dalmia buying the company.

1947
Exclusive Sunday edition of Times of India launched in Mumbai. The company also launches its
Hindi daily – Nav Bharat Times in Delhi.

1948
Sahu Jain Group takes over as the owners of the company after Ramakrishna Dalmia sells the
firm to his son-in-law Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain - who becomes the first Chairman of the group.

1950
The Times of India launches in Delhi.

1952
Filmfare launched.

1959
Femina launched.

1961
The Economic Times is launched.

1962
Maharashtra Times launched.

1965
Femina Miss India contest started.

1988
Times of India complete150 years. Special stamp released by Government of India to
commemorate the occasion.

1996
The Times of India crosses 1 million marks in circulation. It also carries the first-ever color
photograph.

1997
BCCL enters into music market with Times Music.

1999
India times web portal launched; BCCL enters music retailing business with Planet M. Also
operates the first-ever private FM broadcast through Times FM (which later becomes Radio
Mirchi).
2000
The Times of India crosses the 2 million mark in circulation.

2001
Radio Mirchi - Nationwide private FM broadcasting starts. 360 Degrees - Event management
business also launched. TOI goes all colour and storms Delhi by being "Number One".

2003
Launch of the Times Private Treaties as a strategic business division. Launch of the Jobs portal
Times Jobs. TOI E-paper launched. Entry into TV business with the launch of India’s first
lifestyle and entertainment channel Zoom.

2005
Launch of a Matrimonial website TimesMatri – later rebranded as Simply Marry. Mumbai
Mirror, the city-centric daily tabloid launched in Mumbai.

2006
Launch of a television News Channel called Times Now.

Radio Mirchi holding company ENIL (Entertainment Network India Limited) lists on the Indian
stock markets. It is the first Times Group Company to list on the bourses with IPO being
oversubscribed by more than 41 times.

Launch of a Property services portal Magic Bricks. Times of Money launch Remit2Home, to
cater to global remittance market.

Acquisition of Karnataka’s leading newspaper company Vijayanand Printers Limited makes

BCCL the dominant force in Karnataka.

2007
Launch of Bangalore Mirror, Ahmedabad Mirror, ET (Gujarati) and Whats Hot – a premier
weekend entertainment supplement. The Times of India becomes largest English daily in the
world with circulation breaching the 3 million mark and beating Sun (tabloid) of UK.

2008
Launch of ET (Hindi), Pune Mirror and The Times of India editions at Jaipur, Goa and Chennai.
Acquisition of Virgin Radio (now rebranded as Absolute Radio) in the UK.
2009
TOI Crest edition launched. Launch of ET Now – premier business channel having integrated
newsroom with ET print edition.

2010
Private Treaties re-branded as Brand Capital. The Speaking Tree newspaper launched. ET
Wealth launched. Maharashtra Times launches Pune edition. Vijay Next (premier weekly
newspaper from Vijay Karnataka) launched. India’s first HD-only premium movie channel –
Movies Now (HD) launched.

2011
Sunday ET re-launched as a tabloid.

Bodhivriksha (spiritual weekend newspaper in Kannada) launched.

Launch of The Times of India, Coimbatore and Madurai/Trichy Editions.

2012
Launch of The Times of India, Kerala, Visakhapatnam and Raipur(Chhattisgarh) Edition

2013
Launch of the Times of India, Kolhapur Edition.

2014
Launched Femina Bengali edition, ET Panache – A lifestyle and leisure publication, Gujarati
newspaper – Nav Gujarat Samay. Forayed into Film Content Business
Subsidiaries of Times Group
TIML & ENIL

Times Innovative Media Limited (TIML) & Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL) that
together control,

 Radio Mirchi National network of Private FM stations

 360 Degrees Events
 Times Outdoors (TIM Delhi Airport Advertising Private Limited.
 Mirchi Movies Limited Filmed Entertainment. Producers of BEING CYRUS,
VELLITHIRAI, MANJADIKURU.

Times Internet Limited

Times Internet Limited is one of the largest internet companies of India. It has interests in online
news, online business news, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, and Bengali news, mobile, e-Commerce,
music, video, and communities. Some of the larger properties of TIL include:

 India times shopping - one of the largest and earliest ecommerce portals in India
 India
 Times of India
 Economictimes.com
 Navbharattimes.com
 Maharashtra Times
 Timescity.com
 Gaana.com
 BoxTV.com
 Times Deal

Times of Money
Times of Money operates financial remittance services for Indians abroad to send money back to
India. Their product, remit2India, is a standalone product, while also powering the remittance
services of many banks globally.

Times Global Broadcasting Limited

Television division. It is also called Times Television Network.

 Times Now A general interest news Channel

 Smart Hire A Consulting Division – Recruitments
 ET Now A business news channel
  Zoom A 24x7 Bollywood entertainment and gossip channel
 Movies Now A 24x7 Hollywood Movies channel in High Definition (India's first)

Times Business Solutions

 TBSL, corporate website of TBSL.
 Times Jobs, a jobs portal.
 Techgig, a professional networking site for Technology Peoples.
 Simply Marry, a matrimonial portal.
 Magic Bricks, a real estate portal.
 Yolist, free classifieds portal.
 Ads2Book, online classifieds booking system for print publications.
 Peer Power, a Senior-Level professional networking portal.

World Wide Media

World Wide Media - started off as a 50:50 magazine joint venture between BCCL and BBC
magazines. In August 2011, it was announced that Bennett, Coleman & Co. bought out the
remaining 50 per cent shares of Worldwide Media from BBC Worldwide thereby making World
Wide Media a fully owned subsidiary of BCCL.

 Filmfare
 Filmfare Awards
 Femina
 Femina Miss India A Beauty Pageant
 Top Gear Magazine India
 BBC Good Homes
 Femina Hindi
 Grazia
 What to Wear

TIML Radio Limited

On 30 May 2008, SMG sold The British Virgin Radio to TIML Radio Limited for £53.2 million
with £15 million set aside for rebranding. On 28 September 2008, The British Virgin Radio
Station rebranded as Absolute Radio, including the sister radio stations Absolute Xtreme and
Absolute Classic Rock.
Stations
 Absolute Radio
 Absolute Radio 60s
 Absolute Radio 70s
 Absolute 80s
 Absolute Radio 90s
 Absolute Radio 00s
 Absolute Classic Rock
 Absolute Radio Extra This company is a direct subsidiary of BCCL (not through TIML
or ENIL).

Times Syndication Service

The syndication division of The Times of India Group, grants reprint rights for text, and other
media from the group's publications.

Brand Capital
Brand Capital provides funding to growth oriented enterprises for their long term brand building
needs.

Online Shopping
Satvik shop, an online shopping website dedicated to organic and ayurvedic products.
 Key Management
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.

PROMOTERS & DIRECTORS

1. Chairperson: Indu Jain
2. Vice-Chairman & MD: Samir Jain
3. Managing Director: Vineet Jain

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
1. Executive Director: Trishla Jain
2. Executive Director & CEO: RavindraDhariwal
3. Executive Director & COO: Shrijeet Mishra
4. Executive Director & President: Arunabh Das Sharma
5. Non Executive Director: A.P. Parigi
6. Non Executive Director: Kalpana J. Morparia
7. Non Executive Director: M. Damodaran
8. Non Executive Director: Leo Puri

Times Television Network (comprising TGBCL and ZEN)

Group CEO (TV business): Sunil Lulla
ZEN CEO: Avinash Kaul

Times Internet Limited

CEO: Satyan Gajwani

Times of Money
President: Avijit Nanda

Times Business Solutions Ltd.

CEO: Debashish Ghosh

Times VPL
CEO: Sunil Rajshekhar

Worldwide Media
CEO: TarunRai

Entertainment Network (India) Ltd.

CEO: PrashantPanday
Alternate Brand Solutions (I) Ltd.
CEO: PrashantPanday

Times Innovative Media Ltd

CEO: Sunder Hemrajani

Absolute Radio
CEO: Donnach O' Driscoll

Times Foundation Head

Shailendra Nautiyal

EDITORIAL HEADS

The Times of India

Editorial Director: Jaideep Bose
Executive Editor: ArindamSengupta

Economic Times
Editorial Director: Rahul Joshi

Maharashtra Times
Executive Editor: Ashok Panwalkar

Navbharat Times
Executive Editor: Ramkripal Singh

Mumbai Mirror
Editor: Meenal Baghel

Speaking Tree
Editor: Narayani Ganesh

Vijaya Karnataka
Editor: E. Raghavan

Times Now
Editor: Arnab Goswami

ET Now
Editor: R. Sridharan
 WORLD WIDE MEDIA
World Wide Media (WWM) is a joint venture between the BCCL and BBC World Wide. It is
the India’s largest producer of lifestyle and special interest magazines. It was formed in 2004 and
in 2011 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bennett, Coleman and Company Limited
(BCCL). From just four magazines in 2008, WWM is currently producing 13 magazines in India
and worldwide. The Times of India Group have the selling and distribution right of these
magazines for India. The magazines are:-

 Femina
 Femina (Hindi)
 Femina (Tamil)
 FilmFare
 Filmfare (Hindi)
 BBC TopGear
 Hello!
 Grazia
 BBC Good Homes
 Lonely Planet
 Home Trends
 BBC Knowledge
 BBC Good Food

ABOUT THE MAGAZINES

FEMINA (English, Hindi, Tamil)

Launched in 1959, Femina is India’s first and to-date India’s largest English
women’s magazine. Femina covers issues on women, fashion, relationships,
home-making, food, beauty, health & fitness, careers, new products, etc. The
fortnightly magazine, owes its success to a level-headed approach to feminism
made rich by writers from all walks of life.

Femina also gives its name to the annual Femina Miss India awards – a beauty pageant contest
which confers the most beautiful Indian title to women in a nation-wide contest held each year.
The awards are a property of Bennett Coleman with the finalists going on to represent India in
the annual Miss World and Miss Universe beauty pageant.

Femina Girl was launched in February 2002, forging a bond with the teen waiting in the wings to
become a Femina Babe.
Inspired by the success of Femina magazine, the group started Femina Miss India awards – a
celebration of womanhood and beauty – which have acted as a catalyst in making a whole new
generation of women rediscovering and redefining themselves.

FILMFARE (English, Hindi)

Nothing powers popular culture like the Hindi film and nothing more than
Bollywood - the largest film industry in the world – which is captured in all its
glory by Filmfare – India’s leading film magazine launched in 1952. Filmfare
has a cult status amongst its readers resulting as evident from the periodicity of
the magazine becoming from monthly to a fortnightly since 2007.Spurred by the
popularity and insatiable demand for Bollywood films, Filmfare Awards were instituted within a
few years of launch of the magazine. Within a short period, the annual Filmfare Awards became
the gold standard for excellence in Hindi and other Bollywood mainstream films and came to be
acknowledged as the Oscars of India, being the most prestigious and most sought after by every
cine-industry professional

BBC TOPGEAR
BBC Top Gear is the world’s leading automobile magazine since 1993. In India,
it has an image of straightest talking and most entertaining automobile
magazine. It has now 17 international editions. It includes the in-depth buying
information, with the review and buyers guide. It also includes a comprehensive
listing of every single car and bike available in the market to give the readers a
real experience.

HELLO!
Hello! Hello! Is a popular celebrity and lifestyle magazine. First it was launched
in Italy in the year of 1930. It has now 13 international editions. In India it was
launched in April 2007. It is published monthly covering A to Z of Indian and
global celebrity lifestyle news.

Now it becomes an easy step to enter into celebrity’s lives. It also includes celebrity’s views on
various subjects and issues in the world. The interviews in the magazine help readers to feel that
they have met and visited the celebrities.

GRAZIA
Over 70 years since its launch in Italy, Grazia is still successful inkeeping the
women’s taste season after season. It became the most qualified interpreter of
style for millions of women across the globe today. GRAZIA India was
launched in 2008 as the 10th edition of this hugely popular title. Grazia covers
both designer and high-street fashion as well as health, beauty, fitness and lifestyle issues.

BBC Good Homes

GoodHomes is one of the most preferred and leading interior and decor
magazine that inspires it's readers with innovative ideas that fit every space and
budget. It offers it's readers an eclectic mix of decor suggestions and DIY tips.

Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet India magazine aims to inspire and enable travelers to connect
with the world. It has been treated as the world’s most trusted source on travel.
Inspiring you to sample different cultures first-hand, discover new people, and
learn fascinating stories.

Home TRENDS
In 1984 TRENDS was launched in New Zealend. With an aim to fulfill the need
of a source of reference on architecture and design. Now it has become boom in
India. the most loved and referred to magazine across 11 countries. Probably it
is the most widely read architecture and design magazine in the world. In 2010,
it was launched in India as Home TRENDS to meet the demand of architecture
and design reference due to the real estate.

BBC Knowledge
It has been created as a premium product for young and inquisitive minds. BBC
Knowledge is a bi-monthly magazine, aiming at those, who are looking for
knowledge based on science, history and nature. The Indian edition of BBC
Knowledge follows in the footsteps of the first edition

launched in the United States in August 2008, which was an instant success - being voted among
the Top 10 newly-launched magazines of 2008 by Library Journal, USA. Besides Indian and
USA, BBC Knowledge is also available internationally in the United Kingdom, Brazil,
Singapore and Bulgaria.

Femina Salon & Spa

Femina Salon & Spa will target beauty professionals across the country It will
leverage the parent brand, Femina's expertise in the world of fashion and
beauty, including the in-house beauty team, and its extensive network of
makeup and hair experts to bring the latest international trends and products to
the readers.
 PRICES AND ISSUES OF MAGAZINES:-

No. of Issue in
Name of Magazines Price Offer Price
one year
1.Femina (English) 26 1560/- 780/-
2.Femina (Hindi) 12 480/- 240/-
3.Filmfare 24 1440/- 720/-
4.Hello 12 1800/- 1020/-
5.BBC Topgear 12 1800/- 1020/-
6.Grazia 12 1800/- 1020/-
7.BBC Knowledge 6 750/- 435/-
8.Lonely Planet 12 1800/- 1020/-
9. Home Trends 10 2500/- 1350/-
10.Femina Salon & Spa 10 1000/- 500/-
 CHAPTER–2
RESEARCH METHODOLGY
 RESEARCH METHODOLGY
As a part of the Summer Internship Program we have been assigned to book subscriptions for the
various magazines published by WorldWide Media and sold and distributed by Times Of India
and also to collect renewal from the expired subscribers.

Research Methodology

Objectives:
 To predict and explore the customer demands in terms of Price, Quality and Services for
magazines published by WorldWide Media (WWM).
 To find out the reasons why subscribers are not renewing or discontinuing their
subscription.

Problem definition:
What are the various aspects in which WorldWide Media is lacking behind in fulfilling the
customers demand?

Research methodology:
This Exploratory research has been conducted through primary data. The data will be qualitative
as well as quantitative. The data has been collected through personal interview, door to door visit
and telephonic interview.

Research design:
 Geographical location: The geographical location taken for the purpose of data collection
and the research in Vadodara city.
 Sample size: The sample size for collecting primary data 150 respondents. The sampling
will be done through Random Technique.
 Data collection method: The data has been collected through personal interview, door to
door visit and telephonic interview.
 Target group: The respondents consist of existing subscribers, discontinued subscribers
and non-readers.

Limitations:

 The field work for the purpose of research was limited to some part of the Vadodara city
only. Therefore it may not represent the overall consumers as perceptions of the
consumers may vary place to place due to demographic factors.
TIMES OF INDIA
Times of India remains India's most widely read English newspaper with a readership that
exceeds the combined readership of its three closest competitors, the Hindustan Times, Hindu
and Telegraph, according to the Indian Readership Survey (IRS) for the last quarter of 2012.

The survey found that TOI's average issue readership of over 7.6 million dwarfed HT's 3.8
million, Hindu's 2.2 million and Telegraph's 1.3 million. The newspaper has maintained this
dominant position by retaining leadership of key markets and by closing the gap with the leader
in others.

In India's eight largest cities, the only ones with populations of over 5 million each, TOI had a
combined readership of over 5.2 million as measured by the IRS. The corresponding numbers for
HT (2.7 million) and Hindu (0.8 million), mean that TOI's readership is almost 50% more than
their combined tally.

In Mumbai, TOI was about twice as large as its nearest competitor with a readership of 16 lakh
compared to HT's 8.2 lakh. TOI's group publication Mumbai Mirror was a close third with 8.1
lakh.

In Bangalore, TOI's readership of 5.3 lakh was more than two-and-a-half times second-placed
Deccan Herald's 2 lakh while Bangalore Mirror was a close third at 1.6 lakh. In Ahmedabad,
TOI's 1.2 lakh readers and Ahmedabad Mirror's 58,000 put them in a different league from
DNA's 20,000.

In Pune too, TOI's dominance has only increased with a readership of 2.2 lakh against DNA's
66,000. Pune Mirror was a close third with 54,000 readers. In Jaipur, with 94,000 readers and
growing according to the IRS, TOI is more than thrice as large as its closest competitor, DNA.

In Lucknow, TOI's overwhelming dominance remains intact with 1.2 lakh readers compared to
39,000 for HT. Close by, in Kanpur, there was a similar story with TOI's 33,000 readers putting
it miles ahead of HT's 11,000. In Patna too, TOI's 70,000 readers are almost as much as HT's
39,000, Hindu's 22,000 and Telegraph's 10,000 put together.

In other cities like Bhubaneshwar, Indore, Varanasi, Surat, Baroda, Vadodara, Nashik,
Mangalore and Kolhapur, TOI remains by far the biggest paper, in many cases facing virtually
no competition.

Among the cities where TOI is not currently the leader, it has closed the gap with Deccan
Chronicle in Hyderabad by23,000 while widening the gap with third placed Hindu by 7,000. In
Kolkata too, TOI gained 7,000 readers compared to the previous quarter while the Telegraph lost
3,000. Similarly in Chennai, the TOI gained 1,000 readers in a period in which the Hindu lost
11,000.
 CHAPTER -3

THEORETICAL OVERVIEW
 THEORETICAL OVERVIEW

SALES &PROMOTION: AN OVERVIEW

The marketing communication environment is undergoing a thorough change due to the

fragmentation of markets and vast improvements in information technology. Mass marketing and
mass media have been replaced by segmented or one-to-one marketing and more specialized and
highly targeted communication efforts. Though mass media communication channels like
newspapers, magazines and television remain important, their dominance is declining.
Advertising was viewed as the crown jewel of marketing communication and the primary tool
for brand building for many years. However, more marketers are recognising that brands are the
sum total of all marketing communications and that no single Integrated Marketing
Communication tool is capable of building brand image, sales and relationship with consumers,
as well as the trade, at the same time. A variety of companies fiom package goods, fast food and
electronic and automotive to consumer electronics and financial services are making branding
the core of their marketing strategies. In the process, they are recognising that a solid branding
strategy requires true integration of all the various marketing communication tools. Moreover,
many are discovering that sales promotion is the engine that drives the sales numbers. Marketers
generally agree that advertising is essential in positioning a brand and building its promises,
personality and image. But, today's consumers are concerned about more than a promise or brand
image. They want image to be accompanied by an offer or extra incentive. Now sales promotion
is being used to build customer equity and is taking centre stage alongside advertising. The new
mandate is to deliver experience that deepens each consumer's relationship with the brand. In the
past sales promotion specialists would be brought in aRer key strategic brand building decisions
were made. They were viewed as tacticians whose role was to develop a promotional programme
such as a contest or sweepstake, coupon or sampling programme that would create a short-term
spike in sales. However, many companies are now making promotion specialists as part of their
strategic brand building team.

The Marketing Mix

Marketing mix includes everything that the marketer uses to create a blend that would influence
the demand for its products or services. It is a set of controllable, tactical marketing tools that the
firm uses to achieve its objectives in the target market. Popularly, 4 PS are used to represent the
elements of marketing mix. Each 'P' stands for product, price, place and promotion. A product is
anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use, or consumption that might
satisfL a want or need. The price is the sum that the customer pays in exchange for the product or
to get a service performed. The place refers to marketing activities undertaken to make the
product or service available to consumers at convenient locations where they are normally
expected to shop for such things. Finally, promotion includes marketing activities used to inform,
persuade and remind the target market of an organisation, its products, services and other
activities.

Some people argue that 'people' is the most important element of the marketing system and
added another 'P' with the conventional 4Ps. 'People' can be interpreted as customers or as staff.
Service marketers have developed a new approach by forming a 7 PS concept. Physical
evidences (e.g. building and uniforms) and Processes (methods of producing, delivering and
consuming the service) are the additional PS. Now fast moving consumer goods marketers have
also accepted 7Ps. All of the marketing mix variables communicate in their own way. ' A poor-
quality product or service generally says more than any amount of advertising. A high price
sends a different message to a low price. Some times price is used by many buyers as an
indicator of quality. The various places of purchase give different experience to the buyers. For
example, an item purchased fi-om a super market has a different perceived value to an item
purchased fi-om a street stall. Promotion has its own communication tools like advertising,
personal selling, sales promotion and publicity. The fifth P, people or staff creates a good or bad
experience through the quality of service delivered at any particular time. Physical evidence
communicates, as demonstrated by the physical presence, style, location etc. It grabs attention,
interest and, to some, creates the desire to enter and explore. Process the final 'P', also
communicates in terms of likes or dislikes of the consumers about the method of producing and
delivering the goods or services.

The Promotion

Promotion is the communication process in marketing that is used to create a favourable

predisposition towards a brand of product or service, an idea or even a person. It is the marketing
hction, which is concerned with persuasive communication of the components of marketing
programme to target audiences with the intent to facilitate exchange between the marketer, and
the customer, which may satisfjr the objectives of the consumers and the organisation. Promotion
seeks to persuade the audience in the target market to develop a new attitude or change the
existing one, as it is a persuasive communication. It is goal oriented and the objective may be to
create brand awareness, to educate the consumers, to create positive image and the ultimate goal
is to sell the product or service.
Role of Promotion in the Marketing Mix
Marketing mix refers to a wide range of responsibilities of marketers related to the conception,
pricing, promotion and distribution of a brand. Promotion plays a key role in the marketing mix
because it is essential to the successful implementation of the three other mix factors, i.e.,
product, pricing and physical distribution.
Promotion affects the product area of the marketing mix in four important ways: Information and
Persuasion: -Target audiences learn about a brand's features and benefits through the
communication transmitted by various promotional tools. Advertising and personal selling
communicate brand images to the targeted audiences. Introduction of new brands or brand
extensions: - When new brands or extensions are brought to market, the promotion process is
largely responsible for attracting attention to the new market offering. Sales promotion and POP
displays are used for the purpose. Building and maintaining brand loyalty among consumers: -
Brand loyalty occurs when a customer repeatedly purchases the same brand to the exclusion of
competitor's brand. While advertising reminds consumers of the value of a brand, sales
promotion provides an extra incentive to consumers to remain brand loyal. When a h creates and
maintain positive association with the brand in the minds of consumers, the fm has developed
brand equity Building and maintaining brand loyalty with in the trade: - Wholesalers and
retailers will favour one brand over others if they get necessary support fiom manufacturers.
Marketers can provide the trade with training programme, collateral materials, displays and
traffic building special events. The promotional mix affects two aspects of price i.e., at a
consumer level and related to trade. In the consumer market sales promotion can offer a price
concession or an incentive to buy a brand. While coupons reduce the price in an obvious way,
rebates give consumers a choice on how to use an extra bonus in the pricing system. Incentives
like premium or sweepstakes give reasons to buy a brand. In the trade market, special
promotions like case-lot discounts, cooperative advertising and incentive contests affect the end
price and can affect the wholesalers and retailers preferences for one brand over others.
Promotion can affect consumer access to a brand and securing trade cooperation. When special
POPS or brochure materials are used at the retail level, consumer access to the brand is
increased. Cooperative advertising will inform the consumers about location of retail outlets.
Cooperative advertising, slotting fees, vendor support programmes and incentive programmes
are promotional techniques that convince wholesalers to carry brands.

The Promotion Mix

Promotion mix is a blend of promotion tools used by a firm to carry out the promotion process
and to communicate directly with target market (or audience in the language of communication).
These communication tools include advertising, the internet, direct marketing and e-commerce,
sales promotion, event sponsorship, point of purchase displays, support communications (like
brand placements in films, and specialty items), public relations and personal selling.
The Promotional mix can include some combination of many approaches or just one or two
promotional tools.

Advertising It is the most glamorous and elaborate of all the promotional tools. Advertising is
defined as a paid, mass mediated attempt to persuade.) Accordingly if a communication is not
paid for, it is not advertising. For example, a form of promotion called publicity is not
advertising because it is not paid for. Another feature of advertising is that it is mass mediated,
i.e., it is delivered through a communication medium designed to reach more than one person- or
mass of a people. Advertising media include television, radio, newspapers, magazines, direct
mail, billboards, internet and videocassettes. The mass mediated nature of advertising creates a
communication environment where as the message is not delivered face-to-face. Finally,
advertising includes an attempt to persuade. Advertisements are communications designed to get
someone to do something. Thus advertisements inform the consumer for the purpose of getting
the consumer to like the brand and eventually buy the brand.

Internet Advertising
It is a form of advertising in which the message is carried over the internet rather than the
traditional mass media. Internet media for advertisingconsists of e-mail, usenet and the World
Wide Web. E-mail is fi-equently used by marketers to reach potential and existing customers. A
variety of companies collect e-mail addresses and profiles that allow marketers to direct e-mail to
a specific group. People who wish to discuss specific topics through the internet often join
electronic mailing list. A message send to the list's email address is then resent to everybody on
the mailing list. Usernet is a collection of discussion groups in cyberspace. People can read
messages pertaining to a given topic, post new messages and answer messages. The phenomenon
of World Wide Web is the universal database of information available to most internet users, and
its graphical environment makes navigation simple and exciting. Apparels, airlines and books
were the most frequently promoted goods through internet. Price of's followed by fiee gifts 6
offer was the most commonly used type of promotions. The scope of internet is truly impressive
given that it is a communication medium, which is only a decade old. About 200 million people
worldwide or 4.7 percent of the population is online.

Sales Promotion
It is the use of incentives to generate a specific and short-term response in a household
consumer, trade buyer or business buyer. Free samples, coupons, premiums, sweepstakes and
contests, rebates, and price discounts are some of the primary methods of sales promotion in the
consumer market. The business market relies more on trade shows, demonstrations, premiums,
price or merchandise allowances, and sales force or dealer contests as sales promotion
techniques. Sales promotion is designed to stimulate short-term purchasing in a target market and
enhance dealer effectiveness in promoting a firm's brand. This promotional option is valuable to
marketers because it provides a way to get a consumer who is using a competitor's brand to
switch to the marketer's brand. It is also a way to move stagnant inventory and create needed
cash flows.

Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is an interactive system of marketing that uses one or more advertising media
to effect a measurable response andlor transaction at any location. 8 Direct marketing is
interactive in that a marketer is attempting to develop an ongoing dialogue with the customer.
Direct marketing programmes are commonly planned with the notion that one contact will lead
to another and then another, so that marketer's promotional message can become more focused
and refined with each interaction. Direct marketing is designed to elicit a direct response by
using a combination of media. Moreover, transactions in direct marketing can occur anywhere.

E-commerce
It is a business conducted between buyers and sellers using electronic exchange media. E-
commerce is quickly emerging as a significant form of direct marketing. The scope and nature of
e-commerce is almost exactly the same as direct marketing. In using an e-commerce structure
and methods, marketers make direct contact with consumers and business buyers; they intent to
communicate information, and they hope to bring about a transaction through the contact. Where
as the transaction in direct marketing takes place through traditional means of contact between
buyers and sellers i.e., by using phone or mail, in e-commerce the transaction is electronic and
typically takes place by computer and internet.

Point- of -Purchase (POP)

Promotion refers to materials used in the retail setting, to attract shopper's attention to a
company's brand. In-store displays, banners, end-of-aisle displays, wall units and floor stands are
ways to attract shoppers to a brand.

Supportive communication includes a variety of ways marketer communicates to target audience

outside of mainstream media or electronic communications. Directories, specialty advertising
items and brochures are some of the examples for supportive communications.

Public Relations
Public relation is used to highlight positive events in an organisation, such as quarterly sales and
profit of noteworthy community service programmes carried out by the firm. It uses techniques
like press releases, newsletters and community events to reach target audiences.

Personal Selling
Personal selling is the presentation of information about a h's product or service by one person or
a small group of people. It is the only one-to-one communication that can deliver a completely
customized message based on feed backfiom the receiver of the message. Personal selling is the
dominant variable in the promotional mix of many corporate marketers. Complex products and
services, high purchase prices and negotiated contracts warrant the customized communication
of personal selling.

Difference Between Newspaper and Magazine

Main Difference – Newspaper vs Magazine

Newspaper and Magazine are two modes of communication via print media that is used by
millions of people all over the world. Though both newspaper and magazine seem to have the
same purpose and feature, there are distinct differences between these two print media. The main
difference between newspaper and magazine is that newspapers contain relatively short
articles on current news while magazines contains longer articles on a variety of
subjects. Let us first briefly observe their features separately, before comparing the difference
between Newspaper and Magazine.

What is a Newspaper
Newspaper is a serial publication that contains current news and other informative articles.
They area primary source of new, reliable information. The earliest newspaper dates back to
17th Century Europe and “Berrow’s Worcester Journal” is the World’s first (English) newspaper
which is still operating. Newspapers are traditionally printed in an inexpensive, low-grade paper.
Newspapers can be categorized into fields like Frequency (i.e. daily, weekly, Sunday editions),
Geographical Scope and Location (i.e. local or regional, national), Subject (i.e. newspapers for
youth, children, businessmen etc.) and Technology (traditional newspaper and online
newspaper). Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan), The Times of India (India), Blid (Germany), The Sun
(United Kingdom), The Wall Street Journal (The United States) are some of the most famous
newspapers in the world.

What is a Magazine
Magazine is generally a periodical publication that contains information on a variety of
subjects. A magazine is usually published weekly or monthly. Magazines belong to various
fields like science and technology, fashion, medicine, sports, finance, etc. They are more colorful
and glossy than newspapers.“ErbaulicheMonathsUnterredungen”, a literary and philosophy
magazine which was launched in 1663 in Germany is said to be the earliest example of
magazines. People, National Geographic, Awake! Readers’ Digest are some famous magazines
in the World.
The most noted difference between newspaper and magazine exists in their content. Newspapers
mostly write about current news in the world and their articles are short (generally under 900
words). However, magazines have longer articles on a variety of subjects such as fashion, sports,
movies, medicine, etc. Another difference between newspaper and magazine is their audience.
Newspapers have a broad audience as they provide articles for people of all ages and interests
while magazines have a specific and targeted audience as they provide information on a specific
subject area.

Design and attraction is another difference between newspaper and magazine. Newspapers have
simple design and layout, and the content is usually in black and white. However, a magazine is
complex in design; it uses a variety of colors and fonts, making the appearance of magazines
more attractive than newspapers. A magazine is also more expensive than a newspaper. Another
difference that can be observed between these two media is headlines; a newspaper uses catchy
headlines in order to attract readers whereas a magazine uses baseline concepts.

About the Times of India Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. is the largest media group in India,
owned by the Sahu Jain family, also known as The Times Group. It is best known as the
publisher of the English daily The Times of India. With a circulation of about 2.6 million daily
copies, Times of India is the largest English-language broadsheet newspaper in the world. The
company also publishes The Economic Times (a leading financial broadsheet), Mumbai Mirror,
the Navbharat Times (a Hindi daily broadsheet), Sandhya Times, and the Maharashtra Times (a
Marathi daily broadsheet). The combined circulation is about 4.3 million copies per day.
Furthermore it publishes general interest magazines like Femina and Filmfare. The Times Group
has very recently added TIMES NOW a 24-hour English news channel to its chain of news
organisations, together with Reuters. It owns Radio Mirchi, a popular FM Radio brand in India,
and Indiatimes, a popular Indian portal. Bennett Coleman owns 11 publishing centers and 15
printing centers all over India, and employs about 7000 people.
Situation

When the technical group of Times of India approached Comyan, they envisaged having a
central infrastructure for storing all the images and digital assets of the company. Before the
implementation of the project, this was not available. Instead, every center was doing their own
archiving, resulting in many duplicates and inconsistent archiving policies. Furthermore, agency
feeds had to be replicated across the country. With 11 centers all over the subcontinent and an
initial number of 700 users this was not an easy task. The data network recently had been
upgraded, allowing very good http connections. This enabled all users within the BCCL network
simply using their browsers to access central server infrastructure in Kandivili, Mumbai.

Company’s Solution

During the initial meeting with Comyan, the scope of the solution quickly became clear. To
further ensure viability, it was decided to make a test installation for a period of three months.
During the trial, all the goals set for the project were verified and finally, a very positive report
was issued. The project group recalls: “The editors were really enthusiastic about the search
speed and the ease of use of the system”. A high-performance two-server cluster was sufficient
for supporting 700 initial users and at the same time offering a very high availability. As a
further safety net, a third server was installed in Delhi acting as a DRS system. As soon as the
images and graphics feeds from the news agencies and staff were connected, the system was up
and running and could be accessed from any point in TOIs network. It is very important that
there is no distinction between received images for daily production and archived images and
graphics - all assets can be searched within the system and are found in the same result list.
Archiving an image simply means a click & a status change. This is possible due to the very high
performance of the search engine, so that the separation of production and archiving system is no
longer necessary. The Comyan Media System already offered the enterprise-grade functionality
to administer the record of 180 different publications, while granting individual rights to the
respective user groups in the centers.

Wide-area Image Workflow

Company quickly adapted the Image Workflow to TOI’s pre-press requirements, enabling all
editors to order pictures that are then transmitted and processed in the responsible prepress
department. Immediately after the editor orders a picture, the layout editor is able to place the
cropped and watermarked picture on the page. After the pre-press department has finished
processing, the image is automatically updated in the layout. The roll-out was greatly eased by
the fact that no local software installation at the centers was necessary. The existing web-
browsers on the user’s computer is sufficient once they got the access rights. Training was fast
and efficient since the system is very intuitive to use and follows the paradigms that users
already known from the Internet.
 CHAPTER– 4
COMPANY PROFIL&CASE STUDY
 COMPANY PROFILE
&
CASE STUDY
Title History
The Times of India was founded on November 3, 1838. It became a daily edition in 1850, and is
the highest circulating English-language paper in India. The Times of India is published
simultaneously in multiple editions (Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, and Ahmedabad among them),
with some content differences in each. The Times of India is published by Bennett, Coleman &
Co. Ltd. as part of The Times Group. The Times Group publishes the business daily The
Economic Times, the tabloid-style newspaper Mirror in several cities, and has other newspapers
in Hindi & Marathi. The Times Group also owns Radio Mirchi, an FM Radio network and a
business TV channel ET NOW and English-language news channel TIMES NOW. The groupʼs
Times Internet Limited offers email, social networking and a host of other services & sites. It is
also significant in book publishing, music publishing, outdoor media and event management.

Source of the digitized content

ProQuest reports the digital content was entirely derived from the microfilm produced by The
Times of India publisher Bennett Coleman & Co., Ltd. For a description of the various microfilm
efforts and holdings, see Appendix I: “International Coalition on Newspapers (ICON) Title
Report: The Times of India microfilm holdings.” Microfilm holdings are certain to be
consolidated at local institutions as a result of the search and browse features provided by
digitization.

Content Review
While the browse list of publications in the database describes the chief content as the New Delhi
edition of the Times from 1861 onwards, the actual scanned content is from the Bombay (and
later, Mumbai) edition, in addition to preceding titles beginning with the Bombay Times and
Journal of Commerce in 1838. ProQuest reports a plan to provide a “moving wall” of
contemporary content, with the most recent issues in the initial release from 2001. A new year
will be added to the database every subsequent year (2002 issues will be added in 2011, etc.). An
analysis of the productʼs holdings as well as a comparison to available microfilm is currently
being conducted by the Center for Research Libraries and will be available in the coming weeks.
Overall, the layout and content is similar to all other titles in the ProQuest Historical Newspapers
product. In general, the image quality is adequate, allowing for detailed zooming in on images,
as well as providing accurate enough portrayals of the entire page in page map images. A few
problems were noted, including some fuzziness, too dark or too light gutters, sections of faded
text, and tearing in what appears to be the original paper. All of these are to be expected when
working with older newspaper titles and microfilm. However, on occasion one also sees skewed
or cut content in ProQuestʼs presentation of individual articles. How any of these issues could
affect OCR or result sets is unclear.

The Times of India (TOI) is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. It is the third-largest
newspaper in India by circulation andlargest selling English-language daily in the world
according to Audit Bureau of Circulations (India).
It is the oldest English-language newspaper in India still in circulation. The BBC ranked the The
Times of India among the world's six best newspapers.
It is owned and published by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. which is owned by the Sahu
Jain family. In the Brand Trust Report 2012,The Times of India was ranked 88th among India's
most trusted brands and subsequently, according to the Brand Trust Report2013,
The Times of India was ranked 100th among India's most trusted brands. In 2014 however, The
Times of India was ranked 174th among India's most trusted brands according to the Brand Trust
Report 2014, a study conducted by Trust Research Advisory.

Beginnings
The Times of India issued its first edition 3 November 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal
of Commerce. The paper published Wednesdays and Saturdays under the direction of
Raobahadur Narayan DinanathVelkar, a Maharashtrian Reformist, and contained news from
Britain and the world, as well as the Indian Subcontinent. J.E. Brennan was its first editor. In
1850, it began to publish daily editions.
In 1860, editor Robert Knight (1825–1892) bought the Indian shareholders' interests, merged
with rival Bombay Standard, and started India's first news agency. It wired Times dispatches to
papers across the country and became the Indian agent for Reutersnews service. In 1861, he
changed the name from the Bombay Times and Standard to The Times of India.
Knight fought for a press free of prior restraint or intimidation, frequently resisting the attempts
by governments, business interests, and cultural spokesmen and led the paper to national
prominence. In the 19th century, this newspaper company employed more than 800 people and
had a sizeable circulation in India and Europe.

Dalmiya ownership
In 1946, Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd was sold to sugar magnate RamkrishnaDalmia of the then-famous
industrial family, the Dalmiyas, for Rs 20 million, as India was becoming independent and the British
owners were leaving.
In 1955 the Vivian Bose Commission of Inquiry found that RamkrishnaDalmia, in 1947, had engineered
the acquisition of the media giant Bennett, Coleman by transferring money from a bank and an insurance
company of which he was the Chairman. In the court case that followed, RamkrishnaDalmia was
sentenced to two years in Tihar Jail after having been convicted of embezzlement and fraud.
But for most of the jail term he managed to spend in hospital. Upon his release, his son-in-law, Sahu
Shanti Prasad Jain, to whom he had entrusted the running of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. rebuffed his
efforts to resume command of the company.

Jain family (Shanti Prasad Jain)

In the early 1960s, Shanti Prasad Jain was imprisoned on charges of selling newsprint on the
black market. And based on the Vivian Bose Commission's earlier report which found
wrongdoings of the Dalmia - Jain group, that included specific charges against Shanti Prasad
Jain, the Government of India filed a petition to restrain and remove the management of Bennett,
Coleman and Company. Based on the pleading, Justice directed the Government to assume
control of the newspaper which resulted in replacing half of the directors and appointing a
Bombay (now Mumbai) High Court judge as the Chairman.

Under the Government of India

Following the Vivian Bose Commission report indicating serious wrongdoings of the Dalmia–
Jain group, on 28 August 1969, the Bombay High Court, under Justice J.L. Nain, passed an
interim order to disband the existing board of Bennett Coleman and to constitute a new board
under the Government. The bench ruled that "Under these circumstances, the best thing would be
to pass such orders on the assumption that the allegations made by the petitioners that the affairs
of the company were being conducted in a manner prejudicial to public interest and to the
interests of the Company are correct". Following that order Shanti Prasad Jain ceased to be a
director and the company ran with new directors on board, appointed by the Government of
India, with the exception of a lone stenographer of the Jains. Curiously, the court appointed D K
Kunte as Chairman of the Board. While a freedom fighter and a man of impeccable integrity,
Kunte had no prior business experience and was also an Opposition member of the LokSabha.

Back to the Jain family

In 1976, during the Emergency in India, the Government transferred ownership of the newspaper
back to Ashok Kumar Jain (Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain's son, RamkrishnaDalmia's grandson and the
father of Samir Jain and Vineet Jain). The Jains too often landed themselves in various money
laundering scams and Ashok Kumar Jain had to flee the country when the Enforcement
Directorate pursued his case strongly in 1998 for alleged violations of illegal transfer of funds (to
the tune of US$1.25 million) to an overseas account in Switzerland.
The Times in the 21st century
In late 2006, Times Group acquired Vijayanand Printers Limited (VPL). VPL previously
published two Kannada newspapers, Vijay Karnataka and UshaKiran, and an English daily,Vijay
Times. Vijay Karnataka was the leader in the Kannada newspaper segment then.
The paper launched a Chennai edition, 12 April 2008.It launched a Kolhapur edition, February
2013.
In the previous module, you have learnt about different forms of mass media. Print media, as you
know is one of them. Print media is one of the oldest and basic forms of mass communication. It
includes newspapers, weeklies, magazines, monthlies and other forms of printed journals. A
basic understanding of the print media is essential in the study of mass communication. The
contribution of print media in providing information and transfer of knowledge is remarkable.
Even after the advent of electronic media, the print media has not lost its charm or relevance.
Print media has the advantage of making a longer impact on the minds of the reader, with more
in-depth reporting and analysis.
OBJECTIVES
After studying this lesson, you will be able to do the following : z identify the different forms of
print media; z discuss the history of early printing; z describe the evolution of newspapers in
India; z differentiate between print and electronic journalism.
5.1 NEWSPAPERS
Print media generally refers to newspapers. Newspapers collect, edit and print news reports and
articles. There are newspapers published in the evening also. They are called eveningers.
Yesterday while going to the city you might have seen an accident. Two buses had collided and
by the mere sight you could make out that many passengers must have been killed or injured.
You were busy with your daily engagements and forgot about the accident. Only today morning
you recalled that incident. You were curious to know more about it. You wanted to know how
many passengers were killed or injured. Where will you look for these details? In a newspaper,
of course. So you would pick up a newspaper and read all about the accident.
 CHAPTER – 5

DATA ANALYSIS &INTERPRETATION

 DATA ANALYSIS

&

INTERPRETATION

1. Sample Size Distribution:

Table:-

Reader 100
Non-Reader 50

INTERPRETATION-
Readers include Existing subscribers (during the SIP) and Expired subscribers. The Expired
subscribers are divided into two parts, 1) Discontinued subscriber, who doesn’t want to renew
their subscription and 2) Continued subscriber, who have renewed their subscription.
2.Reason for not-reading:

INTERPRETATION
Among the Respondents covered under Non-reader criteria, 20% said that they are not able to
afford a magazine, 24% do not read due to non-availability of time, 22% prefer to read online
and the remaining 34% are not interested in reading magazines.
3.Rating upon features:
Respondents were asked to rate the features with number between 1 to 10.

A) Entertainment:

INTERPRETATION
It shows that only 16% subscribers are fully entertained by the magazines who gave 10 out of 10.
The highest 44% subscribers gave 8 out of 10. They are less entertained than other 24%
subscriber who gave 8 out of 10. Therefore it shows that maximum percentage of population
want more entertainment in the magazines.

B) Information:

INTERPRETATION
Survey indicates that all the respondents are well satisfied with the information delivered through
the magazines. They are giving 8, 9 and 10 out of 10.
C) Gossip:

INTERPRETATION
It shows that customers are demanding less gossip in the magazines. They rated this feature with
7,8,9 and 10. The personal interviews on this topic also shows their demand to avoid gossiping.

D) Updates:

INTERPRETATION
The contents in the magazines are well updated as the diagram shows that 55% respondent gave
9 out of 10. Only a few percentage of respondent think that magazines are not well updated.

E) Price:

INTERPRETATION
In case of price, survey shows that 27% are highly satisfied and another 45% are less satisfied
than the first one. By seeing other responses we can say that subscribers are well satisfied with
price of the magazines. But still their demand is to decrease the price due to human behaviour of
expecting more than what they get.

F) Services:

INTERPRETATION
Services is one of the main factor which helps in maintaining the customer loyalty and keeping
the readership size constant. The survey shows that there are less percentage of people who are
well satisfied with the services who give higher rating. Their demand is to improve the services
including the distribution system and customer care system.

G)Language:

INTERPRETATION
Customers are well satisfied with the language used in the magazines. Maximum percentages of
the respondents give higher rating.

H) Quality Vs Price Ratio:

INTERPRETATION
When the respondents were asked about the quality Vs price, good responses have received from
them. There are maximum percentages of people who are highly satisfied with the quality of the
magazines relating with price.

4. Renewal Call:

INTERPRETATION
During the internship period, 50 renewal calls has been done. Out of which 26% i.e. 13 renewals
have been collected. The remaining 74% has denied renewing their subscription.

The reasons for denying are discussed

A) Reason for Discontinuation:
Reasons derived from the survey, for the discontinuation of the
subscriptions,
 Decrease of interest and usability: 32% of the respondent said that they have stopped
their subscriptions due to decrease in interest. Also the usability.
 Shifting: There are two types of shifting observed, 1. To other TOI magazines. 2. To
other publishers.
 Due to contents: 5% subscriber thought that the full contents comes in an issue are not
necessary for him/her. They need only a part or few pages of the magazine. For which
they think that it is none other than wasting of money by buying the whole. Therefore
they now prefer internet for their need.
 Only subscribed for gift: Subscription scheme plays an important role in increasing
readership. There is high demand of gifts in subscription scheme. There are 8% people
who are not interested in continuing their subscription because there is no gift in current
scheme. But if they will be provided with preferable gift scheme, they are ready to
continue their subscription.
 Cost: Only 3% people are not ready to continue their subscription because they thought
that the current scheme of 50% discount on 1 year subscription is not so cost effective.
 Service: The last but the main reason for which people are not ready to renew their
subscriptions. As maximum percentage i.e. 39% of the respondents have stopped their
subscription only because of services problem. There are three types of service problems
derived.
1. Delivery: Customers were getting issues lately or never got some issues. In case
of fortnightly magazines, they were getting two issues at a time. Also some were
not getting issues in a proper condition i.e. damage of packaging, crashed papers
etc.
2. No response in problems: When the subscribers faced the above mentioned
problems, they were not responded well from the sales department. Their
problems were not solved. That’s why this became a big reason for
discontinuing subscription. o
3. Representative: Another problem in services is due to representatives. At the
time of renewal no representative were came to collect. They were interested but
due to available publishers they have shifted to others. Again in this case, they
have got calls from sales department for renewal, appointments for collection
were also fixed, but still they didn’t come to collect. Thus TOI have lost some
subscriber.
CHAPTER – 6
FINDINGS
FINDINGS

 Magazines are well entertained, updated and well informative.

 The price according to the quality of the magazines is satisfactory.
 Subscribers have high demand in the improvement of services.
 There is a tough competition among magazines in Vadodara.
 Maximum people prefer Hindi rather than English.
 Subscription schemes attract more customers.
 Schemes with gift are playing a good role in increasing readership as there are a lot of
customers who have subscribed only for gift.

The summer internship project plays an important role in management education where students
get a golden opportunity to apply his knowledge and learning gained from classroom lectures in
practical business environment. The SIP program also helps in gaining knowledge and
developing the confidence level to work. I have also learnt a lot by my Internship at Times of
India Group, VADODARA. This research has been done to study sales and promotion of
magazine in VADODARA towards Times Group’s magazines. The people in VADODARA still
preferring printed contents despite of technology adaption. people prefer English magazines
rather than Hindi or Gujarati. But maximum areas still prefer to read a Gujarati or Hindi
magazine. There is high demand and high awareness about TOI newspaper in VADODARA. But
less people are aware that TOI has magazines also. And there are some people who are aware
about it but they are not aware about the subscription schemes. They are interested in
subscribing. When they came to know about the schemes, they immediately bought
subscriptions. But still there are some areas where awareness about these magazines is very low.
Customer loyalty towards TOI magazines is very high. Survey shows that only 26% of the
customers don’t renew their subscription. But this is only happening mainly because of service
problems. TOI is not able to provide accurate service to all customers. There are some other
reasons also, but if TOI works on improving services of delivery or customer relationship or
improving the quality .
CHAPTER– 7
CONCLUSION
 CONCLUSION
The summer internship project plays an important role in management education where students
get a golden opportunity to apply his knowledge and learning gained from classroom lectures in
practical business environment. The SIP program also helps in gaining knowledge and
developing the confidence level to work. I have also learnt a lot by my Internship at Times of
India Group, VADODARA. This research has been done to study sales and promotion of
magazine in VADODARA towards Times Group’s magazines. The people in VADODARA still
preferring printed contents despite of technology adaption. people prefer English magazines
rather than Hindi or Gujarati. But maximum areas still prefer to read a Gujarati or Hindi
magazine. There is high demand and high awareness about TOI newspaper in VADODARA. But
less people are aware that TOI has magazines also. And there are some people who are aware
about it but they are not aware about the subscription schemes. They are interested in
subscribing. When they came to know about the schemes, they immediately bought
subscriptions. But still there are some areas where awareness about these magazines is very low.
Customer loyalty towards TOI magazines is very high. Survey shows that only 26% of the
customers don’t renew their subscription. But this is only happening mainly because of service
problems. TOI is not able to provide accurate service to all customers. There are some other
reasons also, but if TOI works on improving services of delivery or customer relationship or
improving the quality of responding towards the customers’ problems with better solutions, than
obviously no reader will leave TOI.
 CHAPTER – 8
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

WEBLINKS
1. Ali S., .“A Study of Consumer Behaviour & Loyalty In Print Media – Challenges & strategic
prescriptions with Special reference to English, Hindi, Marathi News Paper readers-
Mumbai”.ABHINAV. 1 (4), pp.64-70

2. ArcGate .Indian Magazine Market Overview. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://arcgate.com/blog/2010/09/29/indian-magazine-market-overview/.

3. World Wide Media .About Grazia. [ONLINE] Available at: Available at:
http://grazia.co.in/about-us.

4. World Wide Media. BBC Good Homes.[ONLINE]

https://www.facebook.com/goodhomesmagazineindia/info.

5. World Wide Media (). About Lonely Planet. [ONLINE] Available at:
https://www.facebook.com/LonelyPlanetMagazineIndia/info.

6. Times Group .About Hometrends. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.timesgroup.com/brands/publishing/magazines/home-trends-english.html

. 7. Times Group .About BBC Knowledge. [ONLINE] Available at:

http://www.timesgroup.com/brands/publishing/magazines/bbc-knowledgeenglish.html

. 8. Ernest &Young . Indian magazine segment: Navigating new growth avenues. [ONLINE]
Available at: http://www.ey.com/IN/en/Industries/Media--- Entertainment/Indian-magazine-
segment.

9. Vital Business Media . Go East, young journalist: India publishing market is hot. [ONLINE]
Available at: http://www.emediavitals.com/content/go-east-youngjournalist-india-publishing-
market-hot.

10. Times Group. About us. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.timesgroup.com/bccl/about-

us.html
Questionnaire
1. Do you read magazines?

 Yes / No

2. If No, then Why?

 Non-availability of time
 Online preference
 Non-interest
 Affordability

3.Which type of magazines you prefer to read?

 Fashion and lifestyle

 Interiors and design
 Travel
 Automobile
 Bollywood and movie masala
 Sports
 Other

4. Name of the magazine you read/subscribed._____________________________

5. How do you like this magazine? Please rate the features.

 Entertainment 1--------10
 Information 1--------10
 Gossip 1--------10
 Updates 1--------10
 Price 1--------10
 Services 1--------10
 Languages 1--------10
 Quality vs Price 1--------10

6. What would you like to do to improve the quality and services of a magazine?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

7. References

 ________________________
 ___________________________

8. Reason for discontinuation:

________________________________________________________________
SUBSCRIPTION FORM OF THE TIMES OFINDIA