SUMMER TRAINING REPORT ON

Effect of marketing mix on consumer behavior towards

business newspaper: An Analytical Study of HT Mint
Submitted in the Partial Fulfillment for the Requirement

of
Post Graduate Diploma in Management

Submitted by:
Deepika Kafaltiya
Roll no.: 75
Batch: 2014-2016

STUDENT DECLARATION

I hereby declare that project report entitled

Effect of marketing mix on consumer behavior towards

business newspaper: An Analytical Study of HT Mint

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of
degree in
POST GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN MANAGEMENT
To JIMS Kalkaji, New Delhi is my original work and has not submitted
for the award of any other Degree,Diploma,Fellowship or any other
similar title or Prizes.

Deepika Kafaltiya

CONTENTS
TITLE

PAGE NO.

CHAPTER I- INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

INTRODUCTION TO THE INDUSTRY

1-3

CHAPTER II -COMPANY PROFILE

HISTORY

4-7

DETAILS OF THE COMPANY

14-15

VISION AND MISSION

15-16

LIST OF MANAGEMNT PERSONNEL

17

PRODUCT PROFILE

18-26

SALES

27-28

PRICING CHARTS WITH OTHER FINANCIAL NEWSPAPER

29-30

SWOT

30-31

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

32-34

CHAPTER III-ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

35-54

FINDINGS

55

RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS

56-57

BIBLIOGRAPHY

58

APPENDICES

QUESTIONAIRE

59-61

LIST OF TABLES

62-63

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In this project I have made an honest and dedicated attempt to make the
research material as authentic it could. During this small time frame of months in
which the project reached its completion, there were a few people whom I would
like to make a mention of and without whose help the project would have never
seen the light of the day. I would like to thank my internal guide Ms. Palak Gupta
for her timely response and my external mentor Mr. Suman for his immense
cooperation and much needed motivation which helped in giving the project the
initial direction it needed.
I also convey my gratitude to the Management of JIMS KALKAJI for providing the
infrastructure to help me in accessing the necessary data for analysis purpose.

Last but not the least; I extend my thanks to all my team members for the
assistance, support and the suggestions, which have been valuable to me, and
for providing a friendly work atmosphere with healthy competition throughout the
project.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Mint, a business paper from Hindustan Times in association with The Wall Street
Journal, was launched in 2007 with the premise of bringing Clarity in Business
News, a need strongly articulated by business news readers in the country. Mint
5

has maintained its dominant presence in metros with the best readership profile
among business dailies. It commands a combined readership share of 28
percent in key markets of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai &
Ahmadabad put together.
The project was undertaken to understand consumer perception towards
business newspaper. During this two months summer internship, I studied about
consumer buying behavior of business newspaper. While I did primary research,
I was also involved in generating sales of Mint. My objectives of the study were
To analyze if consumers read business newspapers daily
To analyze if price schemes affect selection of business newspaper
To determine whether content and size affect selection of business
newspaper
The data was analyzed using pie-charts. During this research, I came to find that
there is still huge untapped market and Mint needs to position itself as a major
brand.

ABOUT THE INDUSTRY

The newspaper has been a part of our daily life for several centuries. They have
been a way for the public to be informed of important events that are occurring
around the world. Newspapers have undergone dramatic changes over the
course of history. Some of the earliest newspapers date back to Ancient Rome
7

where important announcements were carved in stone tablets and placed in

highly populated areas where citizens could be informed of the announcements.
Over the centuries, newspapers have undergone many changes. The biggest
change was printing them on newsprint and use of the printing press. By
automating the production of the newspaper, the number of papers available to
the public greatly increased, while making it affordable for people to purchase
one. These developments led to a boom in the newspaper industry where
several different newspapers started to appear in major cities, publishing
morning, afternoon and evening editions. These papers gave readers news,
weather, sports and other features that informed and entertained them.
However, over the course of time, newspaper costs continued to rise and the
number of newspaper subscribers continued to fall. This led to a vast reduction in
the number of newspapers and newspaper editions in every market. In addition,
with the increase in the use of technology, the public no longer needed the
newspaper for its source of information. Other media such as radio, television
and the Internet started to replace the paper as an information source.
In recent years, newspapers and other media have adapted to the changing
technology environment by starting to offer online editions to cater to the needs
of the public. In the future, the trend towards more electronic delivery of the news
will continue with more emphasis on the Internet, social media and other
electronic delivery methods. However, while the method of delivery is changing,
the newspaper and the industry still has a niche in the world.
The first major newspaper in IndiaThe Bengal Gazettewas started in 1780
under the British Raj by James Augustus Hickey. Other newspapers such as The
India Gazette, The Calcutta Gazette, The Madras Courier (1785), The Bombay
Herald (1789) etc. soon followed. These newspapers carried news of the areas
under the British rule. The Bombay Samachar, founded in 1822 and printed
in Gujarati is the oldest newspaper in Asia still in print. On May 30, 1826 Udant
Martand (The Rising Sun), the first Hindi-language newspaper published in India,
started from Calcutta (now Kolkata), published every Tuesday by Pt. Jugal
8

Kishore Shukla. The Times of India was founded in 1838 as The Bombay Times
and Journal of Commerce by Bennett, Coleman and Company, a colonial
enterprise

now

owned

Group publishes The

by

Economic

an

Indian

conglomerate. The

Times (launched

in

Times

1961), Navbharat

Times (Hindi language), and the Maharashtra Times (Marathi language). In the
1950s 214 daily newspapers were published in the country. Out of these, 44
were English language dailies while the rest were published in various regional
and national languages. This number rose to 2,856 dailies in 1990 with 209
English dailies. The total number of newspapers published in the country
reached 35,595 newspapers by 1993 (3,805 dailies).
The

main

regional

language Malayala

newspapers

of

Manorama (published

India

include

from: Kerala,

the Malayalam

daily

circulation:

673,000), the Hindi-language Dainik Jagran (published from: Uttar Pradesh, daily
circulation

in

2006:

580,000),

and

the Anandabazar

Patrika (published

from: Kolkata, daily circulation in 2013 ( ABC Jan - Jun 2013 ) : 11,93,000). The
Times of India Group, the Indian Express Group, the Hindustan Times Group, the
Hindu Group and the Anandabazar Patrika Group are the main print media
houses of the country. The Anandabazar Patrika group runs the oldest surviving
Hindi newspaper in India.
Newspaper sale in the country increased by 11.22% in 2007. By 2007, 62 of the
world's best selling newspaper dailies were published in China, Japan, and India.
India consumed 99 million newspaper copies as of 2007making it the second
largest market in the world for newspapers.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

Marketing mix:

The Marketing mix is a set of four decisions which needs to be taken before
launching any new product. These variables are also known as the 4 Ps of
marketing. These four variables help the firm in making strategic decisions
necessary for the smooth running of any product / organization.These variables
are
1.
Product
2.
Price
3.
Place
4.
Promotions

Consumer behavior :
Consumer behavior is "The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and
the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products,
services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these
processes have on the consumer and society."
In this project we have analysed the effect that price, size of newspaper,
availability of vendors, content of newspaper has on the consumers decision of
buying a particular newspaper

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

To analyze if consumers read business newspapers daily

10

 To analyze if price schemes affect selection of business newspaper

To determine whether content and size affect selection of business
newspaper

COMPANY PROFILE
HT MEDIA LIMITED
History11

Hindustan Times was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1924. Since then, the
newspaper has established its presence as a newspaper with editorial excellence
and integrity. One of India's leading and most respected English dailies, HT have
always prided itself in spotting emerging trends and reflecting the same through
its unmatched editorial prowess. Today, Hindustan Times-Delhi edition has the
unique distinction of being the largest selling single edition English newspaper in
India.
QUICK OVERVIEW OF HISTORY
The Hindustan Times was the brainchild of the Akalis who felt that a newspaper
in English would enable them to reach an audience other than the Punjabireading one. This was in the year 1922. From the outset the newspaper was set
up to oppose the British. The Hindustan Times finally came into being on
September 1924 and was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. The newspaper was
to become a premier nationalist newspaper of the capital in the turbulent years
preceding independence. From a humble beginning in a three-storey building,
the company has expanded its operations from print to other media channels like
radio, internet, events and marketing, and strategic partnerships, as part of its
endeavour to establish itself as a giant media conglomerate in the present times.
September 26, 1924
This date marked the august beginnings of Hindustan Times with Mahatma
Gandhi, the Father of the Nation inaugurating the newspaper.
1927
Hindustan Times was reborn as Hindustan Times Ltd., a limited liability company.
1936
The Hindi daily Hindustan was launched, which remains the dominant newspaper
in the Core Hindi belt of northern India.

12

1937
Devdas Gandhi was appointed the Managing Editor of the newspaper and
remained the managing editor till his death in 1957. Institute of Technology &
Science
1942
The Hindustan Times was one of the few newspapers that stopped publishing the
newspaper for four and a half months as it refused to accept the British
imposition of censorship on all newspapers.
1947
The year India gained its freedom was also the year Hindustan Times attained
the status of being the dominant newspaper in Delhi.
1957
The newspaper circulation grew from 58,693 copies to 144,287 in 1970 after KK
Birla took over the mantle from GD Birla.
1960
The Hindi literary magazine Kadambini was launched.
1964
The group started actively targeting the youth of India and launched the Nandan
magazine.

1991
At the start of liberalization of India, Hindustan Times moved to becoming an
autonomous power centre in a mature democracy.

13

1999
The Hindustan Times celebrated its platinum anniversary.
2001
With a focus on localization, five new editions for Calcutta, Bhopal, Ranchi,
Chandigarh and Jaipur were launched.
2003
The media business of was de-merged and incorporated under HT Media Ltd.
2004
HT Media Ltd was listed as a public company and attracted external funding.
2005
Hindustan Times successfully entered the Mumbai market with a refreshingly
new product and content mix.
2006
Fever 104 FM is launched, in technical collaboration with the Virgin Group.
Hindustan was relaunched re-establishing the company's prominent presence in
the regional news space. Institute of Technology & Science.

14

2007
Mint, the business paper in partnership with The Wall Street Journal was
launched in Delhi and Mumbai. In the internet space, Hindustantimes.com was
relaunched and Livemint.com was introduced.
2008
Firefly e-Ventures, an HT Media Company launched its first portal for job
seekers, Shine.com
Details of the company
HT Media Limited found its beginning in 1924 when its flagship newspaper,
Hindustan Times was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. HT Media (BSE, NSE)
has today grown to become one of India's largest media companies. Produced
by an editorial team known for its quality, innovation and integrity, Hindustan
Times (English) and Hindustan (Hindi), have a combined daily circulation of 2.25
million copies and a readership base of 12.4 million readers to their credit. Both
dailies enjoy strong brand recognition among readers as well as advertisers. To
cater to the large readership base, HT Media Limited operates 19 printing
facilities across India with an installed capacity of 1.5 million copies per hour.
In addition to Hindustan Times and Hindustan, HT Media Limited also publishes
a national business newspaper, Mint. Mint is a one-of-its-kind newspaper in the
sense that the company has an exclusive agreement with the Wall Street Journal
to publish Journal-branded news and information in India. Mint is today the
second-largest business newspaper in India with presence in the key markets of
Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
HT Media Limited, through its subsidiary HT Music and Entertainment Company
Ltd., has made its foray into electronic media. Diversifying its ambit of operations,
the company in a consulting partnership with Virgin Radio, has launched the FM
radio channel - Fever 104. Currently available in Delhi and Mumbai, Fever 104
has established a strong presence as being one of the most vibrant channels on

15

air. In a short span of two years, the channel's rise has been meteoric
considering its position in Delhi as the No. 2 station on the popularity charts.
Internet businesses of HT Media Limited, incorporated under Firefly e-ventures,
operate leading web portals Hindustantimes.com and livemint.com in the general
and business news categories respectively. The company has recently launched
Shine.com, a job portal which has received high appreciation from consumers
and industry for its innovative design and usability. Institute of Technology &
Science
HT Media Limited reported FY 2014 annual revenue of Rs. 23,630 million. FOR
the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, the company reported a 12% increase in
revenue to Rs. 5,859 million and a 22% increase EBITDA to 1,175 million from
the year-ago quarter.
The Board of Directors and Management of HT Media Limited comprises
eminent persons from diverse professional fields, who bring with them vast
professional experience to the company.
A rich mix of veterans in media and top leaders from non-media sectors, from
both India and abroad, HT Media Limited Management team reflects the
company's desire to be the best by leveraging diverse strengths. The
management team comprises people from varied verticals such as media,
FMCG, telecom, automobiles, each of whom add fresh perspective to the rich
experience of media industry stalwarts. This rich talent pool is ably assisted by
our Global Think Tank.
Board of Directors:Chairperson - Shobhna Bhartiya
Chief Executive Officer - Rajiv Verma
Directors - KN Memani, NK Singh, Ajay Relan, Mukesh Aghi
W
hole time Directors - Priyavrat Singh, Shamit Bhartiya

16

CHAIRPERSON
SHOBHANA BHARTIA

Chairperson
HT Media Ltd.
Mrs. Shobhana Bhartia, who has been associated with the company since its
inception, has taken over as the Chairperson on September 18, 2008. She has
spearheaded the company's long-term vision and strategy. Mrs. Bhartia is in
charge of formulating and directing the editorial policies of the company and has
more than 20 years of experience in the newspaper industry
VISION & MISSION
VISION
1. To stand at a respectful position in this competitive marathon and also to keep
up the pace of the changing needs of their value readers.
2. To win more and more readers to their cause.
MISSION
1. The mission is to create space for the market share of MINT by tapping
uncovered market and by taking bites from competitors bit from market share.
2. Getting the benefits of the paper to be known to the market.

17

3. They endeavor to improve the quality of peoples lives by empowering them

through information entertainment & education.
The values personified by HT Media are:
Courage
To encourage the ability that meets opposition with skill, competence and
fortitude.
Responsibility
Be accountable for results in line with the companys objectives,
Strategies and values.
Empowerment
Support our people and give them the freedom to perform and to provide
our readers with information to influence their environment.
Continuous Self Renewal
Determination to constantly re-examine and re-invent ourselves for further
innovation and creativity.
People Centric
People are our greatest asset. We invest in them expect a lot and know that the
rest will follow.

18

PRODUCT PROFILE

19

PRINT
English Hindustan Times
Mint
Brunch
Hindi Hindustan
Nandan
Kadambini
RADIOFever 104 FM
INTERNETWith brands like HindustanTimes.com, Livemint, Desimartini and Shine.com,
Firefly spearheads Hindustan Media Ventures Limited foray into the Internet
media space.
Firefly e-Ventures Ltd., a 100% Hindustan Media Ventures subsidiary, focuses on
creating and building brands and businesses in the Internet media space. Firefly
aims to combine Hindustan Medias 84-year old legacy as one of Indias largest
and most respected names in the media industry, with the innovation and energy
that characterize the Internet space.
Compelling product ideas, creative use of design and intuitive user interface,
backed by a knowledgeable sales force and customer service are the hallmarks
of Firefly products. With brands like Hindustantimes.com, Livemint.com,
Desimartini.com and Shine.com in its portfolio, Firefly promises to be an exciting
addition to the Hindustan Media family.
20

Some internet contactLivehindustan.com

Livehindustan.com is the online edition of the Hindi newspaper Hindustan. It
offers browsers a multimedia news experience that brings news to life. It offers
instant business updates, ball by ball cricket coverage, and special online-only
features.
Livemint.com
Livemint.com is the online version of the business daily Mint. It offers online
global news, breaking news, current news, along with financial, technological and
economic news.
Shine.com
Shine.com is a job portal that helps the candidates to get the right job. It enables
job seekers and employers to reach out to each other in novel ways. Shine.com
now offers social media hiring through tie-up with MyParichay.

Hindustan Times
With multiple new initiatives to build business and editorial excellence, the
Companys flagship newspaper Hindustan Times (HT) achieved new milestones
of success during the year. It remained the leading English daily in Delhi for the
13th Indian Readership Survey (IRS) round in a row, and was the second largest
newspaper (broadsheet) by readership in Mumbai. With a steadily growing
reader base at the national level, the newspaper has a readership of 4.34 Million,
as per the IRS results for 2013.Amongst one of the widely-read English dailies in
the country, Hindustan Times is published from Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai,
Mohali, Jalandhar, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Bhopal, Indore, Patna,
21

Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Kolkata.HT continued to be ahead of competition in

Delhi and NCR. It registered a daily readership (Average Issue Readership or
AIR) of 2.27 Million. In NCR alone, HT registered a healthy 11 percent growth in
readership over the year.
HT Mumbai continued to be a strong growth centre in terms of readership. The
newspaper consolidated its No. 2 position in the city, with an AIR of 1.36 Million.
It has remained the No. 2 English broadsheet in the city for the last 10 IRS
rounds.
Punjab also added the maximum number of readers among all English
newspapers in the state. In addition to growing its readership in Chandigarh, the
newspaper has also made major inroads into the top cities of Amritsar, Ludhiana
and Jalandhar.
Mint
Mint, the vibrant business daily of HT Media, continued on its exciting journey of
growth and expansion during the year. While retaining its No. 2 position in the
niche business newspaper segment in the country, it expanded globally with the
launch of its Singapore edition. Maintaining a steady position, it has emerged as
the preferred choice of the discerning reader.
Mint has maintained its dominant presence in metros with the best readership
profile among business dailies. It commands a combined readership share of 28
percent in key markets of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai &
Ahmadabad put together. It has a readership (AIR) of 0.31 Million (IRS 2013),
and an exclusive readership of 90 percent.
In a first for an Indian media company, Mint went global on April 5, 2013. With the
launch of its Singapore edition, it took a major step forward in its goal of
becoming a regional media brand. MintAsia will be published every Friday in
Singapore, presenting clear-minded weekly in-depth analysis and sharp insights
that will keep the global audience abreast of developments shaping the Indian
economy and markets.

22

Mint, which reaches the whos who of corporate India, achieved a milestone in its
journey of excellence during the year by winning the glorious Media Tenors Best
Business Media Award, 2012. The award holds great prestige globally and
honors diverse, informative and balanced business coverage. Mint has already
won two SOPA (Society of Publishers in Asia) awards for its journalistic initiatives
on the changing role of people and on the status of women in India.

SUPPLEMENTS OF MINT
MINT LOUNGE

Lounge is the weekend edition of Mint. Every Saturday, Lounge presents a

visually engaging look at the "Business of Life". With articles on Travel, Gadgets,
Fashion, Books, Culture, Parenting and Food, the editors and columnists of
Lounge bring the perfect work-life balance to the week.
MINT MONEY

23

Mint Money is a daily section on Markets & Personal Finance that comes inside
Mint. Through its researched and analyzed content, Mint Money helps its readers
develop an understanding of how various financial products and markets work. It
provides clear and credible coverage across the entire gamut of investment
products Equities, Mutual Funds, Commodities, Real Estate and Insurance,
which helps its readers, become smart money managers.
Consumers are seeking to bridge the gap between information and
understanding so that they can take the right calls in todays changing market
scenario. With its clear and analyzed content, Mint Money seeks to aid the
consumer in bridging this gap.
MINT INDULGE

Mint Indulge is the Luxury and Lifestyle quarterly publication.

A complimentary read for Mints readers across India, Mint Indulge focuses on
the passions & indulgences of India's top business leaders and serve as their
best buying guide for the season. Mint Indulge showcases the most inspirational
international brands which look at India as a promising market to drive the next
growth wave for them.
MINT as your Business paper:
The Berliner size, refreshing printing & easy language just adds to the pleasure
of reading financial news.
24

Get yourself updated with the Current Affairs in the Financial & Political arena
of the country
MINT Leisure section can be used a perfect weekend planner
MINT Money Provides deep insights on the Stock Market & other financial
products, from its News to its Performance.
Get updated with the World financial news with The Wall Street Journal
section
MINT

Lounge

the

weekend

magazine,

gives

information

about

Entertainment/ Travel/ Health/ Lifestyle/ Technology

The strong MINT Editorial Team gives you a clear & unbiased view on the
current happenings of our Financial sector
The investment expert gives you guidance on Money Management.
MINT Indulge (separately subscribed) that comes monthly/bi-monthly, gives
insights on the various Luxury Brands/ Products across the globe.
MINT as your Business paper:
The Berliner size, refreshing printing & easy language just adds to the pleasure
of reading financial news.
Get yourself updated with the Current Affairs in the Financial & Political arena
of the country
MINT Leisure section can be used a perfect weekend planner
MINT Money Provides deep insights on the Stock Market & other financial
products, from its News to its Performance.
Get updated with the World financial news with The Wall Street Journal
section
MINT

Lounge

the

weekend

magazine,

gives

information

about

Entertainment/ Travel/ Health/ Lifestyle/ Technology

The strong MINT Editorial Team gives you a clear & unbiased view on the
current happenings of our Financial sector
The investment expert gives you guidance on Money Management.
25

MINT Indulge (separately subscribed) that comes monthly/bi-monthly, gives

insights on the various Luxury Brands/ Products across the globe.

Maintaining pace with the growing Hindi readership, Hindustan retained its No. 2
position at national level in the IRS (2013) results. With a Total Readership (TR)
of 39.1 Million and an AIR at 14.25 Million, the daily continued to consolidate its
position during CY 2014.
Hindustan continues to reap the benefits of completing its expansion process in
Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) & Uttarakhand. The most impressive gains for the
newspaper came in U.P. - 16 percent over the last 2 years - to post 14.8 Million
readers.
Hindustan has established a pan-U.P. presence, with 12 editions and 1.1 Million
copies distributed daily across the state. Hindustan now has 7.63 Million AIR in
U.P. & Uttarakhand.
Hindustan continues to post robust growth in relative market share across all key
cities of U.P. It retains its No. 1 position in Bareilly while continuing gains from
new launches in Aligarh & Moradabad.
Hindustan continues to dominate Bihar and Jharkhand as the single largest daily.
It has an AIR of 4.27 Million readers and a readership share of 68 percent in
Bihar. Similarly, it has a 1.40 Million AIR, with a reader share of 46 percent in
Jharkhand.

26

Partners
Partners of Hindustan Times Media Limited
Burda
Redmatch
The Wall Street Journal
Velti
Virgin
Burda
Burda has interests in publishing, radio, event management and the internet.
Apart from staging the largest premium annual digital conference in Europe,
Burda also publishes and prints several hundred magazines including local
editions of Elle, Playboy and Focus, and catalogs. In June 2008, Dr Burda was
conferred with the "Hall of Fame 2008" award in Germany by the Manager
magazine earlier this week for his outstanding contribution to the economic,
social and political development of Germany.
Redmatch
Redmatch is a world leader in online recruitment solutions. Using unique RealTime Job Matching technology, Redmatch enables recruiters to find and hire the
best people, faster and more cost effectively. Thousands of satisfied users are
already using the Redmatch products. Redmatch provides a variety of products
including:- Job portals solutions, newspaper online employment advertising
solutions, corporate Applicant Tracking Systems, staffing companies solutions
and more.
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal, the flagship publication of Dow Jones & Company
(NYSE: DJ; www.dowjones.com), is the world's leading business publication.
Founded in 1889, The Wall Street Journal has a print and online circulation of
nearly 2.1 million, reaching the nation's top business and political leaders, as well

27

as investors across the country. Holding 31 Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding

journalism, the Journal seeks to help its readers succeed by providing essential
and relevant information, presented accurately and fairly, from an authoritative
and trusted source. The Wall Institute of Technology & Science [ITS] Page 25

28

Street Journal print franchise has more than 600 journalists world-wide, part of
the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,900 business and financial news staff. Other
publications that are part of The Wall Street Journal franchise, with total
circulation of 2.7 million, include The Wall Street Journal Asia, The Wall Street
Journal Europe and The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, the largest paid
subscription news site on the Web. In 2006, the Journal was ranked No. 1 in
BtoB's Media Power 50 for the seventh consecutive year.
Velti
Veltis market-leading mobile marketing technology platform, coupled with its
experience in the mobile advertising industry, enables clients around the world to
deliver an extensive range of highly targeted marketing campaigns. With
operations in 25 countries, and a mobile marketing joint venture with the
Interpublic group, a top global holding group of advertising agencies, Velti has
the ability to reach through its platform an estimated 1.4 billion consumers. Veltis
unique Mobile Marketing and Advertising Platform manages the full cycle of
planning, execution and monitoring of multiple campaigns across differing mobile
formats and channels, offering customers more than 70 mobile marketing and
advertising templates, which can be managed from one user interface.
Virgin
One of the most respected brands in Britain - is involved in a variety of
businesses including airlines, trains, finance, soft drinks, mobile phones,
holidays, cars, wines, publishing, fashion and of course Music. What tie all these
businesses together are the values of the brand and the vision and ambition of its
founder Sir Richard Branson. Virgin Radio went on-air in London at 12.15pm on
30 April 1993 - promising to play classic album tracks and today's best music. It
has since been sold to Ginger Media (which was subsequently bought by SMG
plc). Virgin also currently broadcasts on DAB across England, Scotland and
Wales, on digital TV and cable.
Print Works
Print Works a one stop shop for space selling in any of the publications in HT,
has remarkably maintained the tradition of ours as the first Indian media
29

company to have organized this expo, much to the chagrin of other media
houses. Held for five days in April end-May, it fetched huge ad revenues to the
company. The novel concept, undoubtedly, set our company in the league of top
notch organisations which are always in the lookout of avenues to widen their
clientele. Moreover, it took place barely a few months after the media marketing
departments of Hindustan Times, Hindustan and Mint were integrated. It wont be
wrong to say that Print Works reaped the harvest, seeds of which were sown
during this integration. To woo the advertisers, a mega prize of Volvo S80 will
also be given after a lucky draw to be taken place in April 2009.
HT Media Limited is a mammoth player in the print media in India. The extent of
its presence is undisputed in that it is the top leader in the English newspaper
market in North India and occupies second place in the Hindi newspaper market
in North India and East India. The group now intends to further consolidate its
already established position as a vibrant and modern media powerhouse.

SALES
A sale is a transaction, dealing, trade or what? Sale can have different meanings
but what is the most important thing in it, is to understand the importance of it.
Without sale no revenue can be generated but just earning revenue is not to
sale, it is the right type selling to the right customer with the right attitude.
Customer relationship is most important, maintaining the brand image is also
important. Delivering on the brand promises becomes a moment of truth in any
customer relationship.
This moment of truth can be either positive or with negative impact on the
customers perception about your brand. There might be great marketing
communication and a highly superior product, but the buying experience always
stands between the seller and the customer. If the customer has a negative
impact about the product then it is a direct deterioration of the brand equity.
Hence, sales and distribution is a vital activity. Sales hence comprises of the

30

outcome of what all which was done to manufacture that product. Success of
selling department is the success of the company.
MINT is the product where the maximum demand would be in the early morning.
It is highly perishable product. The product should reach the customer in due
time otherwise the importance is lost. Hence time management is something very
vital for the sales and distribution people. Hence I can mainly divide the supply of
the newspaper in two main categories:
PRE-PRESS ACTIVITY
POST-PRESS ACTIVITY
PRE-PRESS ACTIVITY
It involves all the editorial departments work where they have to collect the news
and it has to be given to the production department in a prescribed limit. This
time limit is said as the cut off time or releasing time.
POST-PRESS ACTIVITY
It is the distribution. MINT has divided Gujarat in two main sections, i.e.
Ahmadabad and upcountry market. This upcountry market has about 7 centres.
MINT gets involved in many kinds of sale activity. They are:
Subscription Sale
A one year subscription by paying fixed amount is sale by subscription
Cash Sales
Customers when paying the amount to purchase a newspaper directly to the
book stall in cash then the sale is said to be a cash sales.
Line Sales
Line sale is the in which it is post paid billing. When the customer gets the MINT
copy through the vendor and pays in the end of month, it is line sale
Institutional Sales
Few corporate, hotels and colleges take copy in bulk, which is said to be as
institutional sale.
MINT has the responsibility till the delivery at their doorstep and further
distribution is on the
31

Company or the institution concerned

Corporate Sales
In corporate sales, executives have to do cold calling or they have to take
appointment from the concerned person and then after meet, executive must
convince the client. If it is big corporate and staff are such that, they read
financial daily at their home, then for bulk subscription they have to try.

PRICING CHART OF MINT WITH OTHER FINANCIAL NEWSPAPER

32

The annual cover Price of MINT is Rs. 1564. It provide subscription scheme at
for 12 months from Monday to Saturday at Rs 989/- (earlier it was 899/-).
EFFECT ON VENDORS
Businesses benefit because they are assured a predictable and constant
revenue stream from subscribed individuals for the duration of the subscriber's
agreement. Not only does this greatly reduce uncertainty and the riskiness of the
enterprise, but it often provides payment in advance (as with magazines,
Newspapers), while allowing customers to become greatly attached to using the
service and, therefore, more likely to extend by signing an agreement for the next
period close to when the current agreement expires.

33

EFEECTS ON READERS
Consumers may find subscriptions convenient if they believe that they will buy a
product on a regular basis and that they might save money. For repeated delivery
of the product or service, the customer also saves time. Subscription pricing can
make it easier to pay for expensive items, since it can often be paid for over a
period of time and thus can make the product seem more affordable. On the
other hand, most newspaper and magazine-type subscriptions are paid up front,
and this might actually prevent some customers from signing up.

SWOT ANALYSIS
STRENGTH
W
ide coverage especially in Northern India.
Part of a huge media conglomerate means excellent reach.
Has a good pool of supplements covering education, entertainment, Sunday
lifestyle magazine.
Separate Money & Market section with 4 pages.
Exclusive partnership with The Wall Street Journal.
Over view of the whole week is given in weekend.
Provide general awareness in terms of investment.
WEAKNESS
Lack of brand awareness.
Cover only large and mid cap entities.
Limited pan-India presence and penetration as compared to market leaders.
Tough competition means market share is not growing.
34

OPPORTUNITY
Being part of a large conglomerate means they have resources to expand in
other parts of the country.
Can use its strong network of supplements to build on its readership base.
. Maximize involvement of people through online interaction and tie-ups with
institutions and companies.
Can give an extra page on DELHI related news
Can introduce a new segment on Sunday
Potential Market Availability
Can have tie-ups with renowned brands for ads.
THREAT
On line news medium means reduced circulation.
Increased competition from other business dailies.
Toughest competition from The Economic Times.

35

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The objectives of the project are as follows:

To analyze if consumers read business newspapers daily
To analyze if price schemes affect selection of business newspaper
To determine whether content and size affect selection of business
newspaper

Research Design: Descriptive research

Descriptive research, is used to describe characteristics of a population or
phenomenon

being

studied.

It

does

how/when/why the characteristics occurred.

Tools for data collection:

36

not

answer

questions

about

o Type of data Primary

PRIMARY DATA
It has been collected by a structured questionnaire
Sample universe Delhi
o Sample Size 100
o Sample Design Stratified Random Sampling
In statistical

surveys,

when

subpopulations

within

an

overall

population vary, it is advantageous to sample each subpopulation

(stratum) independently. Stratification is the process of dividing
members of the population into homogeneous subgroups before
sampling. The strata should be mutually exclusive: every element in
the population must be assigned to only one stratum. The strata
should also be collectively exhaustive: no population element can be
excluded.

Tools for Data Analysis

SPSS Statistical analysis
SPSS is a widely used program for statistical analysis in social science. It is also
used by market researchers, health researchers, survey companies, government,
education researchers, marketing organizations, data miners and others. The
original SPSS manual (Nie, Bent & Hull, 1970) has been described as one of
"sociology's most influential books" for allowing ordinary researchers to do their
own statistical analysis. In addition to statistical analysis, data management

37

(case selection, file reshaping, creating derived data) and data documentation
(a metadata dictionary is stored in the data file) are features of the base software.
Statistics included in the base software:
Descriptive statistics: Pie Charts, Z- test
LIMITATIONS
This research has been done on 100 respondents, therefore target
population is less and cannot give true picture of the population.
Shortage of time is also reason for comprehensiveness.
Some respondents were not able to give right answer of some questions.
While some have given irrelevant answers.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

On the basis of questionnaire I have analyzed the response of 100 organizations

where the questionnaire was filled up by them and had tried to put analysis in
graphical form.
38

1. Do you read newspaper daily?

Yes

72

No

28

RESULT:

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

72% people read newspaper daily.

28% people do not read newspaper daily.
2. Do you think one should read business newspaper daily?
Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

10

Agree

33
39

Strongly agree

47

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

47% people strongly agree that one should read newspaper daily.
33% people agree that one should read newspaper daily.
10% people are neutral that one should read newspaper daily
7% people disagree that one should read newspaper daily
3% people strongly disagree that one should read newspaper daily
3. Do you think one should select business newspaper on the basis of brand
loyalty?
Strongly Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

10

Agree

33

Strongly agree

47

40

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

47% people strongly agree that one should select business paper on basis
of brand loyalty.
33% people agree that one should select business paper on basis of brand
loyalty.
10% people are neutral that one should select business paper on basis of
brand loyalty
7% people disagree that one should select business paper on basis of brand
loyalty
3% people strongly disagree that one should select business paper on basis
of brand loyalty
3. Do you think price schemes affect the selection of business newspaper.
Strongly Disagree

20

Disagree

46

Neutral

19

Agree

41

Strongly agree

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

6% people strongly agree that price schemes affect the selection of

business newspaper.
9% people agree that price schemes affect the selection of business
newspaper.
19% people are neutral that price schemes affect the selection of business
newspaper
46% people disagree that that price schemes affect the selection of business
newspaper
20% people strongly disagree that price schemes affect the selection of
business newspaper

5. Will you change your business newspaper if you get a better yearly plan?

Strongly Disagree

25

Disagree

45
42

Neutral

20

Agree

10

Strongly agree

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

0% people strongly agree that they will change their business newspaper if
they get a better yearly plan.

43

 10% people agree that they will change their business newspaper if they get
a better yearly plan.
20% people are neutral that they will change their business newspaper if
they get a better yearly plan.
45% people disagree that they will change their business newspaper if they
get a better yearly plan.
25% people strongly disagree that they will change their business
newspaper if they get a better yearly plan.

6. Do you prefer reading business newspaper daily?

Highly Prefer

15

Prefer

40

Neutral

20

Rarely Prefer

15

Do not Prefer

10

44

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

15% people highly prefer to read business news paper daily.

40% people prefer to read business news paper daily.
20% people are neutral to read business news paper daily
15% people rarely prefer to read business news paper daily
10% people do not prefer to read business news paper daily
7. Do you consider content as a reason to select business newspaper ?

Highly Consider

55

Consider

30

Neutral

15

Rarely Consider

Do not Consider

17

45

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

55% people highly consider content as a reason to select business

newspaper
30% people consider content as a reason to select business newspaper
30% people are neutral to consider content as a reason to select business
newspaper
8. Do you consider size of the newspaper as a reason to select business
newspaper ?

Highly Consider

Consider

15

Neutral

20

Rarely Consider

30

Do not Consider

35

46

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

0% people highly consider size of the newspaper as a reason to select

business newspaper
15% people consider size of the newspaper as a reason to select business
newspaper
20% people are neutral size of the newspaper as a reason to select
business newspaper
30% people rarely consider size of the newspaper as a reason to select
business newspaper
35% people do not consider size of the newspaper as a reason to select
business newspaper
9. Are you satisfied with your current business newspaper?

Yes

80

No

20

47

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

80% people are satisfied with their business newspaper.

28% people are not satisfied with their business newspaper
10. Will you change your current business newspaper if you get better
content and compact easy to use size?

Yes

60

No

40

48

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from the pie chart that, out of 100

60% people would change their current business newspaper if they get
better content and compact easy to use size
40% people would not change their current business newspaper if they get
better content and compact easy to use size

Z-TEST WAS APPLIED IN THE DATA

H0= Proportion where people read NewsPaper and say quality of
content has effect on sale = Proportion where people read NewsPaper
and say quality of content has no effect on sale

49

HA= Proportion where people read NewsPaper and say quality of

content has effect on sale

Proportion where people read

NewsPaper and say quality of content has no effect on sale

Finding: NULL REJECTED, IT MEANS HA is true ie, Proportion

where people read NewsPaper and say quality of content has

effect on sale

Proportion where people read NewsPaper and

say quality of content has no effect on sale

Recommendations

1. During our research, many customers complaint that they had bought the
subscriptions earlier also but didnt get any newspaper but only the gifts.
50

This problem should be taken care of to remove customer apprehensions to

buy the product.
2. The price of MINT is higher than other business daily. So reduce some
price or offer some gifts for the customer price of MINT is high as compared
to the market leader economic times.
2. During the period of research it was found that MINT positioned itself as
a casual business newspaper and trying to sale that newspaper in corporate
houses whereas most of the corporate prefer reading hardcore business
newspaper. So, MINT should try to sell the newspaper to the casual readers
like students, management graduates and other professionals who would not
prefer to read hardcore business news.
3. Focus more on the content and articles rather than on the paper & print
quality of MINT because many customers have complained about the
content of newspaper. Even some vendors also told us to improve the
content of MINT.
4. Number of centers should be increased from where the newspaper is
available because availability of MINT on street shops is very less.
5. The corporate awareness and brand promotion is very low about the
MINT because 76.4% people have never subscribed to MINT. So, company
should have to focus on it.
6. Company should grab some creative advertisement for its newspaper so
that the customer could easily connect with the brand identity, as 45.1%
people have never read MINT.

51

7. MINT should clear its perception and USP towards its readers so that the
proper positioning of the business newspaper can be done.
8. Provide small vouchers package at the time of Diwali or any other
festivals.
9. Service check calls at regular intervals.
10. In order to develop the touch points with its readers and create a brand
association, MINT should participate & sponsor corporate events.
11. Make collaboration with the B-schools and provide daily copies to the
students at their door steps or college.
e.g our college jims kalkaji has tie-up with economic times and business
standard and students can buy yearly subscriptions on discounted rates. But
there is no such scheme for mint.

Conclusion
.

52

After doing this research, I found out that consumers are habitual readers and
they are brand loyal. Also price schemes dont affect reading habits of the
consumers. People need to be made aware about Mint as majority of market
share is taken by Economic Times. Therefore, there is a huge untapped market
and Mint needs to undertake some strategies to better position itself in minds of
consumers.

53

BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.htmedia.in

www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/mint-launches-integrated-newsroom-revamps-livemint-com/article1-931850.aspx

www.inma.org/blogs/ideas/post.cfm/mint-grows-readership-by-keepingbusiness-news-simple

articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-1003/news/30238484_1_media-planners-advertisers-newspaper

Readership-272000(Indian readership survey, 2013-MRUC)

www.inma.org/blogs/ideas/post.cfm/mint-grows-readership-by-keepingbusiness-news-simple

www.quora.com/General-Knowledge/Why-does-Economic-times-mintfinancial-express-or-any-other-newspaper-cost-more-on-weekends

54

APPENDICES
1. Do you read newspaper on daily basis?
1) Yes 2) No
2. Do you think one should read business newspaper daily?
1) Strongly Disagree
2) Disagree
3) Neutral
4) Agree
5) Strongly Agree
3. Do you think one should select business newspaper on the basis of brand
loyalty.
1) Strongly Disagree
2) Disagree
3) Neutral
4) Agree
5) Strongly Agree
4. Do you think price schemes affect the selection of business newspaper.
1) Strongly Disagree
2) Disagree
3) Neutral
4) Agree
5) Strongly Agree
5. Will you change your business newspaper if you get a better yearly plan?
1) Strongly Disagree
2) Disagree
3) Neutral
4) Agree
5) Strongly Agree
6. Do you prefer reading business newspaper daily?
1) highly prefer
2) prefer
3)Neutral
4)Rarely prefer
5) Do not prefer

55

6. Do you consider content as a reason to select business newspaper ?

1) highly consider
2) consider
3)Neutral
4)Rarely consider
5)Strongly consider.
7. Do you consider size of the newspaper as a reason to select business
newspaper ?
1) highly consider
2) consider
3)Neutral
4)Rarely consider
5)Strongly consider.
8. Are you satisfied with your current business newspaper?
1) Yes 2) No
9. Will you change your current business newspaper if you get better content
and compact easy to use size?
1) Yes 2) No

56