The Hindu & Times of India war at Chennai

I opened  my copy of The Hindu today, fondling it  I went to the back page when I saw this self advertisement.   O & M had conceived the campaign.  I knew for sure that the happiest people in the world today will be the Times of India team. They would have got on to a con call, given Hi Five and planned the party as they would have told each other  “Ahhhh finally we got  to communicate what we always wanted to communicate to The Hindu readers of what they did not know about TOI.  Well here the The Hindu themselves has done it for us” .  Call it Harakiri or whatever you want.  Iam sure TOI space sellers will be at O&M convincing them to run the campaign in the TOI pages at 75% discount or even free.

When I first heard Mr Samir Jain speak in a conference I was stunned. He was soft and slow in speech but had a rich aura around.  His stature was such the barman will easily ignore with a sleight of his hand.  I have seen how Mr Jain came up the Invitation Pricing and took Economic Times to the heights.  How he flanked Times of India with a temporary offering called The Independent which took on and flushed out  the Observer of Business and Politics (launched by the Ambanis) .  How he overnight turned Dharmayug, a magazine, into a broadsheet took on Sunday Observer (Hindi) and seducing  them up the garden path and eventually pushing them down hill.  There are many other such amazing stories.  I may not subscribe to the market orientation of TOI group neither do I subscribe to that paper but I marvel at this man – Samir Jain.

He was not a ruthless lone shark but he empowers people, takes care of them and believes in managerial depth.

I just saw the 59 sec Stay ahead with The Hindu  commercial on Facebook… and Iam appalled.

Monumental Blunder. Casuality List Candidate. Thats what occured to me when I saw the commercial.  it is weak and flatter than  the flattest beer.  i joined TOI way back in the late 80’s when they were shedding their OLD LADY OF BORIBUNDER image to become a girl in skirts.  Mr Samir Jain was the one who orchestrated this entire image revamp.  The ideas, the imagination, and the resouces they invested was mind boggling.  They pulled all the stops and the campaign addressed the working of the organization, not just the cosmetic aspect.  TOI did all this under the sesquicentinnial banner (150 yrs)  and it was out of the world.

 

30 yrs have gone by now you have this campaign my The Hindu.  Did I say the TOI campaign was orchestrated???  Well then The Hindu campaign can be just  a DOG WHISTLE compared to it.

 

The change of guards in The Hindu, I assume, was the reason for this silly set of videos.  What have they done?? I cant understand??? Iam sure some simple minded people rolled out this strategy.  Pardon my outpour on this. Iam a hardcore  Hindu reader and i was proud of the paper for holding its nerve and for not  not  being  blown away by the market forces.  Now its all over.  TOI will respond and they will respond in such style that you will reminded of the half burnt papers newspapes strewn on the road the morning after the Diwal fireworks carnage.   Why did The Hindu even dare to take on TOI on its strengths?

 

The Stay ahead with the Hindu  should have stayed as a Vision statement for employees  to press on with purpose .  Now they have muddied it in the market slush.  MOUNT ROAD MAHAVISHNU are you trading your divinity for money and fame.. RAM RAM RAM…

This is an imaginary conversation at a strategic meeting held at TOI.

BIG BOSS :  Guys Iam not really excited about the IRS findings on TOI loosing readership neither am I worried

TOI TEAM AT CHENNAI :  You know it Boss we sell but the IRS figures dint tell the truth.

BIG BOSS :  Correction we dont sell we flood the market and that costs us money.  I wish you can sell and yet show numbers. Not sell to any body but to those who matter.

TOI TEAM AT CHENNAI :  We have covered all the segments literally

BIG BOSS :  No Iam sorry there is huge segment left and thats what I want .. thats the Hindu readership

TOI TEAM AT CHENNAI :  We have tried that too but its impossible.. the only way is to get them to carry our ads (chuckles)  I wish they will allow it

BIG BOSS :  Brilliant Idea.  Why not try that

TOI TEAM AT CHENNAI :  We have tried that but Hindu is real real strict on such matters.

The big boss ends the meeting saying that the suggestion of advertising in The Hindu must be pursued  and leaves after wishing his chennai boys good luck. Goes back to Base station (HO) and he briefs SUPER BIG BOSS on the idea of advertising in The Hindu being the only solution for promoting Times of India Chennai>

SUPER BIG BOSS :  How are the numbers in chennai?

BIG BOSS  :  Think we have stagnated. But our local team came up with this brilliant idea of advertising TOI in The Hindu.  Because Hindu has built such intense loyalty among its readers that they dont even bother to look outside their confines.

SUPER BIG BOSS :  Thats the only way??? lets work on it.  Why not start some provocative advertising ?  I am sure The Hindu may respond out of sheer irritation.

BIG BOSS  :  yes we should. People in chennai dont even know that we have a strong page 3 and that we care two hoots about politics and that we are energetic (read sensational) and we have strong coverage of local gigs.

This campaign was birthed in the TOI Boardroom.

Now that The Hindu readers know what The Times of India is.    Lets wait for the fun.

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There is a lesson even in a filthy loo !!!!!

It was quite a long drive to SSN college, a premier institute where the students sparkle like vessels washed in Vim.  I have heard a lot about this college.  It stands out among those prisons that you see around masquerading as colleges.  Definitely the man who founded this, Mr Shiv Nadar, is a man of some substance and vision.  All this you can see in every nook and cranny of the college, the spirit of inquiry that hovers around and the enthusiasm of the students.

As we were travelling, the filth and the grime on the roads stole our discussion time till I had to come up with chicanery to navigate the conversation to much better plane…. Personally Iam not a whiner when I see our roads in bad shape.  I have a theory for it,   I will share with you only when demanded.  So bottom line filthy roads don’t bother me because I have no choice or I have a choice of avoiding them if its too obnoxious.

Finally we reached the college a fantastic air-conditioned and spacious library, computer center etc. welcomed us.  It somehow made me think the kids out here are fortunate indeed .. but the feel good bubble soon went BOOM!!!!! when I asked for water to drink.  Can you beleive it,  I was there for 4  hours and I did not have access to drinking  water.   Now I decided to at least dab  my face with some water to freshen myself and hydrate my skin.  Washroom???  I asked a student, she pointed me to the direction, I took 10 steps forward and my nostrils led me to the place.

Now I know its the washroom that gives this college the level playing field with the other colleges around.  And it also reminds the students that all it not spic & span in the real world after all and that something really has to be done about this.