s in most other product categories, promotional schemes have been common in the media business. The most consistent in this regard were print magazines which typically attempted to get subscriptions over the long term. Now, it is the turn of the dailies to make a big noise. Among them currently: in Delhi, The Times of India and Hindustan Times; in Mumbai, Mumbai Mirror; in all of North India, Dainik Bhaskar. Sanjeev Kotnala, senior general manager - strategy and brand communication, Dainik Bhaskar, says that promos of this kind have been around for long. However, they were in smaller towns and on the ground. "It�s only because we are using television as a media, that it�s being talked about," he thinks. Bhaskar says it is spending Rs 2 crore on TV to promote its �Jeeto Rs 5 crore� promotion.

Bhaskar has targets for conversion and incremental readership from such promotions but Kotnala says that since the daily is the overwhelming leader in many markets, there is a limit to how much new readership it can draw to itself. ... more