Report On Direct Marketing

SHRI RAMSWAROOP MEMORIAL GROUP OF
PROFESSIONAL COLLEGES
LUCKNOW
Summer Training Project Report

(RMB-351)
ON
“DIRECT MARKETING! A HARD WAY TO REACH THE TARGET SEGMENT”
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF

DEGREE
OF
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
TO
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University, LUCKNOW
FOR THE SESSION
2017-18
Under Guidance of: Submitted by:
Mr. Vijay Singh Mayank Panday
Department of Management 1612270050
SRMGPC, Lucknow M.B.A 3rd Semester

DIRECT MARKETING! A HARD WAY TO REACH THE TARGET SEGMENT
Acknowlegements
I hereby take this opportunity to express my deep gratitude to
the persons who made this project successful and possible.
I would like to thank SRMCEM, for providing me an
opportunity to take this project work and to my guide Mr.
VIJAY SINGH, under whose supervision and guidance whole
of the project has been completed.
I am sincerely thankful to Mr SUNIL SRIVASTAVA Deputy
Manager MALAYALA MANORAM Pvt ltd. for permitting me
to do the project work and submitting the report in department
and for continuous motivation.
My sincere thanks to OTHERS MENTOR NAME Team Leader,
for his valuable guidance that was of great help during the
project and helped me in completing this project successfully.
Lastly I am thankful to my colleagues and friends who have
directly or indirectly extended their cooperation and suggestion
in completing the project.
Place:Lucknow Mayank Panday

1612270050
i
Preface
Sales management is an integral part of management. The sales team are
the implemental of marketing strategy and tactics of the customer
interface. Modern sales management is not about leading a team of foot-
in- the- door salesperson. It is a complex and disciplined mix of
marketing skills, professional selling and negotiation skills, people
management skills ( including selection, motivation, communicating and
training) sales strategy and tactical planning skills, data management
and monitoring skills. The material coverage of this text addresses many
of these topics in a practical way that sales managers can use in self
development, or adapt to team development needs.
Fundamental to the success of any organization is its relationship with
customers. Today the relationship between companies and their
customers is in a period profound change. Technology, globalization,
ethical concerns, corporate strategic decisions and a host of other issues
Have created a revolution in the selling process. Customers are no longer
interested in working with companies that cannot add substantial value of
their business. The objective of the project is to enable the students to
understand the application of the academics in the real business life.
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
S. No. Title Page No.

1. Executive Summary 1
2. Print Media 3
3. Industrial Profile 10
4. Company Profile 17
5. SWOT Analysis 25
6. Problems of the organization 26
7. Malayala Manorama Umbrella 27
8. About the product 29
9. Promotional Options offered 34
10. Literature Review 35
11. Objectives 38
12. Scope of the study 39
13. Consumer Behaviour 40
14. Market Analysis 43
15. Research Methodology 49
16. Parameters for segments Identification 51
17. Segments identified 52
18. Procedure Adopted 53
19. Implementation 55
20. Aggressive Selling 62
21. Methods of Aggressive Selling 64
22. Data Interpretation and Analysis 66
23. Analysis and Interpretation 67
24. Findings 77
25. Suggestions 78
26. Limitations 79
27. Conclusion 80
28. References 81
29. Bibliography 82
30. Annexure 83
iii
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The two main objectives of any publishing group are:

 To increase Geographic Dispersion / Circulation
 To Improve Readership profile
This is because the main source of revenue for any publishing group is
advertising and an advertiser would like to know the facts and figures
before investing his money in advertising.
The week is part of the The Malyala Manorama Group which made its
beginning in the printing business and after building a huge presence in
the realty market, the Group diversified laterally into manufacturing,
financial services and media. The magazine division of The week
consists of the week health&fitness, , the week ,. It has recently taken
over the Sales & marketing of the week, the man a healthy lifestyle
magazine@the time india a magazine on luxury watches.
The objective of the project was to identify importance of branding for
malayala manorama group magazines – the week.
The observations of the Markets studied for the sale of The week .
The major segments identified for the sale of the two products were
- Hotels
- Coaching institutes
- Car Rentals
- Schools & Colleges
- Hospitals
- Restaurants
For the nonprofit making the week proposed to use a value package
from the malayala manorama as the carrier of their monthly bills
ensuring that the saves the money that it was spending in dispatching
these bills. The magazine would be send to the database of the members
which would be provided by the club to basically strengthen the
relationship with the members
For the coaching Institutions which prepare students for MBA, the idea
proposed by the week was that the copies of the week with the
advertisement of the institution with the cover-on-cover option would be
distributed to prospective students who are aspiring to clear CAT and
other MBA entrances in various management and Engineering colleges
1
M.B.A SRMGPC, Lucknow
in lucknow & delhi ncr. This idea appealed as in this way the institution
would be able to communicate with its prospective students.
For the premium clubs, the proposed selling strategy was similar to that
adopted for golf courses with the monthly bill are being sent with the
magazine by The week and hence the club saving the cost involved in
dispatching the bills.
The idea proposed to car rental companies was that they can increase
their business if their customers are satisfied by their services and would
come back to them again. Newsweek being an International
Newsmagazine, if kept in the cars that they rent out would be highly
appreciated by their customers as during the journey they would be able
to read the magazine that they associate with.
Hotels keep magazines in the following places: Rooms, Business
Centers/ Lounges, Public Places and cars. The option offered to the
hotels was cover-on-cover wherein they could advertise about the hotel
on the cover at the back and front of the magazine
The concept given was that initially The week was as follows: The week
would distribute free copies of the magazine on a weekend when the
business is high. And take the details of the customers. In the next step,
the magazine with a flap containing the discount coupon for a weekday
would be sent by the PVR Cinemas to these cinema-goers who had come
to watch a movie on weekend. Hence, on receiving a discount coupon,
there is a high probability that the cinema-gore will come to watch the
movie.
Other Segments suggested that could be opened are :
- Investment Firms
- Pharmacy Companies
- Builders
- Credit Card Companies
- MBA Institutes
- Builders
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PRINT MEDIA
Print Media, as anyone can understand is one of the most important

factors coming through in the way a nation works. Newspapers,
magazines, books etc. are ready by a lot of people and are certainly one
of the most trusted mediums of National and International News.
India has a vast array of Print Media with Thousands of Magazines and
Newspapers in circulation. Top Notch Journalism, great reporting, press
unity and a very strong network is what makes Print Media so much of a
success even today in the age of Television and the Internet. It is also
said that Print Media also helped literacy and undoubtedly the General
Knowledge of the average person in India.
The good thing about Indian Print media is that any Bias of any sort is
quickly subsided, therefore impartial reporting is a major feature of the
Indian Print Media. The news you get through these outlets cannot be
any truer.
The newspaper with the largest Circulation in India is Dainik Jagran,
having near about Two million readers. Next comes Times of India, an
English newspaper, followed by Dainik Bhaskar, another Hindi
Newspaper.
India has a lot of regional newspapers and magazines as well in a lot of
languages. Therefore there is something out there for everyone to read!
This section is dedicated to the Indian Print media with articles on
Newspapers, Magazines, Controversies and opinions related to them etc.
We hope you have a good time browsing through. Please let us know of
any suggestions you may have through our contact page.
The Media in Indiaenjoys a great amount of freedom and is therefore
flourishing. Whole new segments are opening up for this Rs 10,000 crore
industry. Perhaps the most significant possibility is in Indiaemerging as a
back-end destination for digitising television and film content as well as
managing video servers for global companies in the pay-per-view TV
market. The previous year has been a landmark year for television
broadcasting. Many new news channels like the two from NDTV and
one each from TV Today and Star were launched. Television viewers
were to enjoy much more freedom in metros with the rollout of
Conditional Access System, which was quietly introduced in Chennai,
but trouble was just round the corner. In Chennai there are very few
customers for channels in languages other than Tamil and all Tamil
Channels are free to air. As a result there was no objection, only people
did not go for the top box. Delhi however has been a different story what
with CAS being first put off, then implemented and then the total
3
confusion on its status. The launch of a choice private FM radio stations

has got the metro residents hooked on to the otherwise almost obsolete
radio service. Lots of multiplexes opened across the country and many
more are on the pipeline. Overseas studios were bullish on producing.
Piracy however, continued to bother the Indian film and music industry.
The Internet continues to grow.
EARLY YEARS OF THE PRINTING MEDIA:-

Acta Diuna(Journal of the day) was the earliest known journal. It is a
handwritten news bulletin distributed in the Forum Romanum. This was
in the 1st century B.Cduring the time of Julius Caesar.
The first printed newspaper appeared in Peiking (Beijing) in the 8th
century A.D.The Chinese did the printing using separate wooden block
for type, which could be used over and over again. The Koreans also
followed the Chinese. Printing ink and paper were developed in china
and Egypt. But the whole process of printing had a stunted growth in
Asia
Europeans, on the other hand, used the new process on large scale. They
benefited from the popularization of printing, which led to the advent of
affordable books & popular newspaper. This also led to the
democratization of communication.
Printing led to the third major revolution in communication, the first
having been the development of human speech some 35,000 years ago
and second the art of representing sound in written form using an
alphabet. With the spread of printing, libraries and schools sprang up.
Books, libraries and higher education-all these led to major political,
socioeconomic and cultural changes in Europe.
The new modes of agricultural and mechanical production, migration of
people from rural areas to industrial towns, rapid changes in social and
cultural life and scientific and technological led to new methods of
communication among people. Democratization of communication
meant strengthening of democratic idea. Political democracy led to
economic democracy and social reorganization.
In all this, the newsletter produced in various sizes and at different
frequencies played an influential role in Germany, Holland, France and
England during 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
By the early 18th century, political leaders realized how powerful an
instrument the periodicals were for spreading ideas. Many of them began
to produce their own papers to propagate their ideas and influence people
such as the Whigs and Tories in England. A new force was detected in
society, namely, the force of public opinion. Consequently, the
journalism of the period was largely political in nature and thus the
4
impression, justifiable to a great extent, was created that journalism was

an adjunct of politics.
Avisa Relation Oder zeitung was the first regular printed newspaper of
Europe which commenced publication in 1615.Weekly News was the
first newspaper of England that lasted from 1622 to 1641. The next paper
there was a fortnight, the Daily Courant that started publication in 1702.
The first printing press in the Americas was established in South
America by Juan Pablos, a Spanish printer, in 1539.
Boston, capital of the Massachusetts colony became an active centre of
printing in the 17th century. The Puritans imported the first printing press
to New England in 1638 to supply printed materials to Harvard College.
The very first newspaper in the US was Public Occurrences-Foreign and
Domestic, published by Benjamin Harris, a bookseller in Boston, in 1690.
Harris could not continue publication as he was imprisoned by the British
authorities for printing without prior consent. Then came another news
paper, the Boston Newsletter in 1704. James Franklin, brother of
Benjamin Franklin, published the New England Courant in 1721.
Famous English essayists such as Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Dr
Samuel Johnson and others either contributed essays to their own
publications or to periodicals published by other. They wrote
contemporary issues besides literary topics. Across the Atlantic,
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Pain, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander
Hamilton and other had contributed.
The Glorious Revolution in England (1688), The American Revolution
(1775-76) and The French Revolution (1789) owe much to the radical
and rational thoughts of people such as theme, Locke the Pitts,
Robespierre, Hugo, Voltaire, Rousseau, Jefferson, Franklin, Paine and
Hamilton etc.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN INDIA DURING THE

EARLY CENTURIES?
Emperor Asoka’s pillar inscriptions and rock edicts in different parts of
the Mauryan Empire during 3rd century B.C are considered examples of
imperial political communication to the informed and literate section of
the population. Ashoka used the Prakrit language in his communication
on ethics and morals as evidence by his inscriptions.
The learning languages were confined to high casts, the aristocracy,
priests, army personnel and landowners. Another feature of
communication in ancient India was the emphasis placed on oral and
aural systems. Writing was done on palm leavesusing a style, but the
written documents were considered too scared to be touched or used by
the lower classes. The ruling class used certain methods for coding,
5
transmitting and decoding messages secretly through the network of

spies to information about neighboring enemies.
According to historians of journalism, news was collected in a well-
organized manner under Akbar the Great. In 1574, Akbar established a
recording office that helped later medieval historians to gather materials
for chronicles.
FIRST PRINTING PRESS IN INDIA:-
The first printing press arrived in India on 6th September 1556 and was
installed at the college of St.Paul in Goa.
THE FIRST INDIAN NEWSPAPER:-

First printed newspaper of India was in English edited and published by
James Augustus Hicky, an employee of East India Company. It was
named Bengal Gazette which came out on 29th January 1780. Soon
many other weeklies & monthlies such as Indian Gazette, Calcutta
Journal, Bengal Harakaru, John Bull in the East came out during the 17th
& 18th century.
THE MAJOR INDIAN LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER:-

Digdarshan was the first Indian language newspaper. It started in April
1818 by the Serampur missionaries William Carcy, Joshua Marshman
and William Ward. They soon started another journal in June of the same
year & named it Samachar Darpan. The famous Raja Ram Mohan Roy
also brought out periodicals in English, Bengali & Persian. Some of
Roy’s papers were Sambad Kaumadi, Brahmical Magazine, Mirat-ul-
Akhbar, and Bangadoota & Bengal Herald.
Assamese:-
Amnodaya, a distinguished journal in the Assamese language was started
in 1846 under the editorship of the Rev. Oliver.T.Cutter.
Gujarathi:-
The newspaper with the greatest longevity in India, Mumbai Samachar
was also the first Gujarati Newspaper. It was established in 1822 by
Farduvji Marzaban as a weekly and then became a daily in 1832.
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Hindi:-
The first Hindi daily was samachar Sudhavarshan (Calcutta, 1854). Later
Samayadant Martand, Banaras Akhbar, Shimila Akbar andMalwaAkhbar
came out.
Calcutta was the birth place not only of English, Bengali and Hindi
journalism. The first Urdu newspaper was published by Urdu Akhbar in
the second decade of the 19th century.
Kannada:-
Kannada Samachar was the earliest Kannada journal, according to many
scholars. But others think that the first Kannada journal was Mangaloora
Samachar. Later Subudhi Prakasha, Kannada Vaatika, Amnodaya,
Mahilaasakhi andSarvamitra came out during the 18th century.
Malayalam:-
Mathrubhumi, Malayala Manorama, Kerala Kanmudi are the main
newspapers of Kerala. The other daily newspapers are Desabhimani,
Mangalam, Madhyamam, Chandrika, Deepika etc.
Marathi:-
Darpan was the first Marathi newspaper started on 6 January 1832.
Kesari andSudarak were other papers of the 18th century. Induprakash
was an Anglo- Marathi daily established in 1862.
Oriya:-
The first Oriya magazine Junaruna was published by the Orissa Mission
Press in 1849 under the editorship of Charles Lacey. Then came another
publication from the same press Prabhatchandrika, under the editorship
of William Lacey. Utkal Sahitya, Bodhadayini, Balasore Sambad Balika
etc. started in the 18th century.
Punjabi:-
Although Maharaja Ranjit Singh encouraged the development of Punjabi
journalism. The earliest Punjabi newspaper was a missionary newspaper.
The first printing press in Punjab was established in Ludhiana in 1809.
Tamil:-
The first periodical Tamil Patrika a monthly was brought out in 1831 by
the Religious Tract Society in Madras; it lasted till 1833.
The next periodical weekly was the Dina Vartamani published in Madras
from 1856 by the Dravidian press and edited by the Reverend P.Percival.
Later Swadeshamitran, Deshabaktan etc. were other papers.
7
Telugu:-
KandukuriVeeresaliongamPantulu, known as the Father of the
renaissance movement in Andhra and the founder of modern Telugu,
sparked a social reform movement through his weekly Vivekavardhini.
He also founded separate journals for women; Satihitabodhini.
Urdu:-
Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan, a great educationist, judge and social reformer
did much for the development of Urdu journalism.
THE INDIAN PRESS AT INDEPENDENCE AND

TODAY:-
In 1947, the major English newspaper in India were the Times of India
(Bombay), Statesman (Calcutta), Hindu (Madras), Hindustan Times
(New Delhi), Pioneer (Lucknow), Indian Express (Bombay and Madras)
Amrita Bazaar Patrika (Calcutta), National Herald (Lucknow), Mail
(Madras) andHitavada (Nagpur). Of these, the Times of India, Statesman
and Pioneer were under British ownership till 1964, when it came under
a group of Indian business.
During the long struggle for India‘s Independence, the major English
newspaper that served the national cause were the Hindu (1878), Amrita
Bazaar Patrika (1868), Bombay Chronicle (1913), Free Press Journal
(1930, it became Indian Express) and Hindustan Times (1924). Among
the Indian language newspapers, the prominent ones were Aaj (1920),
Ananda bazaar Patrika (1922), Sakal (1931), Swadeshamitran (1882),
Mumbai Smachar (1822), MalayalaManorama (1890) andMathrubhumi
(1930).
Generally speaking, journalism is flourishing in India today. The Indian
language newspapers have overtaken the English newspapers in number
and circulation. The highest circulation till the 1990‘s was enjoyed by the
English newspapers despite the fact that less than 5 percent of the
population of India claim English as their mother tongue. English is still
the medium of instruction in colleges and many prominent schools. It is
also the language of administration, although state governments have
introduced legislation in favor of local government.
Hindi newspapers have the largest total circulation in India. Hindi is the
main language of 10 Indian states- Bihar, Chattisgarh, Delhi, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttranchal
and Uttar Pradesh.
Certain trends in communication and journalism throughout the modern
world prompted several sociologists and media experts to discuss the
8
desirability of re-examining the trends in the light of basic issues. In

other words, back to the basics say the experts. This is where Gandhi
becomes relevant. High technology is good, but if it does not enable us to
solve basic problems confronting the succeed in catering to the greed of a
few to the exclusion of the need of the many-as it has done through the
recent decades and in all countries that experienced colonial subjugation
in the past.
9
INDUSTRY PROFILE
PUBLISHING
India Magazine Industry Thriving, Big
Players Moving In
When Conde Nast launched its premium
lifestyle magazine Vogue in India last year,
it carried a whopping 168 pages of
advertisements of a total 400 pages.
Now, the publisher is preparing to launch its

luxury men's magazine GQ and expects a
similar rush of advertisers in Asia's third-
largest economy, where rising incomes and
growing literacy are boosting readership and
revenues of magazines and newspapers.
From specialist magazines on whiskey, golf and parenting, to regional-

language newspapers and financial dailies, new titles are coming thick
and fast in one of the few markets in the world where advertising and
readership for print media are expanding.
"It's a fast growing economy and with consumption so robust and with
incomes rising, it's a fertile ground for the print media," says Vivek
Couto, executive director of Hong Kong-based research firm Media
Partners Asia. "There is also a buoyancy in print advertising that is
encouraging new launches and niche publications in particular."
Print publication advertising revenues in India generated Rs 9,400 crore

($2.4 billion) in 2007, or 48 per cent of all of the country's media
advertising revenues, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) said in a recent
report. TV ads generated 41 per cent.
With the economy having grown at an average rate of 8.75 per cent in the
last four years, middle class incomes have risen, boosting demand for
niche magazines on health, leisure and finances.
Growing prosperity in rural areas is also encouraging demand for

publications in India's more than 20 official regional languages.
Revenue for newspapers and magazines in India, where reading at least
10
one newspaper in the morning is sacrosanct, grew at an average rate of

15 percent in the last four years, higher than anywhere in the world,
PWC said. The growth is helped by a young demographic, more working
women, rapid urbanization and smaller households, the report added.
The print publication boom in India contrasts sharply with more mature
markets in the West where circulation figures and advertising revenues
are down as readers move to the Internet.
Boom
India in 2005 allowed 100 per cent foreign investment in non-news
publications, keeping the cap for news at 26 per cent.
Early investments included Independent News and Media's 26 per cent

stake in newspaper publisher Dainik Jagran, Pearson Plc's 14 per cent in
Business Standard newspaper, Henderson Ventures' investment in HT
Media and BBC Worldwide magazine venture with Bennett, Coleman &
Co.
More recently, private equity firm Blackstone Group put $150 million in
regional publisher Ushodaya Enterprises, Warburg Pincus moved $33
million into the Dainik Group and DE Shaw invested $39 million in
Amar Ujala Publications, according to research firm Venture Intelligence.
News Corp, which has a content alliance for The Wall Street Journal
with HT Media's business daily, is keen on more launches. Pearson,
which has sold its Business Standard stake, is reported to be in talks for a
new venture.
"There's huge investor interest in the growth potential, because the

segment is still quite under-penetrated," said Atul Phadnis, chief
executive of consultancy Media e2e.
Local firms are also seizing the opportunity: Business Standard and
Bennett, Coleman's Economic Times have launched Hindi and Gujarati-
language editions of their financial dailies. Deccan Chronicle Holdings
has launched a business daily to compete with five others, and new
regional-language and city papers are hitting the stands nearly every day.
The boom in advertising revenue is not limited just to print. As new

media grows and controls are eased in television, these will attract
greater investments and advertising revenues. Specialist publications
have a better chance of scoring with advertisers and readers in the
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increasing clutter, says Phadnis. "Niche publications are almost

immediately profitable: Advertising more than makes up for lower
subscriptions, and there are easy synergies with other verticals, like radio
or internet."
Glut
But it's not all good news. The large number of players jostling in the
market place could lead to a drop off in advertising revenues in the
coming years, analysts say. "One of the worries is that publishers are
taking ad revenues for granted," points out Phadnis.
"Everyone thinks it will keep rising, but as early as 2009 we are going to
see a glut in inventory in TV, print and the internet because of so many
players. We will see intense price competition, and smaller firms may be
forced out," he says.
Investors are also chasing only a handful of large media firms, he adds,
nudging up already high valuations: Deccan Chronicle shares trade at
10.3 times forecast earnings, while Jagran Prakashan trades at 19.3 times
and Mid-Day Multimedia quotes at 19.7 times forecast earnings. Rising
newsprint prices are also bumping up production costs.
Still, Conde Nast expects Vogue will break even in its first or second
year of operation compared to an average break-even period of five or
six years in more mature markets, says Alex Kuruvilla, managing
director in India, referring to Europe and the US. "We are optimistic and
bullish," he says of the potential. "But also cautious: In this market, you
have to be smart."
Attracting the attention of vendors who hawk magazines at traffic lights

and getting space on shelves in overcrowded news stands across Mumbai
is not easy for new entrants.
"I am already running out of space," says K.B. Singh, pointing to a low
wooden bench on a busy sidewalk piled high with dozens of glossy
magazines and newspapers. "Where will I put the new ones?"
There are the two main sources of obtaining data to determine readership
of any publication:
 National Readership Survey – NRS
 Indian Readership Survey – IRS
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Here we have some surveys on the basis of market segmentation on all

media include news paper buyers.
 National Readership Survey is a survey on all media, but especially

the print medium, conducted by the National Readership Studies
Council (NRSC) - supported by Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC),
Advertising Agencies association of India (AAAI) & Indian
Newspapers Society.
It investigates the readership of about 80 major Indian publications-
dailies, weeklies, bi-weeklies and monthlies-in over 450+ towns of 57
regions across the length and breadth of the country. The towns selected,
however are publication centers of dailies.
It is claimed to be the most thorough readership survey in the country. It
provides exhaustive data (available to its clients on computer disks)
readership, radio listener ship profile -the socio economic characteristics
of the readers of various publications, of cinema and TV viewers, and of
listeners to radio, as well as the degree of duplication among publications
and between media. Research agencies involved are: IMRB, TNS
Software Mode, AC Nielsen in collaboration with ORG.
 Indian Readership Survey is conducted by the Media Research
Users Council (MRUC). IRS 2009 is the largest continuous media
survey ever conducted (sample size of 229,000 individuals) providing
a single-source database for demographics, media habits and product /
brand usage across 986 towns and 2858 villages in India. The survey
was conducted over two rounds with the field work between
November 2008 and November 2009.
This all-India survey conducted jointly with the Media Research Users'
Council (MRUC) also provides product / brand penetration information
for over 50 different products allowing one to link media habits and
product usage data for adults and children from the age of 12 years.
Both NRS & IRS
Gives media consumption habits, product ownership & consumption,
lifestyle indicators information on Psychographic, macro demographic &
geographic parameters.
Population coverage: 12 years & above
Sample size: over 50
Geographic coverage: Lucknow region
13
According to NRS 2009,

Press adds 34 million readers in the last 2 years,
Press continues to grow, adding 21 million readers between 2006 and
2009,
Over the last 3 years the number of readers of dailies and magazines put
together among those aged 15 years and above has grown from 179 mm
to 200 mm - a growth of 4% every year. (Note: Recently the scope of
NRS has been expanded to include those aged 12 years and above but the
15 years age cut-off has been applied for the sake of comparison with
NRS 2002.)
There is still significant scope for growth, as 314 million people who can
read and understand any language do not read any publication. It is not
just affordability that is a constraint, since 21 million of these literate
non-readers belong to the upscale SEC A and B segments.
According to IRS 2009,
Just when it seemed the print media was booming once again, the Indian
Readership Survey 2009 Round 1 has pricked the bubble. There are few
newsmagazines that have seen any growth most see erosion in readership
Retains its No 1 position among newspapers with 19.07 million readers it
separates Danik Jagran from others just because of its different market
segmentation among customers, Danik Bhaskar follows second with
14.57 million, and Daily Thanthi is third with a readership of 10.23
million. Amar Ujala is still at four with 9.89 million readers.
Malayala Manorama (9.35 million) and Hindustan (9.72 million) have
interchanged positions at number five and six. Lokmat, Eenadu,
Mathrubhumi and Times of India take the seventh, eighth, ninth and
tenth spots with 8.10 million, 7.94 million, 7.65 million, and 7.08 million
readers, respectively. TOI is the only English daily to find a place in the
top 10. Except for Amar Ujala and Hindustan, every other publication in
the top ten list has experienced a marginal decline in readership.
For the IRS 2006 R1 an annual sample size of 2.4 Lakh was covered
spread equally over two rounds. A total of 1,178 towns and 2,894
villages were surveyed. The data represents fieldwork during the full
year Jan-Dec 2005. The mid-point of the survey is June 1, 2005. Being a
continuous survey, the reporting takes place every six months based on a
Moving Annual Total.
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Among magazines, Saras Salil (Hindi) leads the pack with a readership
of 7.36 million. A distant second is Kungumam (Tamil) with 3.76
million, followed by Vanitha with 3.52 million readers. India Today
English is fourth with a readership of 3.51 million. Grihashobha (Hindi)
has moved up a notch to number five, and is followed by Tamil weekly
Kumudam, India Today Hindi, Malayala Manorama, Tamil weekly
Anand Vikatan, and Hindi monthly Meri Saheli. Kungumam , Anand
Vikatan , and Meri Saheli and newcomers in the top ten list.
Most English dailies have seen a fall in readership, though on the whole
any English daily readership has shown an increase from the 17,396,000
in IRS 2005 R2 to 17,435,000 in IRS 2006 R1. Both the top two? the
Times of India and Hindustan Times have seen a decline with the former
dropping from 72.87 lakh to 70.84 lakh and the latter from 35.21 lakh to
35.08 lakh. Third-placed Hindu has increased its readership marginally
from 27.87 lakh to 27.97 lakh. Deccan Chronicle’s too has growth from
10.14 lakh to its current 11.32 lakh. The Telegraph (10.82 lakh), Mid
Day (7.37 lakh), Deccan Herald (6.04 lakh), the Indian Express (5.65
lakh), the Tribune (4.83 lakh), the Statesman (4.22 lakh), the Assam
Tribune (3.45 lakh) all have seen fall in readership.
Among English magazines, number one India Today has dropped by 10
per cent from 38.99 lakh to 35.09 lakh. Sister concern Reader’s Digest
too has seen a 12 per cent fall and is at 23.06 lakh from 26.37 lakh.
Filmfare has seen one the steepest falls its readership fell 21 per cent to
16.71 lakh. Outlook has dropped by 11 per cent and is at 11.44 lakh.
Stardust, too, has dropped and is currently at 10.95 lakh in comparison to
the 13.11 lakh in the previous round.
From women’s magazines, Femina, Women’s Era, Cosmopolitan, New
Woman, Elle and Savvy to special interest titles like The Sport star ,
Auto India, Overdrive, Outlook Traveler, Capital Market, Living Digital,
all have seen a dip in readership, with some titles like PC Quest and
Junior Science Refresher dropping by almost 23 per cent.
According to the survey, the number of households has grown by 1.4 per
cent over 2006 to reach 210 million. Individual growth rate has been
slightly lower than household growth rate at 0.85 taking the total 12 yrs +
population to 784 million. With single age-breaks now available from the
Census, the age group data has been realigned. The proportion of the
total share of 20-29 age group has declined from 25 per cent to 23.6 per
cent.
15
The data shows that the reach of mass media has stagnated in the last
three years. Press reach has been hovering around at 24 per cent, TV at
55 per cent, radio at 21 per cent, and Internet at 1.5 per cent at the all
India level. In urban India, press and TV have declined. The press reach
declined from 42.9 per cent in 2004 to 41.7 per cent in 2006. Though TV
declined from 80.2 per cent to 78.9 per cent in the last three years, C&S
has shown some growth, from 53.5 per cent in 2004 to 54.4 per cent in
2006.
The main source of revenue for any publishing group is advertising. An
advertiser would like to know the facts and figures before investing his
money in advertising. And before investing the money, the advertiser
ought to know how many people buy which publication in which area.
The ABC gives all these vital facts every six months. The ABC figures
are not the outcome of opinions, claims or guesswork, but they are the
result of rigid, in-depth and impartial audits of paid circulations of
member publications by independent and leading firms of Chartered
Accountants working in accordance with the rules/procedures set by the
Bureau.
With more than 30 years of experience, Malayala manorama Group
provides a range of packaging products and direct marketing solutions
for commercial and industrial clients. Its products include stickers,
postcards, coupons, game pieces, puzzles, labels, cartons, blisters and
mailers. The company's products are used for packing DVDs, CDs,
electronic appliances, and coffee and food items. It offers foil stamping,
embossing, die cutting, folding, gluing, shrink wrapping, hand
assembling, contract manufacturing, pouch making, digital printing and
sampling services. The company additionally provides design
consultation, engineering, project management, product fulfillment, Web
portal design, warehousing, distribution and transportation services. It
offers packaging solutions under the MicroLiner brand. The company
serves the foodservice, entertainment, health care and beverage industries.
Malayala manorama Group is a member of the Contract Packaging
Association and the Wisconsin Manufacturer Association.
In a recent survey conducted by the Malayala manorama Company – the
Lucknow leading provider of marketing information and audience
measurement – Living Digital is perceived to be a very interesting
magazine providing the latest news and reviews.
16
COMPANY PROFILE
It's an entrepreneurial journey that has spanned both 'old' and 'new'
economies -- building successful brick-and-mortar businesses to
exploring the frontier world of convergence technologies. About a
quarter-century before the onset of the ICE age, the Philip MathewGroup
made its beginning in the construction business. After building a huge
presence in the realty market, the Group diversified laterally into
manufacturing, financial services and media -- each venture initiated, and
executed, to fulfil the objective of assuming leadership in core areas.
COMPETITORS
Outlook: In October 1995, group company Hathway Investments Private

Limited entered the print media. Outlook, a weekly newsmagazine
headed by Vinod Mehta, galvanised a sluggish market reeling under the
impact of satellite TV. Outlook quickly carved a significant niche for
itself among discerning readers who value its in-depth, investigative
reporting as well as its stylish visual format. Known to be fiercely
independent, Outlook has shaken the establishment on events ranging
from Kargil to Kashmir to cricket, sensitised the reading public to
important issues like big dams, education and gender, and provided an
unremitting focus on South Asian geopolitics. Today, Outlook is the
preferred magazine of 1.5 million readers in India, and sells more than
11.2 million copies over the year.
Outlook Money: In July 1998, the Group launched "Intelligent Investor"

re-christened as "OUTLOOK MONEY" as of 30-Nov-2002, India's first
personal finance magazine, which offers sound strategies for the lay
investor, especially the growing segment of salaried middle and upper
middle-class and self-employed professionals. Its message is clear and
simple: 'Invest well, borrow wisely, spend smartly'. Evidently, that
message has gone down well: the magazine sold upwards of 1,00,000
copies a fortnight within a year. One of its distinguishing characteristics
is that about 93 per cent of readers retain all past issues of Outlook
Money.
the philosophy and beliefs ushered in by Intelligent Investor (the

personal finance magazine that was launched in mid-1998, now known
as Outlook Money). The site has six channels -- Stocks, Mutual Funds,
Loans, Retirement Planning, Taxation and Insurance -- that address
broad areas of the personal finance.
17
Outlook Traveller: Outlook Traveller is a monthly magazine from the

stable of Outlook Publishing India Pvt. Limited and the only significant
magazine aimed at the travel reader. Every month since June 2001 OT
has introduced readers to the wonders of unknown destinations while
also encouraging travellers to take a fresh look at familiar places.
Whether people are planning a holiday, or simply dreaming of one,
Outlook Traveller continues to take them closer.
Outlook Saptahik: Outlook Saptahik, a weekly newsmagazine, was

launched in October 2002 to establish significant presence amongst the
vast Hindi reading audience. The product targets the evolved Hindi
reader keeping their interests, realities & aspirations in mind. Outlook
Saptahik retains the core strengths of Outlook with objective, fiercely
impartial and bold journalism, while brandishing its own identity through
a strong parallel editorial. The magazine is empathetic to its target
audience & is not a translation of its English counterpart.
WEB MEDIA
outlookindia.com: In 1998, Outlook went online as outlookindia.com,

drawing into its fold the vast, nascent readership of ex
interactive tools. The Loans channel alone sports calculators that do all
the number crunching a visitor may want on home, car, personal or
equity loans. outlookmoney.com seek patriate Indians. outlookindia.com
is both Outlook magazine's home on the Internet and an online
publication. Apart from Outlook's print edition in its entirety -
supplemented with links to related articles on its own site and elsewhere
on the Web - outlookindia.com also offers an array of original Web-only
columns and news updates every day with a very lively interactive
section.
outlooktraveller.com: Inaugurated as a web resource in 2000, this travel

Website has since come a long way. Outlooktraveller began by opening
up new vistas in web-driven vacation planning, with its highly focused
editorial features on an array of destinations. Still a highlight of the
website, these are supported by tools and resources that make putting
together your holiday a breeze — from selecting your destination, to
choosing your mode of transport, finding your way around the map,
selecting a place to stay to catching the local festivities, plus ferreting out
the nearest ATM, fuel stop or cybercafe. Here there is something for
everyone; themed vacation ideas from 'A for adventure' to 'W for
wildlife', honeymooners dream destinations, foodies delights, first-person
18
travelogues, a message room where you can exchange notes or ask us for
more info that you want… And don't forget to book your copies of our
international award-winning bestsellers from Outlook Traveller
Getaways, available at a special price when you order on the website. If
you want a sneak preview, there're excerpts from the guide books by
renowned authors, including the likes of Prabhu Ghate, Ruskin Bond and
Jug Suraiya.
outlookmoney.com: outlookmoney.com takes forward spectrum.

Outlookmoney.com comes with many s to provide total solutions to
personal finance issues -- from disseminating information to providing
avenues for e-commerce transactions.
GUIDES:-
THE WEEK Traveller Getaways (travel guides) published from

MALAYALA MANORMA Group is today a recognized, established
and acknowledged premier travel reference guide book in India . In a
span of 5 years, 14 successful titles have been published -
(covering different travel theme destinations, state travel guides,
weekend getaways guides)
- Weekend Breaks (from Delhi / Mumbai / Bangalore / Chennai)

- State Travel Guides (Rajasthan, Goa , Kerala, Uttarakhand, Himachal)
- Trekking Holidays
- Wildlife Holidays
- 101 Pilgrimage Destinations
- Heritage Holidays
THE WEEK traveller getaways is not only for reliable information about
the chosen destination but also for a real understanding of the culture and
workings of that destination. The guide marries text and pictures to
provide the much more elusive qualities: knowledge and discernment.
THE WEEK traveller getaways is a visual treat, reaches to the

aspirational, hi-income and exploratory readers (travellers)
THE WEEK Series
52 Weekend breaks from Delhi: June 2002 the first title proved to be a
landmark in travel books publishing. It was the first travel guide in India
that highlighted the concept of a weekend break, addressing the
significant changes in urban work styles and in the tourism industry over
19
the 15 years. By encouraging a new concept in travel - that of a weekend

holiday - this book has made a path-breaking contribution to the growth
and expansion of the Indian tourism industry in general. Weekend Breaks
from Delhi went through four additional reprints before its second
edition was launched early in 2004.
 Weekend breaks from Delhi 2nd edition: January 2004
 Weekend breaks from Mumbai: April 2003
 Weekend breaks from Bangalore: September 2003
 Holidays in the Hills: June 2003
Heritage Holidays in North & Central India: February 2004
The Layman's Guide to Insurance

The Layman's Guide to Insurance lets you in on facts most insurers and
agents shy away from. A handy book to have by your side while buying
all kinds of life and non-life insurance, it explains the covers relevant to
you, tells you how much to buy, points out the fine print and gives useful
tips so that you get your money's worth of insurance.
The Layman's Guide to Mutual Funds

The Layman's Guide to Mutual Funds tells you everything you need to
know to hitch a profitable ride on these low-maintenance investment
vehicles: the expansive bouquet of products on offer, the important
investment decisions you need to make, the strategies to adopt to squeeze
out extra returns, the players in the market, and much more.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
 Department of Tourism, Government of India Award, National

Tourism Award 2001-2002 awarded to THE WEEK Traveller for
Excellence in Publication.
 THE WEEK Traveller " 75 Holidays in the Hills" won the 2004,
PATA Gold Award
 In 2002-2003 the Government of India recognized "Outlook
Traveller Getaways" as the " Best Travel Publication".
 Weekend breaks from Delhi was in the BESTSELLERS top three,
non fiction category for 14 consecutive weeks in North India
 Weekend breaks from Mumbai was in the BESTSELLERS list top
three for 8 consecutive weeks in West India
20
THE WEEK Awards:
Year Awardee Award Agency Story

2000 JayantMammen Mathew & Maria Abraham SAJA Journalism
Award South Asian Journalists Association Rural reporting
2002 Deepak Tiwari The Sarojini Naidu Prize The Hunger Project
Women in panchayati raj
2007 The Week Media Excellence Award Amity Business
reporting
2007 Dnyanesh V. Jathar Excellence in Journalism Award
RamnathGoenka Foundation Life of AIDS orphans
2008 BidishaGhosal The Statesman Award for Rural Reporting
The Statesman Ltd Sexual exploitation of widows in
Vidarbha
2009 BidishaGhosal IPI-India Award (Shared)International Press
Institute,[23] India Chapter Sexual exploitation of widows in
Vidarbha
2009 KavithaMuralidharan PII-ICRC Award Press Institute of
India & International Committee of the Red Cross Abduction of Tamil
rebels by the Sri Lankan Army
2010 Mathew T. George Excellence in Journalism (International)
Union CatholiqueInternationale de la Presse[24] Robertsonian
translocation among Bhopal gas tragedy victims
2010 Syed Nazakat Finalist for Daniel Pearl International Award
Daniel Pearl Foundation[25] Multiple investigative stories
2010 The Week Gold (Magazine cover design) WAN-IFRA[26]
Cover for Health
2010 The Week Gold (Special issue) WAN-IFRA On 25
years after Indira Gandhi
2011 BhanuPrakash Chandra Gold (Feature photography) WAN-
IFRA Biking through the Himalayas
2015 & 2016 Webby Award Nominee – “Best News Site”
Named one of The Most Notable Magazines From The Last 30 Years
THE WEEK STAFFS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Philip Mathew
Managing Editor: Philip Mathew
Foreign Editor: Ajaz Ashraf
Business Editor: Sunit Arora
Senior Editors: Ajith Pillai, Sunil Menon, Anjali Puri
21
Political Editor: Smita Gupta

Bureau Chiefs: Saba Naqvi Bhaumik (Delhi) Smruti Koppikar (Mumbai)
Books Editor: Sheela Reddy
Photo Editor: T. Narayan
Sr Assistant Editor: S.B. Easwaran
Associate Foreign Editor: Pranay Sharma
Assistant Editors: Namrata Joshi, Manisha Saroop, Arindam Mukherjee,
Lola Nayar, Anuradha Raman
www.THE WEEK..com
Executive Editor: Sundeep Dougal
IT-Manager: Raman Awasthi
Software Engineers: Anwar Ahmad Khan, Manav Mishra
Web Designer: Praveen Uprety
Senior Special Correspondents:

Saikat Datta, Arti Sharma
Special Correspondents:
Rohit Mahajan, Pragya Singh, Chandrani Banerjee, Amba Batra Bakshi
Correspondent:
Shruti Ravindran, Debarshi Dasgupta, Omair Ahmad
Mumbai: Payal Kapadia
Kolkata: Dola Mitra
Bangalore: Sugata Srinivasaraju (Associate Editor, South)
Chennai: Pushpa Iyengar (Bureau Chief)
Chandigarh: Chander Suta Dogra (Bureau Chief, North)
Bhopal: K.S. Shaini
Copy Desk:
Sasi Nair (Deputy Copy Editor), Paromita Mukhopadhyay, Saikat Niyogi
Photographers:
Narendra Bisht (Deputy Photo Editor)
Jitender Gupta (Chief Photographer)
Tribhuvan Tiwari, Dinesh Parab, Apoorva Guptay, Sandipan Chatterjee,
Apoorva Salkade, S. Rakshit (Senior Coordinator), J.S. Adhikari (Photo-
researcher)
22
Design:
Deepak Sharma (Art Director), Bonita Vaz-Shimray, Ashish Bagchi,
Tanmoy Chakraborty (Graphics Editor), Devi Prasad, Padam Gupta
Promotions: Ashish Rozario
Illustrator: Sandeep Adhwaryu, Sorit

Editorial Manager: Sasidharan Kollery
Library: Alka Gupta
BUSINESS OFFICE:
President: Suresh Selvaraj

Vice President (features): Alok Mathur
Vice President (Circulation): Niraj Rawlley
General Managers: Anand Dutt (Advertising)
Asst General Managers : Kabir Khattar (Corp), Rajeshwari Chowdhury
(West), Swaroop Rao (Bangalore), Moushumi Banerjee Ghosh (East),
Uma Srinivasan (Chennai), Rakesh Mishra (Production)
National Heads:
Himanshu Pandey (Business Development), Alex Joseph (Retail)
Regional Managers:
Arokia Raj
Senior Managers: B.S. Johar, Darryl Arahna, Kartiki Jha, Keshav

Sharma, Pankaj Sahni, Rajendra Kurup
Manager (Brands) : Shrutika Dewan

Managers: Ashish Arora,Anindya Banerjee, Anjeet Trivedi, Chetan
Budhiraja, Chetana Shetty, Deshraj Jaswal, D.R. Wadhwa, Gopal K. Iyer,
Indranil Ganguly, Kuldeep Kothari, Mukesh Lakhanpal, Ramesh, Sanjay
Narang, Shashank Dixit, Shekhar Pandey, Vinod Joshi
Head Office
 Eric Bizzak, National Ad Director

Email: bizzak@theweek.com
Phone: 646.717.9513
23
 NanditaVaidyanathan, Marketing Associate

Email: vaidyanathan@theweek.com
Phone: 646.717.9510
 For Subscription Questions, Customer Service

Email: Subscriptions@theweek.com
Phone: 877.245.8151
Printed and published by Maheshwer Peri on behalf of Outlook

Publishing (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Editor: Vinod Mehta. Printed at IPP Limited, Phase-II, Noida and
published from AB-10, S.J. Enclave, New Delhi-110 029.
Total Employees: 19,000
24
SWOT analysis
STRENGTHS:
 Well organized and experienced staff.

 Innovative and customer oriented products.
 Direct approach to the customer.
 Customer satisfaction.
 Strong distribution network.
 Efficient and fast delivery system.
 Good subscription gifts.
 Have separate group for Hindi magazines
WEAKNESS:
 Price of some magazines is high.

 They are reluctant in promoting some of their own products .
OPPORTUNITIES:
 It has many products capturing all sectors information so it has an

opportunity to become a market leader.
 Career 360 is a very good career magazine.
 Tell me Why is a very good kids magazine for GK.
 Magic Pot is a very interesting magazine for kids
THREATS:
 Existing competitors in the market.

 India today has already captured the big mark
 Outlook is giving high competition
25
PROBLEMS OF THE ORGANISATION
Today every organization has got some problems or the other.

Malayala manorama group too has got some problems which are as
under:-
 As a weekly magazine The week has achieved lots of success but

other segments with which it is catering the market has not been
properly targeted. Although it’s a big name in the media industry but
still it has to go a long way to achieve good amount of success.
 Internationally The week group is not a renowned name. Apart from

its foreign tie ups with Marie Claire & Geo, it has not really made an
impact overseas.
 There is fierce competition for The week from its counterpart. For e.g.
India Today is the leading general magazine in India, so in order to
sustain itself in the marker The week should now have to come up
with some new fundamentals.
 Today The week is trying to put some central direction back into its
whole country communication practices, including sales promotion.
Management is painfully aware of the damage "brand management by
calculators" and "commodity promotion" can do to its international
brands and their long-term profitability. Laissez-faire in sales
promotion is no longer considered a virtue at The week.
For some global brands, the importance of consumer behavior in the
marketing mix varies dramatically from one country to another;
illustrates the divergent marketing strategies applied to one consumer
packaged goods brand in five countries during 1987
26
MALAYALA MANORAMA UMBRELLA
The long list of best-selling products are :

1.The WEEK
2.Bashaposhini
3.Karshakashree
4.Manorama Weekly
5.Manorama Annual
6.Vijayaveedhi
7.Vanitha
8.Vanitha Hindi
9.Kalikkudukka
10.Magic Pot
11.Balarama
12.Balarama Digest
13.Amarchitrakatha
27
14.Thozhilveedhi
15.Knowledge Adventure CDROM
16.Hindi Year Book
17.English Year Book
18.Tamil Year Book
19.Malayalam Year Book
20.Bengali Year Book
21.MalayalaManorama Newspaper
28
ABOUT THE PRODUCTS
The week, newsmagazine has partnered with Malayala manorama Group

for marketing & sales in India. The week offers comprehensive coverage
of world events with a global network of correspondents, reporters and
editors covering national and international affairs, business, science and
technology, society and arts and entertainment. It is truly a magazine,
which fuels the global perspective. It has won several awards &
accolades, which makes it the best newsmagazine worldwide. The week
has won the 2005 SOPA award for editorial excellence in magazine
design & is also the proud winner of Excellence in magazines in 2003 &
2004. The week has won more National Magazine Awards than all other
newsweeklies combined.
Latest Circulation and Readership Figures of Malyala Manorama Group

Publications
Publication Circulation
Readership
Malyala Manorama Daily 18,03,288
99,27,000
29
Malyal Manorama Weekly 5,73,772

12,76,000
The Week 1,85,062
2,96,000
Bhashaposhini 15,345 **
Thozhilveedhi 88,000*
5,09,000
Karshakashree 72,000*
1,57,000
English Year Book 2,44,833* **
Hindi Year Book 41,700* **
Tamil Year Book 24,300* **
Bengali Year Book 27,200* **
Malyalam Year Book 27,000* **
Vanitha(Malyalam) 5,92,395
27,24,000
Vanitha(Hindi) 1,49,767
6,26,000
Kalikkudukka 1,12,768
1,26,000
Balrama 1,96,174
10,08,000
Balrama Amar Chitrakatha 16,000*
2,24,000
Magic Pot 1,10,000*
70,000*
Balrama Digest 55,000*
2,41,000*
Onam Annual 45,000* **
Manoram Calender-Malyalam 22,18,500* **
Manorama Calender-Tamil 31,000* **
Manorama Diary 26,000* **
Arogyam 2,00,000*
3,84,000
*Claimed Circulation (Not a member of ABC)
**Not reported in IRS
30
Publications - 2010 Year Price

1 Manorama Daily 1888 4.00
2 Manorama Weekly 1937 5.00
Weekly
3 The Week 1982 20.00
Weekly
4 Bhashaposhini 1892 20.00
Monthly
5 Karshakashree 1995 12.00
Monthly
6 Thozhilveedhi 1997 8.00
Weekly
7 Vanitha(Malyalam) 1975 15.00
Fortnightly
8 Vanitha(Hindi) 1997 25.00
Monthly
9 Balrama 1972 10.00
Weekly
10 Balrama Digest 1999 7.00
Weekly
11 Balrama Amar Chitrakatha 1990 7.00
Fortnightly
12 Kalikkudukka 1994 9.00
Weekly
13 Magic Pot 2000 15.00
Fortnightly
14 Arogyam 2002 14.00
Monthly
15 Tell Me Why 2006 20.00
Monthly
16 English Year Book 1965 160.00
Annual
17 Tamil Year Book 1991 110.00
Annual
18 Malyalam Year Book 1959 100.00
Annual
19 Hindi Year Book 1989 110.00
Annual
20 Bengali Year Book 1996 120.00
Annual
31
21 Onam Annual 1960 50.00

Annual
22 Vishukkani 2002 20.00
Annual
23 Higher Education Directory 2001 100.00
Annual
24 Thiruvabharanam(Malyalam) 2002 20.00
Annual
25 Parpidam 2003 30.00
Annual
26 Fast Track 2005 20.00
Monthly
27 The Man 2004 100.00
Monthly
28 Sambathyam 2006 15.00
Monthly
29 Manorama Panchangam 2006 35.00
Annual
30 Veedu 2003 15.00
Monthly
31 Pachakam 2001 20.00
Annual
32 Vanitha Plus 2005 30.00
Annual
33 Malyalam Calendar 1931 12.00
Annual
34 Hindi Panchang 2002 25.00
Annual
35 Tamil Calendar 2003 15.00
Annual
36 Manorama Diary 1892 55.00
Annual
37 Manorama Pocket Diary 12.00
Annual
38 The Week’s Diary 2002 80.00
Annual
39 Karshakashree Diary 2004 65.00
Annual
40 Ayyappa Diary–Big and Small 15 & 50
Annual
32
41 Kalikkudukka Colouring Book 2010 12.00

Monthly
42 Magic Pot Colouring Book 2010 12.00
Monthly
43 Mayavi 2010 10.00
Monthly
33
PROMOTIONAL OPTIONS OFFERED
 Cover on Cover
The Cover-On-Cover option includes a cover page to be added on the
top and the back of the magazine and the any information or
advertisement that the client wants is printed on this cover. This
information or advertisement can be changed by the client with every
issue. This option is mostly used by Hotels.
 Strip
A Strip consists of a small strip being printed on the cover of the
magazine on the bottom which would contain the advertisement of the
client. The strip option is mostly used by restaurants etc. A strip
option can only be used by a client if the number of copies ordered by
them is more than 1000.
 Flap
A flap, like the strip, is on the cover of the magazine, but unlike a
strip, it is not printed on the magazine but is affixed at the bottom. So,
unlike a strip, both the sides, back and front of a flap can be used by
the client for advertisement. For Example, a client can advertise on
the front side of a flap and give a discount coupon on the back side
 Discount(89%)
Rs.500  26 issues of the week with 9 free issues of health upto 6
months from subscription and one manorama year book 2017 with
free Britannica education DVD.
Rs.400  26 issues of the week with 9 free issues of health upto 6
months from subscription.
More discount for bulk subscription according to numbers.
34
LITERATURE REVIEW
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
“Consumer behavior is the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition,

behavior and environmental events by which human beings conduct the
exchange aspects of their lives.” Companies are interested in consumer
behavior because they can develop marketing strategies to influence
consumers to purchase their products based on consumer analysis”.
The two main objectives of any publishing group are:
 To increase Geographic Dispersion / Circulation
 To Improve Readership profile
This is because the main source of revenue for any publishing group is
advertising and an advertiser would like to know the facts and figures
before investing his money in advertising.
MARKET SEGMENTATION
“To divide a market by a strategy directed at gaining a major portion of

sales to a subgroup in a category, rather than a more limited share of
purchases by all category users.”
Market segmentation is concerned with individual or group differences in
response to specific market variables (e.g. preferences, lifestyles, media
habits, etc.). The strategic presumption is that if these response
differences exist, can be identified, and are reasonably stable over time,
and if the segments can be efficiently reached, the company may increase
its market share beyond that obtained by assuming market homogeneity.
Bases for Segmentation in Consumer Markets
Consumer markets can be segmented on the following customer
characteristics.
 Geographic
 Demographic
 Psychographic
 Behavioralistic
35
Geographic Segmentation
The following are some examples of geographic variables often used in
segmentation.
 Region: by continent, country, state, or even neighborhood
 Size of metropolitan area: segmented according to size of
population
 Population density: often classified as urban, suburban, or rural
 Climate: according to weather patterns common to certain
geographic regions
Demographic Segmentation
Some demographic segmentation variables include:
 Age
 Gender
 Family size
 Family lifecycle
 Generation: baby-boomers, Generation X, etc.
 Income
 Occupation
 Education
 Ethnicity
 Nationality
 Religion
 Social class
Many of these variables have standard categories for their values. For
example, family lifecycle often is expressed as bachelor, married with no
children (DINKS: Double Income, No Kids), full-nest, empty-nest, or
solitary survivor. Some of these categories have several stages, for
example, full-nest I, II, or III depending on the age of the children.
36
Psychographic Segmentation
Psychographics segmentation groups customers according to their
lifestyle. Activities, interests, and opinions (AIO) surveys are one tool for
measuring lifestyle.
Some psychographic variables include:
 Lifestyle
 Activities
 Interests
 Opinions
 Attitudes
 Values
Behavioralistic Segmentation
Behavioral segmentation is based on actual customer behavior toward
products. Some behavioralistic variables include:
 Benefits sought
 Usage rate
 Brand loyalty
 User status: potential, first-time, regular, etc.
 Readiness to buy
 Occasions: holidays and events that stimulate purchases
 Behavioral segmentation has the advantage of using variables that
are closely related to the product itself. It is a fairly direct starting
point for market segmentation.
MALAYALA MANORAMA Group has got different magazines which

cater to different wants of different people. The main magazines which
the customer tends to prefer depends totally upon what the consumer is
seeking for. For eg.-a person who is habitual of reading books on a daily
basis will find THE WEEK as one of the prime choice. The reason for
this preference is that the person is getting this magazine on a weekly
basis. This tells about the segmentation of its magazines.
The region being surveyed by me was Lucknow and a few areas of my
native place along with selling subscription of magazines.
37
OBJECTIVES
 To find out the sale of The week at various Magazine shops

 Identification of new segments and list out potential clients in each
segment
 Generate sales for Malayala manorama group magazines by
increasing circulation in these segments.
 To determine reasons behind opting for The week magazine and to
know the most preferred magazine.
 To determine customer’s perception towards magazine companies
and their expectation form them.
 To study the types of benefits provided by The week magazine.
 To know negative things in The week.
 To know the level of competitors for The week.
38
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
 A large number of new players have entered the market and are trying
to gain market share in this rapidly improving market.
 The study deals with The week in focus and the various segments that
it caters to.
 The study then goes on to evaluate and analyze the findings so as to

present a clear picture of trends in the magazine sector.
 -This project will help the company to know its market reputation and
know about their different buyer in the market.
 By using this project the company may find some remedy in its
marketing research and can also find the behaviors of customers on
their different types of magazines.
As the project mainly deals with the reader’s psychographic profile about
The week magazines and its competitors, the organization may utilizes
this work to focus its readers with greater perfection.
39
Consumer Behaviour
Customer is profit, all else is overload....

This chapter provides an introduction to consumer behaviour. Consumer
is the most important person. The business revolves around the
consumer.”
After finishing this chapter one should be able to understand:
• What is meant by consumer behaviour

• Consumer decision-making process
• Marketing strategy and consumer behaviour
• Indian consumer and his characteristics
INTRODUCTION
All of us are consumers. We consume things of daily use, we also

consume and buy these products according to our needs, preferences and
buying power. These can be consumable goods, durable goods,
speciality goods or, industrial goods.
What we buy, how we buy, where and when we buy, in how
much quantity we buy depends on our perception, self concept, social
and cultural background and our age and family cycle, our attitudes,
beliefs values, motivation, personality, social class and many other
factors that are both internal and external to us. While buying, we also
consider whether to buy or not to buy and, from which source or seller to
buy. In some societies there is a lot of affluence and, these societies can
afford to buy in greater quantities and at shorter intervals. In poor
societies, the consumer can barely meet his barest needs.
The marketers therefore tries to understand the needs of different
consumers and having understood his different behaviours which require
an in-depth study of their internal and external environment, they
formulate their plans for marketing.
Management is the youngest of sciences and oldest of arts
and consumer behaviour in management is a very young discipline.
40
Various scholars and academicians concentrated on it at a much later

stage. It was during the 1950s, that marketing concept developed, and
thus the need to study the behaviour of consumers was recognised.
Marketing starts with the needs of the customer and ends with his
satisfaction. When every thing revolves round the customer, then the
study of consumer behaviour becomes a necessity. It starts with the
buying of goods. Goods can be bought individually, or in groups. Goods
can be bought under stress (to satisfy an immediate need), for comfort
and luxury in small quantities or in bulk. For all this, exchange is
required. This exchange is usually between the seller and the buyer. It
can also be between consumers.
Consumer behaviour can be defined as the decision-making
process and physical activity involved in acquiring, evaluating, using and
disposing of goods and services.This definition clearly brings out that it
is not just the buying of goods/services that receives attention in
consumer behaviour but, the process starts much before the goods have
been acquired or bought. A process of buying starts in the minds of the
consumer, which leads to the finding of alternatives between products
that can be acquired with their relative advantages and disadvantages.
This leads to internal and external research. Then follows a process of
decision-making for purchase and using the goods, and then the post
purchase behaviour which is also very important, because it gives a clue
to the marketers whether his product has been a success or not.
To understand the likes and dislikes of the consumer,
extensive consumer research studies are being conducted. These
researches try to find out:
• What the consumer thinks of the company’s products and those of
its competitors?
• How can the product be improved in their opinion?

• How the customers use the product?
• What is the customer’s attitude towards the product and its
advertising?
• What is the role of the customer in his family?
The following key questions should be answered for consumer research.
A market comes into existence because it fulfils the needs of the
consumer. In this connection, a marketer has to know the 70’s framework
for consumer research. Taking from an example of soap.
41
Consumer behaviour is a complex, dynamic, multidimensional process,

and all marketing decisions are based on assumptions about consumer
behaviour.
Marketing strategy is the game plan which the firms must
adhere to, in order to outdo the competitor or the plans to achieve the
desired objective. In formulating the marketing strategy, to sell the
product effectively, cost-benefit analysis must be undertaken.
There can be many benefits of a product, for example, for
owning a motor bike one can be looking for ease of transportation, status,
pleasure, comfort and feeling of ownership. The cost is the amount of
money paid for the bike, the cost of maintenance, gasoline, parking, risk
of injury in case of an accident, pollution and frustration such as traffic
jams. The difference between this total benefit and total cost constitutes
the customer value. The idea is to provide superior customer value and
this requires the formulation of a marketing strategy. The entire process
consists of market analysis, which leads to target market selection, and
then to the formulation of strategy by juggling the product, price,
promotion and distribution, so that a total product (a set of entire
characteristics) is offered. The total productcreates an image in the mind
of the consumer, who undergoes a decision processwhich leads to the
outcome in terms of satisfaction or dissatisfaction, which reflects on the
sales and image of the product or brand.
Figure gives in detail the shaping of consumer behaviour,

which leads a consumer to react in certain ways and he makes a decision,
keeping the situations in mind. The process of decision-making varies
with the value of the product, the involvement of the buyer and the risk
that is involved in deciding the product/service.
The figures shows the consumer life style in the centre of the
circle. The consumer and his life style is influenced by a number of
factors shown all around the consumer. These are culture, subculture,
values, demographic factors, social status, reference groups, household
and also the internal make up of the consumer, which are a consumers.
emotions, personality motives of buying, perception and learning.
Consumer is also influenced by the marketing activities and efforts of the
marketer.
All these factors lead to the formation of attitudes and needs of the
consumer.
42
MARKET ANALYSIS
Market analysis requires an understanding of the 5-Cs which are

Customer, Comapany, Competitor, Collaborator and the Context. A
study is undertaken to provide superior customer value, which is the
main objective of the company. For providing better customer value we
should learn the needs of the consumer, the offering of the company, vis-
a-vis its competitors and the environment which is economic, physical,
technological, etc. A consumer is anyone who engages himself in
physical activities, of evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods
and services.
A customer is one who actually purchases a product or service from a

particular organisation or a shop. A customer is always defined in terms
of a specific product or company.
However, the term consumer is a broader term which emphasises not

only the actual buyer or customer, but also its users, i.e. consumers.
Sometimes a product is purchased by the head of the family and used by
the whole family, i.e. a refrigerator or a car. There are some consumer
behaviour roles which are played by different members of the family.
All the consumer behaviour roles are to be kept in mind but, the
emphasis is on the buyer whose role is overt and visible.
(a) The Consumer
To understand the consumer; researches are made. Sometimes

motivational research becomes handy to bring out hidden attitudes,
uncover emotions and feelings. Many firms send questionnaires to
customers to ask about their satisfaction, future needs and ideas for a new
43
product. On the basis of the answers received, changes in the marketing

mix is made and advertising is also streamlined.
(b) The External Analysis (Company)
The external analysis may be done by the feedbacks from the industry
analyst and by marketing researches. The internal analysis is made by the
firm.s financial conditions, the quantum of the sales, force and other
factors within the company. The study of these factors leads to a better
understanding of the consumer and his needs.
44
(c) The Competition:
In the analysis of the market, a study of the strengths and weaknesses of

the competitors, their strategies, their anticipated moves and their
reaction to the companies. moves and plans is to be made. The company
after getting this information, reacts accordingly and changes its
marketing mix and the offering is made in a manner which can out do the
competitor. This is a very difficult process and it is easier said than done.
To have correct information about the competitors and to anticipate their
further moves is the job of the researcher.
(d) The Conditions :
The conditions under which the firms are operating has also to be
seriously considered. The factors to be studied are the economy, the
physical environment, the government regulations, the technological
developments, etc. These effect the consumer needs, i.e. the deterioration
of the environment and its pollution may lead to the use and innovation
of safer products. People are health conscious and are concerned with
their safety. Hence, in this case, safer products have a better chance with
the consumer. In case of recession, the flow of money is restricted
greatly. This leads to the formulation of different marketing strategies.
(e) Market Segmentation:
The market is divided into segments which are a portion of a larger

market whose needs are similar and, they are homogeneous in
themselves. Such segments are identified with similar needs.
(f) Need Set:
By need set, it is meant that there are products which satisfy more than
one need. An automobile can fill the transportation needs, status need,
45
fun needs or time saving needs. So the company tries to identify the need
sets which its product can fulfil. Then we try to identify the groups who
have similar needs, i.e. some people need economical cars, others may go
for luxury cars.
(g) Demographic and Psychographic Characteristics:
These groups are identified and they are described in terms of their
demographic and psychographic characteristics. The company finds out
how and when the product is purchased and consumed.
(h) Target Segment:
After all the above preliminary work is done, the target customer group
known as the target segment is chosen, keeping in mind how the
company can provide superior customer value at a profit. The segment
which can best be served with the company’s capabilities at a profit is
chosen. It has to be kept in mind that different target segments require
different marketing strategies and, with the change in the environmental
conditions the market mix has to be adjusted accordingly.
Attractiveness of the segment can be calculated by marking

the various criterion on a 1 to 10 scale as given below:
46
Marketing Strategy:-
Strategies are formulated to provide superior customer value. In

formulating market strategies, the 4-ps are directed at the target market.
47
() Product:
Product is anything that is offered to the consumer which is tangible and

can satisfy a need and has some value.
(2) Price:
Price is the amount of money one must pay to obtain the right to use the
product.
(3) Place:
The goods can be distributed by many channels. These could be retailers,

wholesalers, agents or by direct selling. Distribution outlets play an
important role in reaching the goods to the consumer. They provide, time,
place and possession utilities. Some goods need to be marketed through
the channels or the middleman. Others can be marketed directly by the
company to the actual consumer.
(4) Promotion:
Promotion is the means of changing the attitudes of the consumer, so that

it becomes favourable towards the company.s products. Various means
of promotion are advertising, personal selling, sales promotion and
publicity.
48
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Segmentation: Markets consist of buyers, and it is common sense that

those buyers differ in one or more respects. They may differ in how they
want a product delivered, where they want to buy it, their available
resources, their buying needs, or their location. Any of these variables
can be used to segment a market.
Psychographic variables have been a popular segmentation variable,

particularly in consumer marketing of fast moving goods. In
psychographic segmentation, buyers are grouped according to variables
such as Social Class, Lifestyle, or Personality.
Targeting: It is selection of one or more segments identified by the
company to pursue. Thus for knowing the buying behavior of the group
of individuals, the effective mass should have to be aptly targeted.
Positioning: Development of distinct image for the product or service in
the mind of the consumer, an image that will differentiate the offering
from competing ones and squarely communicate to the target audience
that the particular product or service will fulfill their needs better than
competing brands. Successful positioning centers around two key
principles: communicating the benefits the product will provide rather
than the products features. And the second being Unique Selling
Proposition should be focused on.
To achieve the objectives of the project following methodology will be
used.
 Sources of Data:
The research work was being conducted through field work with the help
of questionnaire.
The research is based on the use of the following:-
Primary data
o For collecting the primary data a survey was done through
questionnaire, which was personally given to customers and was
filled through interacting with different people.
o Studying the different types of products being offered.
49
o Finally analyzing the responses of various the respondents.

Secondary data
For theoretical overview, secondary data was collected from magazines,
newspaper and different website.
 Sampling Methodology:
o Sampling Technique:
Initially, a rough draft was prepared keeping in mind the objective of the
research. A pilot study was done in order to know the accuracy of the
Questionnaire. The final Questionnaire was arrived only after certain
important changes were done. Thus my sampling came out to be
judgmental and convenient.
o Sampling Unit:
The respondents who were asked to fill out questionnaires are the
sampling units. These comprise of employees of MNCs, Govt.
Employees, Self Employed, PG students etc
o Sample size:
The sample size was restricted to only 50 which comprised mainly of

people from different regions of Delhi. Time constraint forced me to take
a small set of sample size.
o Sampling Area :
The area of the research was LUCKNOW and few respondents were
taken from my native place Hazaratganj, IT market, indra nagar C Block,
Gomti Nagar . The reason for choosing the specified was that the
maximum readership of magazine was found here and as far as our
training work was concerned it was is the same area, so Lucknow proved
to be the beneficial place to conduct the research work.
50
PARAMETERS FOR SEGMENTS

IDENTIFICATION
Various parameters were studied before identifying the segments where

the two new products of The week would be sold.
The parameters for identifying these segments were as follows:
 Price of the Product
This is the most important parameter as the price of the product
determines in which segment that product will be sold successfully. The
week being priced at Rs 30/- is a premium product and therefore the
segments for selling Newsweek would be premium segments like hotels,
credit card companies for their Gold or Platinum customers. like most of
its competitors and so the segments identified would be different from
Newsweek.
 Product Profile
The product profile determines the profile of its readers. Therefore for
every magazine, segments are identified based on its contents as to
whether the readers will be businessmen, corporate people, students or
housewives. The week being an indian newsmagazine being a targeted
towards people .
 Benefit to the client
The segments should also be identified based on the benefit that they will
bring to the client. The clients here are not individuals but organizations.
Hence, the organizations will only buy the magazines if they see some
benefit in incurring an extra cost for buying the magazines. Magazines
help a client to strengthen their relationship with their customers. Hence,
the segments that should be targeted should be those organizations that
are in a competitive field and look forward for new and unique ways in
which to communicate with their customers.
 Requirements of the Client
The week has certain company policies and the requirements of the
client should be in sync with those company policies. For example, The
week does not take a bulk order for the number of copies less than 50.
Another is that the strip option is not offered if the number of copies is
less than 1000. Also, the minimum number of issues per year should not
be less than 12.
51
SEGMENTS IDENTIFIED
 Schools and Colleges

 Coaching Institutions
 Hotels
- Rooms
- Public Areas
- Business Lounges
- Fleet of Cars
 Car Rentals
 Restaurants
 Parks
 Service Centers
 Hospitals
 Clinics
 Pharmaceutical Companies
52
PROCEDURE ADOPTED
 Prepare a comprehensive list of prospective clients in each segment

After the segments have been identified, a list of prospective clients is
made in each segment with the help of Internet and Telephone
Directory services. The list would consist of all details of the clients
including Name, Address, and Telephone Number etc.
 Gather information about a client and the key decision maker
This step consists of gathering information about the client as to
whether it s currently taking any magazines and at what prices. Also
the key decision maker in the company is determined and his/her
details are found out.
 Take appointment
The next step involves calling up the decision maker in the client
organization and making him interested in the product and taking an
appointment with him/her.
 Meet the client
Once an appointment has been taken, the next step is to meet the
client on the appointed time. The appointment should begin with
asking the client to explain their business in detail. The Client should
be asked if he is buying any other magazines and if yes, at what price.
The client should also be asked if magazines are already a part of his
business. Then the client should be explained in detail the various
features of the product and in what ways it is better than the
competitors. The various options like cover-on-cover, strip and flap
are offered to him. Sample copies are shown to display the various
options.
 Send Proposal
If the client shows interest in the proposition offered to him, the next
step is to send a proposal. The proposal consists of various details like
price, option being offered and other details about the delivery,
payment in advance etc. The proposal is either send through mail or
courier.
 Follow Up
Once the proposal is sent, follow up is required until the decision
maker in the organization takes a decision regarding ordering and the
number of copies to be ordered.
53
 Settle Terms and Conditions

Once the client shows his readiness to order, the terms and conditions
are settled with him with regard to number of copies, delivery –
whether it is single point or multipoint, payment in advance, time
period of subscription. Also, price, if negotiated by the client, is
settled. A customized sample copy is also shown to the client and his
approval is seeked.
 Contract
Once all the terms and conditions are settled, the agreement is made.
The agreement consists of all the terms and conditions agreeable to
both the parties and is duly signed by both the parties i.e. the client
and The week
 Delivery and POD
The client gives all the details of delivery to The week as to whether
the magazines are to be delivered to the client itself or directly to the
customers. If the magazines are to be delivered directly to the
customers, the all the address details of the client’s customers are
taken. After the magazines are delivered, the Proof of Delivery (POD)
is shown to the client for verification. If any copies are undelivered
due to any reason, the client is informed about it .
54
IMPLEMENTATION
COACHING INSTITUTIONS
Coaching Institutions like IMS, Career Launcher etc. which prepare

students for MBA entrance exams like CAT, MAT etc. were identified as
the next segment. The initial idea proposed to these coaching institutions
was that since the first thing that a coaching institution tells its students
to do read business magazines and newspapers. So, it was proposed by
The week that the institutions provide the The week magazine to each of
its students along with the study material provided to them. However, the
institutions rejected the idea with the argument that this would only lead
to an extra cost and would not help them increase their business as these
students would have already joined the institution. So, another idea
proposed by The week was that the copies of with the advertisement of
the institution with the cover-on-cover option would be distributed to
prospective students who are aspiring to clear CAT and other MBA
entrances in various LU and Engineering colleges in Lucknow and
NCR’s. This idea appealed as in this way the institution would be able to
communicate with its prospective students.
1. Time Coaching Institution
Key Person : Mr. Arvind Passey
Designation : Head – Marketing
Time Institute wanted a half a page write-up in the magazine for their
institute in the magazine in every issue.
2. IMS
Key Person : Mr Anubhav
They do send out mailers to their students and they were ready to do a
pilot issue with The week.
3. Times IAS
Key Person : Ms Meenaksi
Ordered few copies and other students are on pending.
4.Shashank Sir Classes
Key Person Mr. Shashank
Follow up required.
55
HOTELS
Hotels that were targeted are 5-star hotels of Lucknow and NCR. The
Hotels are interested in The week because of the fact that The week is an
newsmagazine and is recognized and read by people all over the world.
The guests that stay at these hotels are mostly foreigners and hence the
hotels take the magazine for keeping at the following places:
-Rooms
- Business Centers/ Lounges
- Public Places
- Cars
The option offered to the hotels was cover-on-cover wherein they could
advertise about the hotel on the cover at the bck and front of the
magazine
1. Lineage
Key Person : Mr. Sai Shank
56
No of copies : 100
2. Hotel Atithi
Key Person : Mr. Chamatkar Sharma
Ordered 50 copies for sampling first time.
3: Comfort in
Key Person : Mr. Sanjay
Comfort in was already into a contract with Indian Book Depot which
was marketing Newsweek in India. They would be approached again for
renewal of the contract with The week now being marketed by The week
4. Intercontinental Grand
Key Person : Mrs. Anjali Chatt
No of copies : 100
Intercontinental Grand had a contract with IBD earlier which is being
renewed with The week
5. Gomti
Key Person : Ms. Ayesha Ghutghutia
Designation : PR Executive
Already purchasing Newsweek
6. Jemini
Key Person : Ms. Shahu
Jemini was in the process of appointing an agency for managing the
advertising and promotion work for jimini They committed that once the
agency is finalized, they would be interested in buying the product
7. clarks
Key Person : Mr. Pawan
Clarks was already into a contract with Time till October 2006 and did
not have the budget for another magazine. However, they said they
would be interested in taking The week once the contract with Time
expires.
57
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
The idea proposed to school & colleges is to increase the knowledge of

their students in every field, in choosing their future regarding career,
their updation etc. Main focus in colleges was manorama yearbook 2017.
1. Sainik School
Key Person: Mr. V. Rana
Product : The week along with yearbook
Convenced for 100 copies, follow up recquired.
Sainik School is Already subscribing in other branches in other districts.
2. Kendriya Vidyalaya
Key Person : Mr. Arun Yadav
Product : The week along with yearbook
No. Of copies : 80
This was the first time in KV, they liked our product for their students
and suggested for other branches. Proposal has been sent in other
branches, follow up required.
58
3. Rani Laxmi Bai

Key Person : Mrs. Nirmal Tandon
Already subscribed for India today and Outlook. Sample leaved for
confirmation from students.
4. Lamartiniere
Key Person : Mr. McFarland
Highly convinced from the product. 50 orders placed, Some in waiting.
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES CONVERTED
59
OVERALL
RESULTS
60
FINDINGS OF THE MARKET SURVEY

Markets Studied are:
 Hazratganj Market
 C Block, indra nagar.
 IT Market
Area : Lal Bag Market
No. of Retailers : 4
1. Durga News Agency
2. Neha News Stand
3. SP News Centre
4. Sharma Book Stall
Area : Aliganj Market
No. Of Retailers: 2
1. Star Book Shop
2. Om Book Shop
Area : C Block, Market
No. Of Retailers : 3
1. The Book Centre
2. Book Palace
Area : AMINABAD Market
No. Of Retailers: 3
1. News Agency
2. Arora magazine Centre
3. Raju Magazine Centre
Area : NISATGANJ MARKET
No. Of Retailers: 1
1. Rachna Book Shop
Area : Gareshganj Market
No. Of Retailers: 2
1. Jagdish Book Depot
2. Bharat Book Centre
61
AGGRESSIVE SELLING
Goods are produced for market. Manufacturers have to make efforts to

sell all they produce. When the manufacturers uses various sales efforts
to obtain increased sales volume for his product it is called aggressive
selling or offensive selling. The sales efforts which a manufacturer
makes to retain his customers i.e. to protect his already established
market against against his competitors is termed as defensive selling. In
contrast to this aggressive selling is concerned with the sales efforts
made with the express objective of selling more by expanding the market
for the product of the selling firm.
Aggressive Selling and Defensive Selling :-
Aggressive selling is based on the answer to the question how much does
the firm gain (in term of sales with profit) by using this method defensive
selling is based on consideration as to how much the firm will lose if it
does not use this method increase of sales can be obtained from two
sources:-
1. New customers if the market is expending.
2. From the competitors i.e. those consumers who were purchasing
similar product of competiting firms, if the market for the product is
static.
According to H. Whitehead :-
"In case of an expanding market all the firm may stand to gain by
following the methods of aggressive selling but if the market is static
manufacturer of a new market will have to be much more aggressive to
capture the established market of competitors".
When Aggressive selling is resorted ?
Usually manufacturer of a new product has to do aggressive selling :-
1. When the product has been improved.
2. When the manufacturer’s product is supervisor in quality to the
product of the established competitor.
3. When the total market for the product or line of product to expanding.
4. If the manufacturer’s share of the market is comparatively small.
5. If the manufacturer has unused production capacity with heavy
investment in plant and equipment he will like to develop the demand for
his product rapidly so that demand for his product is equal to the
optimum production capacity of his plant ; and
62
6. When primary demand for a product must be created and provision

must be made in the channel of distribution to educate consumers
regarding the new product and to instruct them in its use.
63
METHOD OF AGGRESSIVE SELLING
Sales promotion efforts use for aggressive selling may be divided in two
classes.
1. Trade Promotion.
2. Consumer Promotion.
1. Trade Promotion :-
Under trade promotion methods special incentives are offered to the
trader to buy products of the firm. Such incentive may take one or more
of the following firm :-
(a) Cash Allowance :-
A definite percentage of discount is allowed on the purchase of given
unit of a product.
(b) Extra Product :-
Instead of giving any cash allowance extra product is given with each
unit of product ordered. For instance if a box normally contains 20 Cakes
of Soap, special box contains 25 cakes may be made and sold at the same
price as that of the box of 20 cakes.
(c) Gifts :-
Various gifts are awarded in return for an order of a particular magnitude.
2. Consumer Promotion :-
Under consumer promotion method special incentives are offered to the
consumers to buy the firms product. The more prominent amongst such
incentives are as following.
(a) Coupons :-
A coupon of a giving value is sent to the consumer. By presenting this
coupon to the retailer consumers can purchase a particular product
mentioned on the coupon at a reduced price. The retailer sells the
products mentioned. In the coupon to such consumer (consumers
presenting the coupons) under and agreement with the manufacturer at a
price lower than the user retail price. Thus the consumer get the benefit
of reduced price to the extent of the value of the coupons.
(b) Self Liquidating Offers :-
64
Under this system, the firm offers an article at an attracting price if the
consumer send a given sum of money accompanied by a given number of
box tops from the packages of a particular product the benefit to the
consumer is that he receives the articles at a bargain price.
(c) Bargain Packs :-
Under this system a product is sold at a reduced price for a short period
Bargain pack method encourages new consumers to try the product. It is
also helpful in obtaining large displays in the shops.
(d) Sampling :-
The method involves giving the product or a small quantity of the
product to a consumer free with the hope that the customer will be
favourable impressed with its actual use and will eventually become a
regular purchaser of the product. A firm selling new product or an
extensively improved product finds this methods useful. Also a firm
whose market is hold by competitors whose free sampling almost
expensive.
The above mentioned methods may be reinforced by adopting.

(i) Direct method of selling through.
(ii) Offer of door to door selling.
(iii) Hire purchase and installment payment methods of selling and by
forming combination.
OTHER METHODS OF AGGRESSIVE SELLING
(i) Employment of ‘Missionary Salesman also known as Promotional

Salesman’. These salesman call upon retailers and aggressively promote
a product.
(ii) Instead of using wholesalers, the firm may develop its own sales
force to call directly on retailers.
(iii) The firm may follow a compromise method by employing a
manufacturer’s agent and giving him a large enough commission to
encourage him to sell product intensively and aggressively.
(iv) New territory exploitation sales promotion has a particularly
important role in developing the company’s product in new territories.
(v) Increment and promotions.
65
DATA INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS
Data Interpretation Technique

The data analysis technique was purely Quantitative in nature, taking the
held or various kinds of diagrammatic presentations, which were: -
 PIE – CHARTS
 COLOUMN CHARTS
 BAR GRAPHS
a) Sampling Technique:
The Technique of sampling adopted was Area Sampling in which we
first divide the total area into a numbers of smaller geographical clusters
then a number of these smaller areas were randomly selected and all
units in these smaller areas were randomly selected and all units in these
small areas were included in the samples.
b) Sampling size
Sample size was 50 customers in consideration.
66
Analysis & Interpretation
Q 1: WHICH MAGAZINE DOES YOU READ?
Interpretation:- The responses of the sample size shows that

the maximum number of people are in a habit of reading
general magazine and amongst those sports, fashion magazine
also constitutes a good portion. Business magazines are also
preferred by the respondents.
Q2: HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW ABOUT THE WEEK?
Interpretation:- The most common source from which the

respondents get to know about THE WEEK are Newspaper
stalls & friends. This constitutes about 80% of the
respondents. This shows that the week is lacking behind
somewhere in advertisements.
67
Q 3: DO YOU THINK THE WEEK COVERS ALL THE CURRENT

AFFAIRS AS A WEEKLY MAGAZINE?
Interpretation:-A good number of respondents agrees with the

fact that THE WEEK i.e. the general magazine of malayala
manorama Group is a good magazine and covers all the
essential part which a general magazine should process.
Q 4: DO YOU THINK THAT THE WEEK IS A BETTER

MAGAZINE ?
Interpretation:-This shows that people is getting good

amount of competition from its counterpart.
Q5: FOR HOW MANY YEARS YOU HAVE SUBSCRIBED FOR?
68
Interpretation:-From the total of 100 respondents,52 has

subscribed for The week one magazine or the other. Out of the 52
subscribed ones,36 subscribers have subscribed for 1 year which
covers more than 70% of the total subscribers. This shows that the
customers usually go for 1 year subscription and then they proceed
to larger ones.
Q6: WHAT COST RANGE DO YOU PREFER ?
69
Interpretation:
The pie diagram shows that 36% of the people between the age group of
20-25 are interested to purchase magazines between the cost price of Rs
30-50 and hold the major portion.
Q7: PLEASE TICK MARK THE PREFERENCE WHICH

PERSUADED YOU TO SUBSCRIBE FOR THE MAGAZINE.
Interpretation:-This response from the respondents shows that the

content & articles of the magazine has got the priority for them.
Although,the consumers are also getting influenced by the good
amount of return they are getting in the form of gifts. Price being on
the lower side shows that the consumers are not getting effected
from the price.
Q8. ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE DELIVERY OF THE

MAGAZINES?
Interpretation:-It is often seen that the worst thing from which a

magazine company is getting effected is poor delivery of its
magazines. But it does not seem very much a problem in this aspect
70
for The week. For respondents it is a good experience as far as

delivery of magazines in concerned.
Q9: WHAT ABOUT YOU’RE EXPERIENCE WITH THE

CUSTOMER CARE SERVICE?
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Satisfied Not satisfied Haven't called
Interpretation:- The customer care service of the The week

magazine seems to be a good experience for the subscribed
respondents. A good number of respondents are satisfied with the
service.
* NOTE:-Haven’t called here means that the subscribers are highly
satisfied with the customer care service.
Q 10: PLEASE RATE THE FOLLOWING ATTRIBUTE OF THE WEEK ON A

SCALE OF FIVE.
5 – Excellent, 4 – Very good, 3 – Good, 2 - Fair 1 - Worst (Please tick)
S. No. Attributes 5 4 3 2 1
1. Articles & contents 47 27 14 8 1
2. Price 25 46 25 3
3. Advertisements 28 36 32 2
4. Free Gifts 45 28 17 5
5. Page quality 42 32 16 2
71
6. Design 20 25 20 7
7. Availability 22 36 15 3 2
8. Retailers recommendation 26 31 14 8 6
9. Image 22 26 18 9
10. Resale value 24 17 29 16 4
Q 11.WOULD YOU RECOMMEND OTHERS FOR THE WEEK MSGAZINES?
Q. 12. WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON FOR BUYING

MANORAMA YEARBOOK 2017?
72
Q.13.WILL YOU THE MANORAMA YEARBOOK NEXT YEAR?
Q. 14.WHAT EXTENT DOES THE FREE GIFT PROVIDED ALONG WITH

MANORAMA YEARBOOK INFLUENCE YOU TO BUY A COPY OF YOUR
YEARBOOK?
73
Q 15. YOUR OCCUPATION?
Q16. YOUR AGE GROUP
74
Q17. YOUR GEOGRAPHIC REGION
Q18. WHAT IS YOUR GENDER?
75
Q19. WHAT IS YOUR MONTHLY INCOME?
76
FINDINGS
 The USP of The week is its price and USP of The week is that it’s
an newsmagazine. This is so because all sales of The week were
on the basis of its price and that of the week was on the basis of its
International reputation.
 Magazines are not a critical product for any organization. Hence,
magazines have to be pushed for sales. This is because a client will
usually use a magazine for communicating with its client and
advertising. However, there are numerous other channels available
for this purpose. Therefore, a salesman selling magazines can only
be successful only if he is proactive.
 The client will only be interested in placing an order for the
magazine if it adds value to the service being provided by it to its
customers without adding to its cost. The options offered by the
week i.e. Cover-on-Cover, Flap and Strip were very useful as they
enhanced the service being provided by the clients to its customers.
 Mostly customers having studying background are interested in the
week .
 People dealing in stock market gave good response.
 The delivery is not up to mark.
 The week is preferred in good amount.
 Common people especially employees prefer The week.
 The week banners/posters were not displayed at any of the shops.
One of the retailers said that the week has never sent any
promotional material to them.
 The week circulation was not found to be satisfactory by few of
the retailers
 Mostly organisation’s have The Week in their library so there is no
need of subscription of magazine by employees.
 Manorama yearbook is printed in English and demand in north
India is for Hindi publish.
 Health magazine is acting as a waste for normal people.
77
SUGGESTIONS
 Company should be emphasis on more effective advertisement.

 The most important task is that company should give its priority to
coverage. If the company could cover home towns, cities and
villages then it will create their more magazines readers.
 The company should enhance its awareness among many people
by mobile road.
 The policy or company should be simple. And bring more
transparency.
 The company should up date marketing department in town offices
for the benefit of the subscribers as well for the company.
 Hindi publication should be brought in north India.
 Image should be created in customers mind by use of big
advertisement methods to let north Indians know about the product.
 Company should appoint some executives to make strong
relationships with customer.
 Follow Up is very crucial for any call and hence should be done
very thoroughly by the sales executive. As magazines is not a
critical product for any organization and have to be pushed for
sales, hence if regular and thorough follow-up is not done, the
client may soon loose interest in the product and forget it. Hence,
the sales executive should try and maintain a relationship with the
client and pursue him with great interest.
 A personalized sample copy taken on the first appointment would
appeal more to the client and also save time. If a sales executive
takes a customized sample copy on the first appointment, it would
definitely create a greater impact on the client as he would be able
to visualize better the effect that the product is going to have on its
customers.
78
LIMITATIONS
 More than one decision makers

Since there were more than one decision makers in some client
organizations, the decision making process was very long n
sometimes stretched to as long as 15-20 days because approval had
to be taken from all the decision makers. For example, clubs have
board and any such decision has to be first approved by each and
every member of the board.
 Clients were very apprehensive since one of the magazine was
new
As the week is a new magazine, clients were apprehensive as to
whether its customers would like the magazines as far as content is
concerned.
 Off season for some of the clients, some clients like hotels have
off-season where they do not have much guest. Hence, they do not
want to incur this extra cost during the off-season
 Clients perception about the week magazine and brand loyalty
Some clients do not have a good perception about The week and
hence they think that the new magazine from the the week Group
would also be not good.
 Clients bound by budget or contract with some other magazine
A client is already having a contract with some other magazine
and its budget does not permit to take an additional magazine
 Some of the persons were not so responsive.

 Possibility of error in data collection because many of customers
may have not given actual answers of my questionnaire.
 Sample size is limited to customers of the week publishing India
Pvt. ltd.
 The sample size may not adequately represent the whole market.
Some respondents were reluctant to divulge personal information

which can affect the validity of all responses
79
CONCLUSION
The job of marketer is to meet and satisfy target customers needs and
wants but “knowing customer" is not a simple task. Understanding the
buying behaviour of the target market for its company products is the
essential taskfor the marketing dep’t. The job of the marketers is to
“think customer” andto guide the company into developing offers, which
are meaningful andattractive to target customers and creating solutions
that deliver satisfactionto the customers, profits to customer and benefits
to the stakeholders.Marketers must study the customer taste, preferences,
wants, shopping andbuying behaviour because such study provides the
clues for developing thenew products, price, product changes, messages
and other marketing mixelements. Hence it is very important that a
company knows it’s consumer’s area of interests and develop product
accordingly
 The Segments covered in the project are Golf Courses,

Premium Clubs, Coaching Institutions, Hotels and Car Rentals
 Other Segments that could be opened are :
- Investment Firms
- Pharmacy Companies
- Builders
- Credit Card Companies
- Hospitals / Nursing Homes
- MBA Institutes
- Builders
 There are good chances, the week have if it consider the suggested
suggestion
80
REFERENCES
Albanese, P.J., (1989), “The Paradox of Personality in Marketing: A

New Approach to the Problem”, in Bloom,P. et al. (Eds), Enhancing
Knowledge Development in Marketing, American Marketing
Association,Chicago, IL, pp. 245-9.
Bagozzi, R.P., Gopinath, M. and Nyer, P.U. (1999), “The role of

emotions in marketing”, Journal of theAcademy of Marketing Science, 27
(2): 184-206.
Bhattacherjee, A. (2001), “Understanding information systems

continuance: An expectation confirmationmodel”. MIS Quarterly, 25 (3):
351-370.
Chang, L-C. (2005), The Study of Subculture and Consumer Behaviour:

An Example of Taiwanese UniversityStudents' Consumption Culture,
Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge. Hollywood, 7
(2):258-265.
Engel, J.F.; Kollat, D.T. and Blackwell, R.D. (1968), Consumer

Behavior, Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Ferber, R.. (1977), Selected Aspects of Consumer Behaviour: A Summary

from the Perspective of DifferentDisciplines. Washington: U.S.
Government Printing Office.
Fischer, E and Arnold, S, (1994), “Sex, gender identity, gender role

attitudes, and consumer behaviour”,Psychology & Marketing, 11 (2):
163-183.
Fishbein, M. (1967), “Attitude and prediction of behaviour”. In M.

Fishbein (Ed.), Readings in attitude theoryand measurement (pp. 477-
492). New York: John Wiley.
Foddy, W (2001), Constructing questions for interviews and

questionnaires: Theory and practice in socialResearch, Cambrifge
University Press.
Book:
NareshMalhotra, Marketing research an Applied orientation
81
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books referred:
 Marketing Management by Philip Kotler.
 AMA Handbook for satisfaction by Alan Dutka.
 Consumer behavior by Leon G.Schiffman &
Leslie Lazar Kanuk
Website visited:
 www.theweek.com
 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/the week_(magazine)
82
ANNEXTURE
QUESTIONNAIR
Q 1: DO YOU HAVE ANY THE WEEK SUBSCRIPTION?

 Yes
 No
Q 1: WHICH MAGAZINE DOES YOU READ?
 News magazines
 Fashion magazines
 Business magazines
 Sports magazines
 Traveling magazines
 ANY OTHER________(Specify)
Q2: HOW DID YOU COME TO KNOW ABOUT THE WEEK?

 Newspapers/Stalls
 Friends/Relatives
 Advertisements/Promotions
 Internet
 Hoardings
Q 3: DO YOU THINK THE WEEK THE WEEK COVERS ALL THE

CURRENT AFFAIRS AS A WEEKLY MAGAZINE?
 Agree
 Strongly Agree
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
 Can’t say
Q 4: DO YOU THINK THAT THE WEEK IS A BETTER MAGAZINE?

 Agree
83
 Strongly agree
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
 Can’t say
Q5: FOR HOW MANY YEARS YOU HAVE SUBSCRIBED FOR?

 5Yrs
 3 Yrs
 1 Yr
 Any Other______ (Specify)
Q.6: WHAT COST RANGE DO YOU PREFER?

 10-20
 20-30
 30-50
 50-100
 100-200
Q7: PLEASE TICK MARK THE PREFERENCE WHICH

PERSUADED YOU TO SUBSCRIBE FOR THE MAGAZINE.
Price
Gifts
Popularity
Content & articles
Other offers
Q8. ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE DELIVERY OF THE

MAGAZINES?
 Satisfied
 Not satisfied
84
 Sometimes on time & sometimes not
Q9: WHAT ABOUT YOU’RE EXPERIENCE WITH THE

CUSTOMER CARE SERVICE?
 Satisfied
 Not satisfied
 Haven’t called
Q 10: PLEASE RATE THE FOLLOWING ATTRIBUTE OF THE

WEEK ON A SCALE OF FIVE.
5 – Excellent, 4 – Very good, 3 – Good, 2 - Fair 1 - Worst (Please tick)
S. No. Attributes 5 4 3 2 1
1. Articles & contents
2. Price
3. Advertisements
4. Free Gifts
5. Page quality
6. Design
7. Availability
8. Retailers recommendation
9. Image
10. Resale value
Q11.WOULD YOU RECOMMEND OTHERS FOR THE WEEK

MAGAZINES?
 Yes
 No
85
Q12: WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON FOR

BUYING MANORAMA YEARBOOK 2017?
 To prepare for entrance examination
 As a reference book
 My coaching institute suggested it
 Bought it for a library
 To prepare for competitive exams
 Gift for a relative/friend
 As a prize for an event
 To improve my GK
 To prepare for a quiz
 To get a copy of Britannica DVD
Q13: WILL YOU BUY THE MANORAMA YEARBOOK NEXT

YEAR?
 Definitely
 Maybe
 Maybe not
 Definitely not
Q14: WHAT EXTENT DOES THE FREE GIFT PROVIDED ALONG

WITH MANORAMA YEARBOOK INFLUENCE YOU TO BUY A
COPY OF YOUR YEARBOOK?
 Fully
 Partially
 Neither nor
 Did not influence
Q15. YOUR OCCUPATION

1) Business
2) Service
3) Student
86
4) Any other
Q16. YOUR AGE GROUP

1) 20-30
2) 30-35
3) 35-45
4) Above 45
Q17. YOUR GEOGRAPHIC REGION

1) Urban
2) Rural
3) Semi urban
Q18. WHAT IS YOUR GENDER?

 Male
 Female
Q19. WHAT IS YOUR MONTHLY INCOME?

 Less than 5000
 5001-10000
 10001-20000
 20001-30000
 30001-40000
 40001 and above
87

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SHRI RAMSWAROOP MEMORIAL GROUP OF

Summer Training Project Report

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF

FOR THE SESSION

Under Guidance of: Submitted by:

Mr. Vijay Singh Mayank Panday

Department of Management 1612270050

SRMGPC, Lucknow M.B.A 3rd Semester

Place:Lucknow Mayank Panday

S. No. Title Page No.

The two main objectives of any publishing group are:

Print Media, as anyone can understand is one of the most important

confusion on its status. The launch of a choice private FM radio stations

EARLY YEARS OF THE PRINTING MEDIA:-

impression, justifiable to a great extent, was created that journalism was

WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN INDIA DURING THE

transmitting and decoding messages secretly through the network of

FIRST PRINTING PRESS IN INDIA:-

THE FIRST INDIAN NEWSPAPER:-

THE MAJOR INDIAN LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER:-

THE INDIAN PRESS AT INDEPENDENCE AND

desirability of re-examining the trends in the light of basic issues. In

Now, the publisher is preparing to launch its

From specialist magazines on whiskey, golf and parenting, to regional-

Print publication advertising revenues in India generated Rs 9,400 crore

Growing prosperity in rural areas is also encouraging demand for

Revenue for newspapers and magazines in India, where reading at least

one newspaper in the morning is sacrosanct, grew at an average rate of

Early investments included Independent News and Media's 26 per cent

"There's huge investor interest in the growth potential, because the

The boom in advertising revenue is not limited just to print. As new

increasing clutter, says Phadnis. "Niche publications are almost

Attracting the attention of vendors who hawk magazines at traffic lights

Here we have some surveys on the basis of market segmentation on all

 National Readership Survey is a survey on all media, but especially

According to NRS 2009,

Outlook: In October 1995, group company Hathway Investments Private

Outlook Money: In July 1998, the Group launched "Intelligent Investor"

the philosophy and beliefs ushered in by Intelligent Investor (the

Outlook Traveller: Outlook Traveller is a monthly magazine from the

Outlook Saptahik: Outlook Saptahik, a weekly newsmagazine, was

outlookindia.com: In 1998, Outlook went online as outlookindia.com,

outlooktraveller.com: Inaugurated as a web resource in 2000, this travel

outlookmoney.com: outlookmoney.com takes forward spectrum.

THE WEEK Traveller Getaways (travel guides) published from

- Weekend Breaks (from Delhi / Mumbai / Bangalore / Chennai)

THE WEEK traveller getaways is a visual treat, reaches to the

THE WEEK Series

the 15 years. By encouraging a new concept in travel - that of a weekend

The Layman's Guide to Insurance

The Layman's Guide to Mutual Funds

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

 Department of Tourism, Government of India Award, National

THE WEEK Awards:

Year Awardee Award Agency Story

THE WEEK STAFFS

Political Editor: Smita Gupta

Senior Special Correspondents:

Sasi Nair (Deputy Copy Editor), Paromita Mukhopadhyay, Saikat Niyogi

Promotions: Ashish Rozario

Illustrator: Sandeep Adhwaryu, Sorit

Library: Alka Gupta

President: Suresh Selvaraj