Breaking News: The Hindu Vs Times of India

Being an avid reader of The Hindu all these years, for the first time I am going to guess its headlines! Or rather what they should or would be doing in response to TOI’s entry.

TOI is indeed wooing consumers with a reduced subscription fee and some freebies thrown in as well. They might end up picking a few trials.

But what matters is who would be the first buyers of TOI – the innovators, so to speak. I believe the initial TOI triallists would be largely from The Indian Express or Deccan Chronicle. These guys are flirts. They flirt with papers. They just flirted with DC in response to their reduced price offer, didn’t they? And here is another newspaper, a supposedly reputed one, offering a paper at around the very price they are paying for currently!

Oh yes, a few Hindu readers too would give TOI a try succumbing to the novelty factor, reduced price and freebies. But the question is, ‘will they stop buying The Hindu’? My take on that would be – NO. I think TOI would end up being the second paper in their households. Many of us picked up Deccan Chronicle induced by the ‘Rs.99 offer’. But that didn’t stop us from buying The Hindu. We read DC as the second paper and when we realized The Hindu was unquestionably better, we stopped renewing the DC subscription.

Which is why I don’t suppose The Hindu should panic and reduce its price; not right away at least. After all, it not only enjoys leadership. It also entertains loyalty.

So what does this mean to The Hindu?

For starters, it gives them time. Time to understand how the few initial triallists perceive TOI; its contents; its gossips and whatnot. If TOI brings in a few new things that consumers perceive The Hindu lacks, they can always add it without affecting the brand’s basic positioning and thrust. For instance, if TOI brings in breeziness and gossip that appeals to the young, The Hindu can always add it as a separate supplement. That way, ‘The Hindu’ could bridge the need gaps without breaching its basic positioning.

The Hindu should also counter TOI with an Integrated Marketing campaign of its own. Not just through advertising. But also through a concerted effort in schools with its Young World and Quest supplements; a well-orchestrated programme in A&S colleges, B-Schools, Engineering Institutions with its Education Plus; a direct marketing effort in the very neighbourhoods TOI is targeting; convening special events, activities around The Hindu’s core positioning. All this and more to counter TOI’s launch efforts and also extend its lead – both in market and in mind terms.

Does all this sound too simple? Would The Hindu be made vulnerable if doesn’t match TOI’s price, at least initially? Am I underestimating the power of TOI?

TOI is a leader all right. But that’s in a distant market. Far away from my mine and hence my mind. Here, The Hindu is the big shark. TOI is a new entrant – a small fry. You could say, “But look at what TOI did to Hindustan Times in New Delhi.” Remember, The Hindu is no Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times is a newspaper. But The Hindu is a habit! Didn’t they say old habits die hard!

And finally, from a broader strategic standpoint, The Hindu should jettison its conservative style and start becoming aggressive. To begin with, they need to now go and hit TOI where it hurts them most – Mumbai. The best way to counter competition is to hit them in their biggest market. That slows them down. I am not, for a minute, saying The Hindu, if launched, would eliminate TOI in Mumbai. But it would certainly stop TOI’s aggression in other markets if their own home turf were invaded.

Well, these are not what I expect The Hindu to do. Just a few things I would want them to do!

Will they do it? What would happen if they did? And what if they don't?

Time will tell. It’s interesting times ahead!