A

Internship/ Field Project

On

“Result and Marketing Development”

Submitted for partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree
of

Master of Business Administration

Of

GRAPHIC ERA HILL UNIVERSITY

DEHRADUN (UTTRAKHAND)

Session 2022-24
INTERNAL GUIDE EXTERNAL
GUIDE
Dr. Ajay Sharma
Faculty, School of Management
Graphic Era Hill University
DEHRADUN

SUBMITTED BY
RIYA BAGRI
2202401
PV-D1926201

GRAPHIC ERA HILL UNIVERSITY, DEHRADUN

BATCH 2022-24
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would want to take this time to acknowledge everyone’s encouragement, cooperation, and
moral support in helping me complete my project report.
My internship at THE TIMES OF INDIA was a fantastic opportunity for learning and career
advancement. I thus think I’m a really fortunate person to be a part of it. I am also
appreciative that the internship gave me the chance to get to know so many lovely
individuals and experts.
I extend my sincere gratitude to Mr. Naveen Bansal for contributing to a wise choice
and providing important counsel and direction. I’ve decided to express my gratitude for
his contribution right now.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr Sumit for her kind and priceless
assistance, which has been tremendously helpful to me in both my theoretical andpractical
studies
I see this chance as a significant turning point in my professional progress. To achieve my
intended professional goals, I’ll make every effort to utilize newly acquired skills and
information to the fullest extent feasible and to keep working to develop them.
Sincerely,

Riya Bagri

3
 3

CERTIFICATE

I am pleased to verify that Riya Bagri is a legitimate student enrolled in Graphic Era
deemed University’s Master of Business Administration programme in the third semester
(batch2022-2024), Dehradun, with Roll. No. 2202401

Under my supervision she finished her project work named “Result and Marketing
Development”.
I attest that this is her own work and that it was not plagiarized. Additionally this research has
not been submitted to any other university or institute for the purpose of conferring multiple
degrees.
The syllabus that the institution has set forth for the aforementioned course is satisfied by the
assignment. I suggest that this project be evaluated and taken into account for the student’s
degree award.

SIGNATURE :
NAME OF THE GUIDE :
DESIGNATION :
DATE :
5
 5
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The MBA is a stepping stone to a management profession and in order to build a strong
manager, experience to the actual world must b combined with theoretical learning. This
report also provides my perceptions regarding the workers’ happiness, motivation and
working environment. Practical knowledge is required since theoretical information just
serves as the foundation and is insufficient to create a strong manager.
This project report describes about the projects on which I have worked during the 45 days of
internship. The internship report stresses on the work experience I have gathered as an intern
at THE TIMES OF INDIA under the guidance of Mr. Naveen Bansal from 6 th June, 2022- 21
July, 2022.
I mainly have incorporated my experience at The Times of India especially on Consumer
behavior through survey, driving sales, meeting new and existing customers, enlightening
people about the importance of print media.
The main objective was to understand the customers, market and driving sales.
Since the primary goal of the internship is to apply the information and skills received during
the academic process to real-world challenges, it is excellent opportunity to learn by doing in
a practical setting. This study contains a thorough overview of the organization.
Finally, the processes, practices and procedures that I went through and learnt throughout my
internship programme are all included in the learning and experiences section.
 LIST OF CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION

• HISTORY

• EDITIONS AND PUBLICATIONS

• SERVICES OFFERED

• CHANNELS, MEMBERS OF THE TIMES OF INDIA

• RESULT AND MARKETING DEVELOPMENT

• MARKETING MIX

• THE PROMOTIONAL MIX OF THE TIMES OF INDIA

• A STUDY ON SALES AND PROMOTION STRATEGIES AND

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

• PROBLEM

• SWOT ANALYSIS

• RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

• FINDINGS

• CONCLUSION

• RECOMMENDATION

• QUESTIONNAIRE

7
 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The goal of summer internship training is to provide students with practical work experience
experiences while also allowing them to learn through on-the-job training and observation.
The students will gain knowledge and skills in work ethics, communications, management
and other areas via their summer internship programme. Additionally , this hands-on training
programme enables students to connect their academic learning to how it is used in the
workplace.
The objective of summer internship training are :

• to provide students the chance to test their interest in a certain field before making
long-term commitments.
• To provide young students with the chance to gain the practical experience,
information, attitudes, and perceptions necessary to form a professional identity.
• To offer ways to fully immerse students in supervised, real world professional
experiences.
• To provide a window into how the actual organization operates.
• To understand the connection between various departments and functions
• To get insight on business entities as a whole.
• Assisting students in researching job options in their chosen field of study.
• To get a deeper comprehension of particular functional domains.
• To develop students physical stamina , sense of collaboration and self assurance.
• To learn appropriate conduct for corporate life in the industrial sector and to develop
effective communication skills with a group of emplayees.

8
 INTRODUCTION

MISSION: To be the leading provider of news, by providing timely, accurate and multi-
dimensional news. To be the first paper the reader reads today and everyday, by delivering
consistently high standards of journalism.

VISION: Aim to provide compelling content and creative solutions to enrich lives, helping
people to know more, do more and to live inspired.

TAGLINE/SLOGAN: Let the truth prevail.

CORE VALUES:

• Commitment to the truth

• Commitment to readers
• Commitment to viewers and listeners
• Quality
• Excellence

9
 INTRODUCTION TO THE COMPANY

The times group owns and manages The Times of India (TOI), an English language daily
newspaper published in India. It has the third largest circulation in India and the best selling
English language daily worldwide. With its inaugural edition published in 1838, it is the second
oldest Indian daily still in print and the oldest English language newspaper in India. It is a
“newspaper of record” in India and is known a “the old lady of Bori Bunder”.

The viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, referred to TOI as “the leading paper in Asia” at the start of the
20th century. The BBC listed TOI as one of the top six newspaper in the world in 1991.
It is owned and published by the Sahu Jain family’s Bennet, Coleman & co. Ltd. The TOI was
regarded as India’s most dependable English-language newspaper in the brand trust report India
2019 survey. In a study, Reuters identified TOI as India’s most dependable media news brand.
The newspaper has been under fire in recent years for introducing the practices of collecting
contributions from people and organizations in exchange for favorable coverage.
The Times group owns and manages The Times of India (TOI), an English language daily
newspapers published in India. It has the third-largest circulation in India and is the best selling
English language daily worldwide. It is the oldest newspaper in English.

BEGINNINGS

Diamond Jubilee, November 1898.

On November 3, 1838, TOI published its first issue under the name The Bombay Times
and Journal of commerce. Under the editorship of Maharashtrian social reformer
Raobahadur Narayan Dinanath Velkar, the publication was published on Wednesdays and
Saturdays and featured news from British Isles, the rest of the world, and the Indian
subcontinent . first editor was J.E. Brennan. It started publishing a daily edition in 1850.

India’s first agency was established in 1860 by editor Robert Knight (1825-1892), who
also acquired the shares of the Indian stockholders and amalgamated his publication with
the competitor Bombay Standard. It became the Indian agent for the Reuters news service
and wired times dispatches to newspapers across the nation. The Bombay Times and
10
Standard was renamed The Times of India by him in 1861. When governments,
corporations, and cultural spokespeople attempted to censor or intimidate the press,
Knight frequentlyresisted them, bringing the daily to national notoriety. This newspaper
enterprise had around 800 employees in the 90th century and a sizable readership in India
and Europe.
Bennett and Coleman ownership

Subsequently, TOI saw its ownership change several times until 1892 when an English
journalist named Thomas Jewell Bennett, along with Frank Morris Coleman (who later
drowned in the 1915 sinking of the SS Persia), acquired the newspaper through their new
joint stock company, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.

Dalmia ownership
From 1907 through 1924, Sir Stanley Reed served as editor of the Times Of India and
received letters from prominent Indians like Mahatma Gandhi. He spent a total of fifty
years in India. He was regarded as an authority on Indian current affairs in the UK.
As India gained independence and the British owners left, Bennet Coleman & Co. Ltd.
was sold to sugar tycoon Ramakrishna Dalmia of the industrial family for 20 million
(equivalent to 2.4 billion or US$ 30 million in 2020). Ramakrishna Dalmia orchestrated
the acquisition of the media giant Bennet Coleman & Co. in 1947 by transferring funds
from a bank and an insurance business of which he was the chairman, according to the
Vivian Bose Commission of inquiry, which made its finding in 1955. Ramakrishna
Dalmia was found guilty of theft and fraud and sentenced to Tihar jail in the subsequent
court proceedings.
He was able to spend the most of his prison time in the hospital. After his release, the son-
in-law he had given control of Bennet, Coleman & co. ltd., Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain,
rejected his attempts to take back control of the business.

Jain family (Shanti Prasad Jain)

Shanti Prasad Jain was detained at the beginning of the 1960s on suspicion of dealing
newsprint on the underground market. The Government of India also filed a petition to
limit and oust the management of Bennet, Coleman and Company in light of the Vivian
Bose
Commission’s previous findings, which revealed wrongdoings of the Dalmia-Jain group
and included specific accusations against Shanti Prasad Jain. A Bombay High Court judge
was appointed as the newspaper’s chairman after the justice ordered the Government to
take over control of it based on the pleas. Half of the newspaper’s directors were also
replaced.

11
Under the Government of India
After the Vivian Bose Commission report revealed serious wrongdoings by the Dalmia-
Jain group, the Bombay high court, presided over by Justice J.L. Nain, issued an interim
order on August 28, 1969, dissolving the current Bennet, Coleman & Co. board and
establishing a new board that would report to the government. The bench decided that,
“under these circumstances, it would be preferable to issue such directions on the
presumption that the petitioners’ assertions that the company’s operations were being
managed in a way adverse to the interests of the company and the public interest were
true.
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. Kunte had no prior business experience and was also an opposition member of
the Lok Sabha.

Back to the Jain family

In 1976, during the Emergency in India, the Government transferred ownership of the
newspaper back to Ashok Kumar Jain, who was Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain's son and
Ramakrishna Dalmia's grandson. He is the father of the current owners 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
pursuedhis 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.

During the Emergency

On 26 June 1975, the day after India declared a state of emergency, the Bombay edition of
TOI carried an entry in its obituary column that read "D.E.M. O'Cracy, beloved husband
of T.Ruth, father of L.I.Bertie, brother of Faith, Hope and Justice expired on 25 June".
The move was a critique of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's 21-month state of emergency,
which is now widely known as "the Emergency" and seen by many as a roundly
authoritarian era of Indian government.

12
 HISTORY 1838
The inaugurated issue of The Bombay Times and Journal of commerce, which primarily
covered Bombay’s commercial world, was released on November 3, 1838. It came out
every two weeks. Editor: J.E. Brennan

1850
The publication is changed to daily when shareholders elect to raise the share capital.

1859
The Bombay Times and Journal of commerce and Bombay Standard combine to become
Bombay Times & Standard in 1861.

1861
The Times of India is created by editor Robert Knight by combining The Bombay Times
& Standard and The Bombay Telegraph & courier, giving it a national flavor.

1892
Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. is established as a joint stock company with T. J. Bennett as
editor and F.M. Coleman as partner (BCCL).

1907
By setting the deadline for news output to midnight, editor Stanley Reed revolutionizes
the process. Any news that arrived before then after 5:00 PM was postponed until the next
day. The first price war between the newspapers was also started when the cover price
was reduced from 4 annas to 1 anna, which resulted in 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

13
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 complete 150 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 color and storms Delhi by
being "Number One".

14
 2003
The Times Private Treaties branch is established as a strategic corporate entity. launch of
Times Jobs, a job platform. Launch of TOI E-paper. debut of Zoom, India's first leisure and
entertainment channel, marks entry into the TV industry.

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

2006
launch of Times Now, a television news channel.
Entertainment Network India Limited, the holding company for Radio Mirchi, is listed on the
Indian stock exchanges. With an IPO that was oversubscribed by more than 41 times, it is the
first Times Group Company to list on the stock exchange. Magic Bricks, a new property
services platform, has launched. To serve the international remittance industry, Times of
Money launches Remit2Home. BCCL becomes the dominating power in Karnataka by
purchasing Vijayanan Printers Limited, the state's largest newspaper publisher.

2007
launch of the leading weekend entertainment supplement What's Hot, Bangalore Mirror,
Ahmedabad Mirror, ET (Gujarati), and The Times of India overtakes the UK's Sun (tabloid)
as the largest English daily in the world when its circulation surpasses 3 million.

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
Brand Capital is the new name for Private Treaties. Launch of the Speaking Tree newspaper.
ET Wealth was introduced. Pune issue of Maharashtra Times is released. Launch of Vijay
Next, the leading weekly newspaper from Vijay, Karnataka.
Movies Now (HD), India's first premium HD movie channel, has debuted.

2011
ET relaunched as a tabloid on Sunday. Launch of the spiritual weekend newspaper
Bodhivriksha in Kannada. launch of the Raipur (Chhattisgarh) edition, Vishakhapatnam, and
Kerala edition of The Times of India.
2013
launch of the times of India , Kolhapur edition

15
EDITIONS AND PUBLICATIONS

When TOI was originally established in Mumbai, it had its first office directly across from
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.
The media company Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. publishes TOI. The Times Group, which
includes this business along with its other subsidiaries, also publishes the Ahmedabad Mirror,
Bangalore Mirror, Mumbai Mirror, and Pune Mirror in addition to the Economic Times, ET
Panache (Monday through Friday in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, and on Saturdays in
Pune and Chennai), Ei Samay Sangbad Patra, Maharashtra Times, and Navbharat Times.
TOI has its editions in major cities such as Mumbai, Agra, Ahmedabad, Allahabad,
Aurangabad, Bareilly, Bangalore, Belgaum, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Chandigarh,
Chennai, Dehradun, Delhi, Gorakhpur, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Gwalior, Hubli, Hyderabad,
Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Kanpur, Kochi, Kolhapur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana,
Madurai, Malabar, Mangalore, Meerut, Mysore, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Noida,
Panaji,
Patna, Pondicherry, Pune, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Shimla, Surat, Thane, Tiruchirappalli,
Trivandrum, Vadodara, Varanasi, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

16
SERVICES OFFERED

The Times group, also known as Bennett, Coleman &Co. Ltd., is the biggest business in India
and South Asia's media and entertainment sectors. It started its 184-year adventure in the
media sector in 1838 when it was founded in Mumbai. Beginning with The Times of India,
which is currently the biggest English-language publication in the world, BCCL and its
subsidiaries (known as The Times of India Group) are present on every media platform
currently in use, including newspapers, magazines, books, television, radio, the internet, event
management, outdoor displays, music, movies, and more. It has a workforce of more than
11,000 people, annual revenue of more than $1.5 billion, more than 25000 sponsors, and a
sizable global readership.

Key Business areas:

Publication, Television, and Digital
• Other Activities •
Outside the Home
Publication:
The most widely read non-English newspaper in India's three main cities, Mumbai, Delhi,
and Bangalore.
Television
• The largest English news channel and the second-ranked English business news channel
• No. 2 English movie TV channel and largest Bollywood news and lifestyle channel. Digital
• The busiest and wealthiest Indian network (behind Google, Facebook, Yahoo).
• In India, the most widely used B2C mobile short code for voice, SMS, WAP, and USSD
radio.
• With 32 stations, the largest radio network in India in terms of income and listeners.
• Runs the UK's biggest rock radio station.

17
Outside- of- home

• Owns advertising contracts at the majority of India's major airports;

• Largest Out-of-Home Advertising Company with presence in all Major Metros.

Other activities include event management, financial services, education, music, movies,
syndication, and other media.

CHANNEL, MEMBERS OF THE TIMES OF INDIA

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Printing press
• It uses high-capacity, cutting-edge press machines that deliver the production packaging
condition to print the material provided by the editing team.
• Located in Lucknow for the U.P.
• Ability to print more than 10 million copies.
• Printing often begins between 1:30 and 1:30 am.
• Newspapers are stacked after printing before being sent to depots.
• Stacks and destinations are labelled to correspond.
• Typically, supplies are sent out first for depots that are located the farthest away.

Depots
The distribution Centre in Lucknow gets the copies from the transporter and stores them there
for a brief period of time.

 Keep newspapers and periodicals for diverse businesses.

• Unorganized - keep newspapers/magazines scattered on sidewalks or steps of various malls,
etc.

• Serviced by salesman who is a corporate employee Agents

• Working in unorganised distribution environments.
• Exclusive TOI agents.
• Work for commission and serve as their own salespeople.
• Lucknow Market's collaboration with a depot Working using the agency system in

Lucknow. Vendors
• Similar to merchants' connections between depots and final consumers.
• Visit the closest depot every day and choose the publications they desire.
• They advertise by using single-point newspaper stands and door-to-door beat guys.
• Areas served by MDI vendors. He buys newspapers from retired bus station attendants.
INFORMATION FLOW
• Notify their vendor (increase/decrease his order by one)
• Vendor notifies distributor of new or current consumer accepting or terminating subscription
• Distributor updates the business.

CHANNEL MARGIN
• TOI gives channel members a margin of about 30%.
19
• a generally consistent pace across the sector
• Salespeople on payroll receive a predetermined compensation; agents receive 5–10%.
• The vendor receives 20–25% of the sale to cover travel expenses, beat boys, etc. The kind
and language of the newspaper will determine this. (English: 20%; 25% Hindi)

PROMOTION SCHEMES
TRADE SCHEMES

• Channel members were offered trade schemes

• Incentives were given to increase sales
• Channel members were given challenge : increase sales while balancing
readers interest to avail benefits of the scheme
• discounts were offered to vendors for purchasing larger volumes  incentive
of 50 paise each to vendor on new account generation.

DISCOUNTS
 Institutions were given heavy discounts 
Eg. Sale of newspaper at schools, college.

READER SCHEMES
• Provided to consumer or reader mainly to attract more customers
• Demography and location varied  Included tricks like trails,
discounts, freebies, combo offers etc.

SUBSCRIPTION SALES
• offer choice of publications for a certain amount of time at a lump sum
discount price
• purpose-gaining new customers and making customer switch.

20
 RESULT AND MARKETING DEVELOPMENT
When a business grows it’s present market rather than searching for new ones, it is doing
strategically. In an effort to boost sales, the corporation seeks for new customers to market the
product to various consumer demographics.

You may uncover untapped markets by using the “market development” technique, which
consists of two steps. A company will do a segmentation analysis after conducting market
research to determine which market segments have the most potential. The present product or
service is being used in an effort to attract new customers. Gaining more viewers or reaching
a different market or demography is the goal. A segment is the term used to describe the
smaller portion of a bigger population.
For instance, the marketing department of the corporation could divide the market into groups
based on geography, demographics, socioeconomic status, etc. After the business chooses
which market sector to target, the following stage of market development comprises creating
a promotional plan to enter the market. Businesses may need to enlist the help of both audio
and visual media to achieve that.
Another factors is the price of the products. If there are competing items on the market, you
could need to raise the price or introduce a product that is in the same market sector but
stands out for various factors, such as features, quality etc. to command a higher price. The
marketing team may think about aggressively pricing the products below what rivals are
providing in an effort to win market share. Businesses that want to participate in market
development must shoulder a heavy financial burden. The effort requires large financial
commitment to continue. If the investment in the new sector doesn’t produce the required
returns, entire processes is pointless.

MARKETING MIX
A foundational business model known as the "marketing mix" historically focused on the
four Ps of product, price, location, and promotion (also known as the "4 Ps"). The phrase
"collection of marketing instruments that the business utilises to accomplish its marketing
objectives in the target market" refers to the marketing mix.
21
Early in the twenty-first century, marketing theory first appeared. The modern marketing mix
was initially published in 1984 and has since evolved into the basis for all marketing
management choices. An expanded marketing mix is employed in the services industry. It
often consists of 7 Ps (product, price, promotion, location, packaging, positioning, and
people), which are the basic 4 Ps plus process, people, and tangible proof. Occasionally,
service marketers may use the term "8 Ps," which refers to these 7 Ps plus performance and
includes "product, pricing, location, promotion, people, positioning, packaging."
The success of a company's marketing is significantly influenced by the enterprise marketing
managers' selection of the marketing mix:
• enhancing firms' competitiveness and flexibility
• developing strengths and avoiding weaknesses
• making sure the internal departments of the enterprise closely cooperate.
Product refers to what the business offers for sale and may include products or services.
Product decisions include the "quality, features, benefits, style, design, branding, packaging,
services, warranties, guarantees, life cycles, investments and returns".
The term "product" refers to the goods and services that a company sells. The "quality,
features, benefits, style, design, branding, packaging, services, warranties, guarantees, life
cycles, investments, and returns" are considered while making judgements about products.
Pricing choices include those involving "list prices, discounts, special offers, credit payment
or credit conditions." The term "price" refers to the overall cost to the client to purchase the
good, which may include both monetary and non-monetary expenditures like the time and
effort required. Retailer, wholesaler, business-to-business, OR business-to-customer are all
considered as distribution channels.
"Direct or indirect pathways to market," "geographic distribution," "territorial coverage,"
"retail outlet," "market location," "catalogues," "inventory," "logistics," and "order fulfilment"
are all considered to be part of place. Place can refer to a company's actual office space or to
the channels it uses to distribute goods to customers. Place can relate to a physical store, but
increasingly it applies to online retailers like "a website, a call centre, or a mail-order
catalogue. As an illustration, luxury goods manufacturers like Louis Vuitton use an aggressive
placement strategy by only making their items available at a select few high-end stores. By
making their products available to as many different merchants as they can, manufacturers of
lower cost consumer items, such as toothpaste and shampoo, often adopt an extensive
placement strategy."
Promotion is defined as "the marketing communication used to spread awareness of the offer
to potential consumers and encourage them to learn more about it." Advertising, public
relations, direct selling, and sales promotions are examples of promotion aspects.

22
 THE PROMOTIONAL MIX OF TIMES OF INDIA

ADVERTISEMENT
• The former TOI campaign stressed the newspaper's functionality.
• The current emotional platform portrays the newspaper as something that chronicles
Indians' ambitions (ATL), such as in the 100 rupee advertisement, the hockey
advertisement, the go India advertisement, etc.
INTERNET MARKETING
• Have their own websites where banner adverts may be used to promote their products.
SALES PROMOTION

 TOI has given the subscription of 599/- year and 999/- for two years 
Door-to-door marketing
PUBLIC RELATION
• Have their own websites where banner adverts may be used to promote their products.
VIRAL MARKETING
• By word of mouth, the knowledge regarding price reductions for a year's subscription has
effectively spread.
OUT OF HOME PROMOTION
• They have covered the majority of the city's customer touch locations, including gas
stations, tea shops, bicycle repair shops, bus billboards, and road medians and dividers.

23
 A STUDY ON SALES & PROMOTION STRATEGIES AND CONSUMER READERSHIP

A normal day in India begins at seven in the morning with morning tea and a fresh copy of
the newspaper. A newspaper, or Akhbar as it is known locally in Hindi, contains the front
page articles for grandpa, the business section for dad, the employment, education, and
entertainment parts for the child or daughter, and off course the extra women's section for the
family's female members.
Except for India, the printing industry has collapsed due to the rapid influx of electronic
media into people's lives. The sale of newspapers has mainly decreased in the West during the
past few years while soaring in India. According to the most current survey, the countries that
read newspapers the most internationally are India, China, and Japan. Additionally, its
readership has increased by 60% over the last four years. Regional language newspapers,
which have readers from many facets of society, are among the best sellers. The Times of
India was the only English-language publication to crack the top 10. TOI is the English-
language newspaper that is most frequently read worldwide.
There may be a variety of causes for this growing trend against the world. The first is that
compared to people in industrialized countries, Indians have less access to the internet (or
other electronic media). For people living in small towns and rural areas, newspapers are the
only source of knowledge regarding global events. Additionally, newspapers have developed
into an essential part of their everyday lives as a result of the ongoing rise in literacy rates and
the necessity for businesses other than agriculture.
Another factor is that newspapers are more accessible and less expensive in India than they
are in other nations. A newspaper costs less than Rs 5, and the publishers even provide free
morning delivery to your house. The idea of recycling newspapers also aids publishers in
cutting their printing expenses. Daily newspapers are regularly stacked in Indian homes
before being sold to "raddiwalas" at a reduced price (about Rs 5/Kg) towards the end of the
month.
The publishing company is then purchased from them by these recycled paper vendors.

What influences the readership of Indian newspapers?

Despite competition from newspapers in America and Europe, the market for newspapers in
India is still expanding. Given that Indian families frequently share a copy of the newspaper,
readership is the more important measurement, but both can be used to gauge an industry's
expansion. The average increase in cover prices for English newspapers in 2016 varied by
market, ranging from 2 to 5%, from 10 to 12% for Hindi publications, and from 14 to 18% for
newspapers in other regional languages.

24
The following factor is responsible for the increase in circulation:

Hyper-localization
Regional language newspapers are becoming more widely read in India, according to trends
in traditional newspaper consumption. There are additional variables that have contributed to
this growth in addition to rising literacy. India has a rural economy in the first place since
more than 65 percent of the country's people live there. Over the past 50 years, the rural
population has undergone a paradigm shift, becoming one of the most significant consumer
groups as a result of rising income levels and evolving tastes and preferences.
Second, by giving rural communities a platform to express their concerns and aspirations,
local news coverage by newspapers published in regional languages has improved circulation.
Thirdly, because of localization, newspaper publishers were forced to print multiple editions,
syndicate regional news alongside national news, and expand the scope of their content by
including supplements. People prefer to read content in their native language, which is
another facet of hyper-popularity localization.

Reasonable price
A typical Indian newspaper's increase in cover price has not kept up with the country's recent
multifold inflation. The average cost of a yearly membership to a newspaper in India is less
than Rs 1,000, making it the most affordable major newspaper market in the world. India
differs from other nations in terms of population density and labour costs for newspaper
distribution. Newspapers are inexpensive and delivered door to door in India. Up to 500
newspapers can be delivered in an hour People in India don't care about the price of
newspapers because they are inexpensive, offer discounts or free supplements/editions, and as
a result, they become devoted readers who marketers may target. Even now, this pricing
strategy has given the Indian newspaper industry enormous profits.

Changes in the population

Population alterations over the past several decades, India’s demographics have seem a
significant transition. All groups have shown a rise in reading ability, including women. The
expansion in readership has mostly been attributed to the rise in the number of individuals
who are exposed to the worlds of reading and writing. Newspapers reading increased most
quickly in the states with the greatest gains in literacy. India has successful distribution plan
with literacy rate of 74.0 percent, with 68.9% of the population living in rural areas.

Efficient distribution system

Another aspect that distinguishes Indian newspaper circulation is the strong and effective
distribution network. In India, newspapers are distributed in a unique, multi-tiered manner
and are promoted by a vast agent and seller network.

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Value to Suppliers
Newspaper firms compensate suppliers with a portion of the cover price because they come
last in the chain of distribution. Newspaper firms regularly provide stores promotional deals,
and on a very infrequent basis, they will even offer money incentives. Vendors also profit
from other sources. For instance, local businesses place pamphlets in newspapers as a kind of
advertising; the cost depends on the location, the readership, and the language of the
publication. Similar to booklets, advertisements for products are frequently put on top of
newspapers using stickers and miniature versions of the products. Without the use of
technology, the distribution chain manages the entire distribution process manually
anddelivers books to users on bicycles right to their front doors. The cost of delivery is little.
Furthermore, the entire cycle is frequently finished in three hours, even on the two annual
holidays. The mistake rate is quite low despite the broad range of activities. They are able to
satisfy customers to the highest levels while investing the least amount of time, money, and
resources.

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 PROBLEM

Competing with Competitors

In the market, which has evolved into a battlefield, businesses will stop at nothing to
overcome their rivals. To draw customers, competitors are experimenting with a variety of
tactics, from cutting rates to providing freebies. Potential customers make these claims in an
effort to purchase the product for less money. The phrases "The [X rival] is selling a product
at a significantly reduced price" and "The [Y rival] is offering a 4-month free subscription to
their service" are used among salespeople. When confronted with such inquiries or when they
make a rash judgment that hurts their sales, the majority of sales agents freeze.

Lack of time for sales

The sales reps have a long list of tasks to complete. A sales person must accomplish a variety
of responsibilities each day, such as obtaining data on new clients, drafting sales emails, and
updating records. Additionally, searching for information takes longer if things aren't
organized. Salespeople don't have enough time to focus on strategy and selling.

Getting a response from the prospects

After the first few interactions, the majority of the prospects stop responding. Many sales
personnel become demotivated by this silence. They cease focusing on the front-runner and
shift to a different candidate. The majority of leads do not convert as a result.

Potential customers' refusal to negotiation

The negotiating stage is when the bulk of sales transactions are lost. Many potential
customers are hesitant to make concessions or reach an understanding. Furthermore, the
prospect's reluctance aggravates the salespeople, who ultimately unpleasantly vent their
dissatisfaction.

Inability to handle criticism or rejection

The majority of salesmen struggle with hearing "NO" and handling criticism. They lose
motivation. Due to their inability to focus as a result of their displeasure at the rejection or
criticism they got, this even affects their next business venture.
Sales training
While most organization have high standards for their sales representatives, they rarely give
them the right instruction on how to deal with today's smart buyers. Low sales productivity is
primarily caused by a lack of training. The majority of the salespeople struggle to reach their
sales objectives.

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Incapability to track deals
The sales pipeline may contain a large number of deals. Unfortunately, the majority of them
get stuck in the sales pipeline for a long time before disappearing. Many sales people miss out
on chances because they can't see everything that is happening in their sales funnel.

Lack of time for prospecting

Prospecting is a vital step in the sales process. However, it might be challenging for most
sales personnel to schedule time for prospecting. Making cold calls on a regular basis may
open up several opportunities for you. Therefore, do not neglect this crucial sales activity.

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 The Times of India SWOT Analysis, Competitors & USP
The Times of India's SWOT analysis examines the brand's potential, threats, opportunities,
and weaknesses. The strengths and weaknesses of The Times of India's SWOT analysis are
internal elements, whilst the opportunities and threats are external factors.
SWOT Analysis is a tried-and-true management paradigm that allows a company like The
Times of India to compare its operations and performance to those of its rivals. One of the
top brands in the media & entertainment industry is The Times of India.
The Times of India's target market, segmentation, positioning, and USP are all listed in the
article below, along with its SWOT analysis and list of rivals.
Let's begin the SWOT analysis for The Times of India:

• Strength
• Weakness
• Opportunity
• Threat

The Times of India can strengthen its market position by focusing on enhancing its strengths
and opportunities while addressing its weaknesses and threats with the use of a SWOT
analysis.

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The Times of India Strengths
The Times of India's competitive edge in the market comes from focusing on the important
components of its company. The strength of a brand may be attributed to a variety of things,
such as its financial standing, skilled personnel, distinctiveness of its products, and intangible
assets like brand value. The strengths in The Times of India's SWOT analysis are listed
below:
1. With an average daily circulation of more than 3.5 million, this item is widely accessible
everyday throughout numerous places.
2. Can use the parent company's presence in radio, television, etc. to reach a larger audience,
particularly for a sustained campaign on a certain problem, like a campaign against
corruption, etc.
3. High brand loyalty and easy brand recall are important in competitive marketplaces with
several daily publications.
4. There is a glossy daily in Bombay Times, Delhi Times, etc. that is helpful for news on
movies, glamour, fashion, etc.
5. The weekly publication Ascent is recognised as a top resource and a requirement read for
both job searchers and potential employers.
6. Has a magazine for major Indian cities that is city-specific.
7. Campaigns like Teach India and other events/initiatives are beneficial for the brand.

The Times of India Weaknesses

A brand's shortcomings are specific areas of its business that may be improved to strengthen
its position. Some flaws can be described as qualities that the business lacks or in which the
competition excels. The SWOT Analysis of The Times of India has the following
weaknesses:
1. According to some, TOI publishes more news on celebrities and the entertainment industry.
2. Limited room for gaining market share results from intense rivalry.
The Times of India Opportunities
Any brand has the potential to develop in
certain areas in order to grow its customer
base. Opportunities for a brand might
include global growth, product
enhancements, improved communication,
etc. The opportunities in The Times of
India's SWOT analysis are as follows:
1. has a smaller footprint in Southern India than it has elsewhere in the country.
2. Terrific opportunity in the field of regional languages
3. More effective internet and mobile usage and engagement.

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The Times of India Threats
Any firm may face risks in the form of elements that might harm its operations. Threats
can come from a variety of sources, including increasing rival activity, shifting
governmental priorities, alternative goods or
services, etc. The following are the dangers
identified in The Times of India's SWOT
analysis:
1. Growing competition from other daily
newspapers
2. Online news sources result in lower
circulation

The Times of India Competitors

In the market, a number of companies are vying for the same group of consumers. The top 3
rivals of The Times of India are listed below:
1. The Tribune
2. The Hindu
3. The Indian Express

Research Methodology

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Research methodology is the process of systematically and theoretically evaluating the
methods employed in a subject of study. Methodologies that include both qualitative and
quantitative data are used. It is a process used to compile facts and information so that
business decisions can be made. In order to collect information for an examination of
newspaper consumers' reading habits and views toward The Times of India and other
competing newspaper brands, I did primary research using a questionnaire.

Title of the study - RESULT AND MARKETING DEVELOPMENT

Research Objectives
• To predict and research newspaper consumer demand in terms of cost, value, and
services
• From the preservative of a reader, to identify the elements of a reader that are most
crucial.
• To determine whether traditional news media has already been impacted by the
digital form of news.  To increase the readership of The times of India and
economic times.

How did the researcher choose, for instance:

1. Information collection (and what data to ignore)
2. Where can I get it? (this is known as "sampling design" in research)
3. The methods employed to gather it are referred to as "data gathering methods."
4. A method of evaluation ("data analysis methods")

Method of Study: Descriptive Exploratory & Descriptive Research

Nature and Information Sources:
The study was built on the collection of both primary and secondary data. A standardized
questionnaire covering all research topics was developed in order to gather primary data, and
both in-person and phone interviews were employed to do so. There were a total of 80
responses from respondents in India to the survey. The secondary data includes information
from periodicals, companies, publications, books, pamphlets, websites, newspapers, and
more.
Sample Size: The sample size among the reader was restricted to 80 because of the limitation
of time.

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Duration of the project
The duration of the project was 2 months.

Limitations of the study

As we restricted to Zirakpur and Derabassi, we could not collect the perfect data.
Main limitation of this study was the time limit.

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 FINDINGS
How to calculate market

To calculate market in numerical figure (as per printed media Industry) we need to keep
following points in the mind
• Population of area
• No of estimated houses
• Literacy rate of the region
• No of English readers
Apart from the above points it helped in:
• Define the notions of marketing roles and the marketing roles required by the society
and the business.
• Gained the knowledge of society and other factors which forces on marketing
decision.
• Capability to create marketing plans based on goals for the items, prices, locations,
and promotions.
• Ability to collect, process and analyse marketing problems and provide solution for
the same.
• Helped in applying theoretical knowledge to practical experience.
• How to pitch a customer.
• Improving interpersonal and communication skills.

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 CONCLUSION
Today's newspapers face intense competition, and many communities have extremely
slim profit margins. The number of advertisers who are willing to partner with you and
the circulation you have both have a role in your capacity to thrive. Any newspaper may
use these tested marketing strategies to increase readership, increase revenue, and lay the
groundwork for a long-term future. Everything starts with the capacity to deliver helpful
content. The amount of information available to people nowadays is overwhelming, with
sources numbering in the hundreds by focusing on regional pursuits that keep people
linked while delving deeper into important stories and extracting the minute details that
matter most to your readership, one can stand out.

RECOMMENDATION
• Engage with visitors to the website an good website that promotes networking and
participation within the community will help to boost advertising revenue.
• While some websites employ subscription-based business models that may result in
some revenue, most newspapers will benefit more from the value of marketing.
• Look at local artists Make an effort to familiarize yourself with and analyze the
creations of local writers and artists. Everyone loves the attention they receive from the
media, and friends and family will often purchase publications that showcase their loved
one

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 QUESTIONNAIRE

• The age group 18-25 years are the largest percentage of responders.

• The maximum number of respondents are female.

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• In India most preferred language is Hindi.

• About 86.8 percent of respondents says that they prefer digital media.
• Mostly 18-25 age group covers digital media.

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• The times of India is most popular newspaper in terms of circulation.
• The Hindu is second most preferred newspaper.
• Dainik Bhaskar has third most fan base in terms of circulation.

• Daily newspaper readers covers 66.7 percent of all newspaper readers. Thus for them
reading the newspaper in the morning is almost a ritual.
• Weekly newspaper are not much popular, therefore “newspaper twice a week”
penetration is very low.

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• The times of India has highest repeat rate.
• The Hindu is also favoured in repurchasing.

• Too much advertisement is the biggest turn off for the consumers followed by biased
news. Price doesn’t seems to have much effect.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Times_of_India&oldid=1115081737
https://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/media-and-entertainment/2304-the-times-of-
india.html
https://www.mbaskool.com/marketing-mix/products/17692-times-of-india.html

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