Their 'Let there be light' campaign is running on hoardings and TV but I think the FM radio ads are the most impactful. Or at least amusing.
Especially the one where someone is insisting that Miss India be put on the sports page because 'kal maine usko dinner par promise kiya tha'.
Of course that is an exaggeration - even the most strident TOI basher would be unable to produce a real-life example of Miss India on the sports page. But perception is reality and the endless plugging of Miss India in almost every other part of the paper makes the HT dig a good one.
Magar karega kya?
The question however is - what is Hindustan Times promise? No coverage of glamour/ parties/ Miss India/ Bollywood?
Much as many people profess to dislike Bombay Times, its subject matter has become part of what you expect from a paper. In the capital, HT has a supplement - HT City - which competes with Delhi Times on exactly the same lines.
We do want to know what Mallika Sherawat wore at Cannes and perhaps even whose wedding lehenga weighed 10 kilos. And for the few who don't - on every front, whether local or international coverage TOI has pulled up its socks and is now actually quite a readable product.
If the imminent threat of competition can result in such a bonanza, wonder what happens when the competition actually arrives? From Rs 4 a day for our morning paper, we will probably start paying Rs 1.
An extra visit to Barista can probably be had from the money thus saved!
In an irony of fate, the giant 'let there be light' hoarding mounted on Heera Panna building at Haji Ali junction is obstructing light for several floors of residents. Of course, HT must be paying a hefty sum - so no one's complaining!
Incidentally, a tenant in London could not live with a similar situation and cut a 7ft hole in the middle of an advertising billboard put up in front of his window.
The advert he cut through was promoting Microsoft XP. It read "Surprise yourself. Surprise everyone."
