Case Study of Times of India

The TOI is a reputed English-language daily newspaper in India. It was launched on November 3, 1838, in Mumbai by a British syndicate as 'Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce'. In 1859, the Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce was merged with the Bombay Standard and Chronicle of Western India to form the Bombay Times & Standard

During the mid-1990s, TOI was criticized for promoting 'yellow journalism' by sensationalizing news, exaggerating news events, promoting its own brands, plagiarism, etc. Critics charged that in a bid to improve its circulation, TOI was concentrating on efforts like introducing colored pages, celebrity articles, and film-related news rather than taking care of the deteriorating quality of its content. Although the idea to launch the campaign was initiated in 2007, it took four months for TOI to develop the Teach India program. The campaign was launched on July 6, 2008. It was divided into two phases.

Though TOI was one of the largest circulated newspapers in the world, it was criticized for promoting 'yellow journalism'. In order to build its brand image, TOI adopted a social marketing strategy and projected itself as an agent of social change by launching a series of social campaigns highlighting social issues. One of them was 'Teach India'. The 'Teach India' campaign was launched on July 6, 2008, with the objective of providing education to the unprivileged children in India and eradicating illiteracy. The campaign was inspired by TOI's earlier initiative 'Lead India' launched in August 2007.

Experts remained divided in their opinions regarding the 'Teach India' campaign. Some social activists commended the campaign for its noble cause and opined that TOI had adopted a genuine approach in initiating social changes in India which was more than just a marketing campaign. A volunteer of Teach India Joshua Immanuel, said, the "Teach India campaign had already brought many changes. The success of the Teach India campaign in 2008 led to its revival in 2009. The registration process for the second phase of the campaign began in December 2008 and continued till February 2009. The Teach For India program planned to cover smaller cities like Lucknow, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad, other than major metro cities. Starting with Mumbai and Pune, Teach For India recruited outstanding college graduates and young professionals, from all academic majors and careers, to teach for two years in under-resourced schools.

According to the feedback received from the 'Lead India' campaign, India would not be able to lead unless its populace was literate and that there was a need for citizens to come forward and contribute to the cause. It was for this purpose that the Teach India campaign was launched. The campaign was divided into two phases. The first phase invited citizens of the country to volunteer with a non-government organization (NGO) in their locality and spend two hours a week teaching underprivileged children. The second phase, which started at the end of 2008, selected students from top educational institutes all over the country who were willing to dedicate two years to teaching the underprivileged.

To execute the campaign, TOI tied up with select NGOs in the field of education in multiple cities across India. Corporations, schools, and social organizations also lent their support to the campaign. The campaign was promoted through print, television, online, outdoor and on-ground events. While the campaign won some of the most prestigious advertising awards, experts remained divided in their opinion on whether TOI had adopted a genuine approach to initiating social changes in India or whether it was just a marketing gimmick to enhance the brand image of the Times Group

Questions:

-         What are the various issues and challenges is social marketing.

-         Define the role of cause-related marketing in enhancing brand image.

-         Suggest the ways to make the “Teach India” initiative more sustainable.