PROBLEM STATEMENT

HOW TO IMPROVE SALES OF TITLI, A CHILDRENS MAGAZINE,

WHICH IS GOING DOWNWARDS.

DIAGNOSIS OF THE SITUATION

CURRENT MARKET SCENARIO

TITLIS SALES DECLINED BY 40% IN 1990 SINCE REACHING ITS PEAK SALES IN
1987

DEMAND FOR CHILDREN'S MAGAZINES DECLINED BY 56% IN 1989 AS

COMPARED TO THE NUMBERS IN 1986

TITLIS MARKET SHARE WAS TO 47% IN 1989, UP FROM 26% IN 1989,

PRIMARILY DUE TO DISCONTIUATION OF A COMPETITOR MAGAZINE,
CHILDRENS DELIGHT

DIAGNOSIS OF THE SITUATION (CONTD.)

TARGET SEGMENT AND READER PROFILE

CURRENT TARGET SEGMENT IS 5-12 YEARS, 70% OF THE READERS OF TITLE

BELONG TO THIS SEGMENT (AS PER EXHIBIT 5)

IT IS OBSERVED THAT CHILDREN UPTO THE AGE OF 14 READ TITLI AND 20%
OF THE READERS BELONG TO THE AGE GROUP OF 12-14, WHICH IS NOT
TARGETTED BY THE PUBLISHERS (AS PER EXHIBIT 5)

DIAGNOSIS OF THE SITUATION (CONTD.)

READING HABITS

AS PER EXHIBIT 8, PREFERENCE FOR READING INCREASES WITH AGE

AS PER EXHIBIT 6, LAPSED READERSHIP RATES IS AROUND 50% FOR

CHILDREN ABOVE 10 YEARS OF AGE. THIS CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO A HIGH
PREFERENCE FOR WATCHING TV (APPROX. 65% AS PER EXHIBIT 8)

DIAGNOSIS OF THE SITUATION (CONTD.)

OTHERS

TITLI IS PERCEIVED AS A MAGAZINE FOR CHILDREN BETWEEN 8-12 YRS.

OLDER CHILDREN LOOK AT IT AS CHILDISH. PARENTS CONSIDER IT AS LIGHT
READING AND FELT IT DID NOT ADD MUCH VALUE

AS PER EXHIBIT 7, PREFERENCE FOR READ ALOUD STORIES IS VERY LOW.

THIS CONTENT IS TARGETED TOWARDS 3-5 YR OLDS, WHO CONSTITUTE 10%
OF READERS. ALSO, PREFERENCE FOR QUIZ IS LOW. THIS CAN BE
ATTRIBUTED TO THE FACT THAT TITLI IS NOT PERCEIVED AS AN INFORMATIVE
MAGAZINE

ALTERNATIVES
EXTEND THE TARGET SEGMENT FROM THE CURRENT 5-12 YEARS TO 5-14
YEARS AS THEY TOO ENJOY READING THE MAGAZINE

TARGET HOUSEHOLDS WITH INCOME LESS THAN 12,500 AS THEY FORM A

LARGE SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION AND THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF
READERS OF CHILDRENS MAGAZINES LIES IN THIS POPULATION

DECISION AND ACTION PLAN

EXTEND THE TARGET SEGMENT TO INCLUDE 13 AND 14 YEAR OLDS

ESTIMATED POPULATION OF 13-14 YEAR OLDS IS 18 LAKHS

CURRENTLY, TITLIS READERSHIP INCLUDES 82,000 READERS ON THE 1314 YEARS BRACKET

INCLUDING THEM IN THE TARGET SEGMENT WILL HELP CHANGE TITLIS

PERCEPTION OF BEING A CHILDRENS MAGAZINE AND MAY ALSO REDUCE
THE READERSHIP LAPSE RATE

DECISION AND ACTION PLAN (CONTD.)

THIS GROUP HAD LESS LEISURE TIME, BUT READERSHIP PREFERENCE IS
HIGHEST FOR THIS AGE GROUP.

SOME MODIFICATION OF CONTENT SUCH AS REMOVING READ ALOUD

STORIES AND INCLUDING NEW CONTENT WHICH IS INFORMATIVE IN
NATURE. SINCE SCIENCE MAGAZINES ARE POPULAR IN THIS SEGMENT, A
SECTION PERTAINING TO THAT CAN BE INCLUDED.

THIS WILL ALSO CHANGE THE PERCEPTION AMONG PARENTS WHO

DISMISS TITLI AS LIGHT READING

CONTINGENCY
TO FURTHER INCREASE VISIBILITY, THE PUBLISHERS CAN TRY TO GET A
FOOTHOLD IN LIBRARIES, BE IT SCHOOL OR OTHERWISE. INCLUSION IN
LIBRARIES IN SCHOOLS WILL HELP PROMOTE IT AMONG CHILDREN AND MAY
LEAD TO AN INCREASE IN SUBSCRIBER BASE