Times of India Group hikes ad rates by 8-10%

The Times of India Group has increased the advertising rates for its newspaper brands – The Times of India, The Economic Times, Navbharat Times, Maharashtra Times, Ei Samay and Vijay Karnataka, which have a circulation of almost 8 million households. 

Commenting on the increase in ad rates, S Sivakumar, President - Revenue, BCCL, said, “We could speak of all manner of cost based increases in our advertising prices; however, in our constant endeavour to provide cutting edge innovation and high quality output we continue to make investments in machines, technology and innovation. Our innovation roadshows demonstrated the efficacy of print and based on the feedback received from clients as well as our partners in ad agencies, we have made significant investments in our content, copies, distribution networks, technology, etc., to deliver value to our readers and a high quality engaged audience to our advertisers. To enable us to continue to innovate we are taking a modest increase of 8-10 per cent in our advertisement prices. The returns to our partners from our enhanced and innovations would far outweigh the moderate increase.” 

He further said, “Our belief is that in this day of ad avoidance and doubt about digital delivery, it is our brands that provide the credibility and trust that brands seek in platforms they use to reach premium audiences. In a world riddled with fake news today, more and more consumers are turning to newspapers to confirm their news. Only if it is printed on paper can it be trusted. Brands are leveraging the credibility of the medium to instil trust in their products.” 

Talking about the newspaper market, Raj Jain, CEO, BCCL, said, “Print has been growing thanks to our advertisers’ confidence in the medium, and because print delivers. Projections from the major media agency networks, too, show the robustness of the medium and the growth expectation for the coming year.” 

Citing the multiple reasons why print still delivers in India, where newspapers deliver over 250 million premium readers each day, Jain pointed out that growing aspirations in Tier 1 and 2 cities are resulting in growth of English readership. 

He also mentioned that reading newspapers is a strong morning habit and hence, brands find newspapers to be a great platform to launch a new product or promotion, make a splash about a new variant or packaging, create interest in their brand proposition through high impact and then leaving the rest of the day for the consumer to do his/ her own discovery on and off the internet. 

Secondly, print gives a brand instant awareness and impact, Jain said, adding that the recall of print advertising is much higher than ad campaigns on TV, given the highly fragmented nature of that medium. “Premium audiences that our publications serve are notoriously active ad-avoiders across TV and digital, and we see cord cutting in premium households common now. The newspaper offers guaranteed visibility and, therefore, higher recall, which results in better ROI for the advertiser,” he concluded.