Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Mirror, mirror on the wall

Bennett Coleman & co (the publishers of the Times of India) would have us believe it is launching Mumbai's first "co-created newspaper". This, 2 months after DNA - Daily News and Analysis from the Zee-Bhaskar group - had plastered Bombay with its hoardings asking you to help create its soon-to-be launched newspaper.

No doubt the DNA survey is more an exercise in making people feel their opinions matter than a serious exercise in market research. But, you know it has actually taken place. You've seen the surveyers in their purple uniforms, they've rung your doorbell - or that of someone you know.

On the other hand, Bennett's 'massive direct contact program' is something I have learnt of through an article published on page 1 of today's Times of India.

This does not mean that the almost-ready-for-launch Mumbai Mirror will not live upto its claim of being the 'first paper designed for - and by - the young Mumbai reader'. You don't have to survey 11 lakh people to design such a paper.

The Mumbai Mirror has a good - and young - team in place which may well deliver on its promise of being a no-nonsense paper for the young.

But in the same spirit of no-nonsense, why this nonsense that we-too-have-done-a-survey. The 'survey' idea is owned by DNA, by trying to appropriate it you become a me-too.

Secondly, whatever survey Bennett undertook was at a scale far smaller than DNA. Hence it is likely to be viewed as a false or exaggerated claim. Which again is something young people are extremely allergic to.

To thine own self...
In actual fact, the 'Mumbai Mirror' survey is a door-to-door sales exercise. Says a student who is on the sales team," We are going to housing societies with the dummy copy and signing up subscribers. It is Re 1/- per day ie Rs 30 per month and we have to get a minimum of 8 subscriptions a day or we don't get paid for that day's work."

Bottomline: If 'Mumbai Mirror' is to truly 'cut the faff and connect with the new reader of today' - as is its stated intention - it needs to treat the young with a great deal more respect!
And it first needs to look into the mirror and be true to itself.

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:57 PM

    Having a youth oriented paper isnt a bad idea, hopefully it wont have more adverts than real content. One thing i don't understand is why do papers such as the Times or Hindustan use titles such as "GEN X or Y" for Youth? I mean what the heck does that mean?
    btw you are right bout treating the young with more respect.

    Jatin
    (www.twentyonwards.blogs.com)

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  2. although I can't claim to be "youth" anymore, I think that having a "cool" paper means a paper designed and administered by cool paper, which does not mean young people necessarily...I mean if I could read Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell and Tom Peters in a paper I might find it cool...

    Media publications devote too much time to surveys which churn out the same rotten data without "insight" ! No pathbreaking idea is ever going to emerge from a media entity that came from a survey report...people really don't know what is cool beforehand...so asking them what they want in a paper/mag/channel is a stupid idea...imagine if they had done a survey on "What is the kind of VJ you would like?" do you think we'd ever have a Cyrus Broacha?

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  3. Anonymous11:18 PM

    All said and done,why does a newspaper like the TOI has to introduce a 'Youth oriented paper' in the first place is a big question!Does it want to say that they are now going to print stuff just for the people who fall above thier definition of 'young'?or is it another of thier 'Zoom'ing ventures aimed at setting a red carpet for thier mega-IPO in the future?....Madness said it all...we dont need a newspaper that speaks about us...we need a newspaper that speaks for us...absolutely right to say the young need more respect.

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  4. TOI will somehow remain TOI. It reminds of so many familiar, yet, corny campaigns by them.

    Somehow, these newspaper wars are giving me a nice feeling...

    Hopefully we will have some great news to read than just page 3 stuff...

    Ciao!

    PS: By the way, I just bought a JAM today.. will start writing something soon. Its been a long time...

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