Lead India Initiative – Whats behind the face?
There is a dearth of good marketing organizations in India. However, there are always some exceptions; one of those is definitely The Times Of India. I feel they have some of the best marketing brains in the country managing the mother brand. Thats pretty evident – even any of the newly launched print newspapers (Hindustan Times, DNA) have not been able to make a dent in its market share. In fact, TOI was so confident that it sold full page ad space for several days to Hindustan Times while they ran their launch campaign 2 years back!
What makes them so strong? Content for sure plus the reader engagement! Further it presents this quality content in a format that not only invites attention but they also market it well. They know when (and how) to refresh the format/ lay-out, create reader engagement (through content, initiatives?), connect emotionally (Tsunami, other national Calamity funds), build relationships through on-ground events (remember Times Yoga?), which in the process reinforces the product’s (the print newspaper) superiority over the available alternatives all the time.
I don’t mean other newspapers provide stale content; I simply say they don’t do a good job of marketing themselves. Good content, better marketing coupled with lowest time to market (does anyone remember Mumbai Mirror’s launch) gives them an enviable position.
The Lead India Initiative that TOI is taken is one such attempt (in its overall marketing scheme of things) where it intends to engage the readers by binding them emotionally to an individual (or a set of individuals) who care (or pretend to care) about the country. Simply because of the grandness of the initiative (did somebody say, nobleness) they will be able to hold on to their audiences and attract more from competition. Further, it not only will create proprietary news (I doubt that other publications would want to cover a competitor’s initiative) but also assist the group’s other media platforms (TV, Radio) to increase viewership, listenership!
Are other TV channels taking a note – TOI is actually launching a realty show that not only gets telecast on TIMES NOW and gets extensive coverage in country’s National Daily, but also binds the readers (and nation) emotionally to the brand and an individual who may make a difference! No, they are busy launching me too singing, comedy and talent hunt realty shows 
yes, toi certainly knows its consumer base better than most consumer brands out there – and that’s exactly how i’d position toi – it’s not a news or content company – it’s a consumer brand. hardly any news comes out of toi
Deap
September 7, 2007
I somehow did come across the “Lead India” Initiative adds and also saw something on TV while flipping through the channels. But there can millions of excellent campaigns that emotionally attach you to the brand and do all sorts of things but is the “Lead India” thing really going to help anyone ? certainly not helping me – just gave me a a moment of pride for about 2 seconds the same as the few seconds pride i get when i go for a movie and have to stand up for the national anthem…… how bout focus on marketing the initiative to the rural areas of india ? and identifying those people that really could lead this suffering country ? It would be cool to see an image on your post of the actual campaign.
anishmedia
September 14, 2007