THE ECONOMIC TIMES

CASE STUDY CHALLENGE

Background:
The Economic Times (ET) is India’s leading business daily newspaper. Launched in 1961, ET has
not only been a chronicler of India’s economic journey in the past five decades, but a cheerleader
of its success and a champion of its unbounded potential. With a wide width and depth of
coverage, ET is not just a business paper but a complete read for businesspersons. It is read by
working professionals and entrepreneurs, CXOs and young executives, newsmakers as well as
students.

ET has continuously evolved over the years in content and relevance. The newspaper now
includes segments on startups, young leadership, e-commerce, sports, politics, etc. in addition to
its core coverage of business, economy, markets and finance.*

While ET is the definitive daily business read for all, readership among students remains low. A
key business challenge faced by ET is to increase relevance and interest amongst B-school
students.

Case objective:
Develop an integrated marketing plan (including Digital and On-ground) which will address the
following objectives:

1. Increase readership of ET among B-school students

2. Increase subscription of ET newspapers in B-schools

* Please refer to Annexures for details on sections.

Annexure 1: Sections & Pages in ET

Business of Brands for media, ad
and marketing and sales
professionals and students
Power of Ideas is a favourite with
entrepreneurs, Govt agencies,
Academia, Incubators/Accelerators,
Investors, Foundations, Corporations
etc.
Personal Tech for tech freaks and
gadget lovers
Money and Banking is consumed by
banking professionals and students
Companies for retail investors, I-
banks, asset managers, CFOs
Economy is for banking
professionals, Consultants,
Economists, Bureaucrats, CEOs
Career and Business Life for young/mid
management professionals, Leaders, HR
heads, Project Managers, Students
Edit page, World View, Sports page
and Special features are consumed by
C-suite, Entrepreneurs, Businessmen,
Self Employed Professionals and other
business professionals
Pure Politics targeted at think-tanks,
politicians and C-suite executives
Personal Finance advices on tax
planning, wealth management, etc
Markets and Finance is consumed
heavily by I-bankers, Money managers,
PE firms, VCs, etc
Commodities page is a must-read for
businessmen, traders, primary product
manufacturers and related industry ilk
Annexure 2: ET Product advertising