Exclusive | On an expansion drive: TOI's Arunabh Das Sharma

The country’s biggest media house, Bennett Coleman and Co recently entered the Maratha bastion of Kolhapur with one more addition of its flagship, ‘The Times of India’. This launch is in pursuance of the company’s strategy to have a significant presence in Tier II and Tier III town where there is a significant English readership and scope for growth. The paper is targeted at SEC AB English readers with the age group of 18-45 years. In Maharashtra TOI has presence in Pune, Nagpur, Nashik and Aurangabad besides of course Mumbai.

The Kolhapur edition will reflect the rich local culture and heritage and has been launched to provide readers a good English newspaper, which TOI is reputed for. Besides local news it will also focus on news & happenings at the state, national and global stage, business and sports news. As of the advertisers, it will provide a viable print media option that cannot be ignored. The new edition has been priced at Rs 3 and will have 16 pages plus the regular city add-on, Kolhapur Times, employment supplement Ascent and Times Life, the lifestyle supplement.

To know more about the plans of the group and the features in the new edition, Adgully  spoke with Arunabh Das Sharma, President BCCL post the launch. Following are the excerpts of the talk.

Adgully (AG): How will Kolhapur launch fit into the group's growth strategy?

Arunabh Das Sharma (AS): TOI is bullish on the Maharashtra market and was looking for expansion. Apart from Mumbai and Pune, we entered Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad; and now Kolhapur which is one of the fastest growing cities in the state. So in a way it was an obvious next choice.

AG: Please tell us a bit about the Kolhapur market given the fact that this is predominantly a Marathi speaking market (how competitive and robust it is)?

AS: In terms of Market Potential Value (MPV) rankings, Kolhapur is 5th in Maharashtra and 23rd all India (Source: R K SWAMY BBDO Guide to Market Planning Data). According to TAM AdEx, 96 per cent of the print media spends are in Marathi publications and the balance in Hindi publications. English publications were not listed in TAM because no English publication had a Kolhapur edition so far. With the launch of TOI Kolhapur, we expect to garner a sizable chunk of the print media spends in Kolhapur.

AG: How would you market and promote the new edition in the Kolhapur market?

AS: The promotion for the new edition is centered on the growth story of Kolhapur, its rich culture and heritage. It is being promoted through print, radio and outdoor campaigns. TOI has a host of reader engagement campaigns planned for Kolhapur to be rolled out soon in the coming months.

AG: What would be the desired target readers?

AS: Our primary TG is the SEC AB English reader.

AG: Shed some light on content strategy for the new edition?

AS: TOI Kolhapur edition was launched to provide the readers a wholesome English newspaper which covered local city news along with the state, national, global, business and sports news. Additionally readers will get an exclusive entertainment supplement, Kolhapur Times along with Ascent and Times Life.

AG: What is the print run with which the new edition is being launched?

AS: TOI Kolhapur was launched with a print run of 17,000 copies. We are targeting 19,000 copies in the next year and 21,500 copies in the year after.

AG: Please tell us about your price and pagination (no. of pages)?

AS: The edition is priced at Rs. 3 for weekdays and Rs 4 on weekends. It will carry an average 16 pages plus supplements. The total pages will increase depending on the advertising volume.

AG: Any special content offering for weekend?

AS: Kolhapur Times, an exclusive entertainment supplement will be distributed twice a week on Friday and Saturday while Times Life, the lifestyle supplement, will be distributed on Sunday along with the main TOI newspaper.

AG: Maharashtra seems to be your focus market, which is next belt in Maharashtra that you are planning to be present?

AS: We are evaluating the attractiveness of other markets in Maharashtra and further expansion may take place if it makes a business sense.