Sagnik Ghosh, Head of Creative Strategy, Innovation, Branded Content, and Trade Marketing for Response at The Times of India Group, tells us how The Times of India Group brands use trust to create brand value in the backdrop of ASCI’s very recently released Annual Complaints report that revealed how only the mass media Print and Television demonstrated the highest compliance levels at 97% with ASCI advertising guidelines.
On the future and ever-expanding world of Print advertising, Ghosh shares how the medium aims to remain relevant by maintaining voluntary compliance and adhere to ASCI’s guidelines, and highlights the diverse offerings of the TOI Group that cater to all brand communication needs, while always keeping the credibility and trust of readers front and centre. It is also significant to note that per ADEX data for FY 23-24, approximately 18,000 display advertisers placed their trust in print and advertised across all TOI Group publications.
The Advertising Standards Council of India’s recently released Annual Complaints Report has revealed that as high as 97% of the ads carried on the Print and Television media complied fully with the ASCI guidelines for advertising, as compared to a significantly lower compliance rate of 75% for ads on Digital in the same period. And this was voluntary compliance… What are your views, your reaction to such compliance with ASCI’s advertising standards and guidelines?
Print as a medium has always upheld the highest standards of advertising trust and integrity, and the recent ASCI Annual Complaints Report is a testament to that. Print media comprised only 11% of the total complaints, which amounted to more than 10,000 in number, as opposed to digital, which was the source of 85% of all complaints.
The compliance practices in place in mediums like Print and TV establish a discipline that is unmatched by newer media, which is why voluntary compliance in these two mediums remained at a remarkable 97%.
How do Print, and The Times of India brands in particular, distinguish themselves from competing channels in terms of their offerings?
The world of print advertising is vast and ever-expanding, with offerings that are diversified enough to cater to all brand communication needs.
Right from our flagship English publications, The Times of India and The Economic Times, to our language products, Navbharat Times, Maharashtra Times, Ei Samay, and Vijay Karnataka, we provide advertisers with impactful platforms to reach out to the India of today. And we do this in the most engaging way possible with our Times Innovation Lab, boasting 150+ possibilities, and our business solution think tanks.
Yes, they do some wonderful work, provide very relevant and effective solutions to marketers. Tell us more about them.
We have a Red Cell which conceptualizes path-breaking on-ground events like the L&T Sea Bridge Marathon, Happy Streets, Fresh Face, Organ Donation Drive and many more.
Our Grey Cell hosts industry-leading events through The Economic Times, such as the ET Start-Up Awards; and the Green Cell actions social change through brand participation with IPs like the TOI Green Drive.
All these components together facilitate brands to communicate across platforms and create maximum engagement. This massive array of offerings makes The Times of India brands stand out amongst competitors.
How do The Times of India Group brands use trust to create brand value?
Time and again, Print has proven to be the most trusted medium of brand communication in the country. With rigorous standards and protocols in place, every piece of news is thoroughly vetted before it makes it onto our pages.
People’s trust in Print news extends to brands, so we provide them with a safe, credible environment to deliver their message while also maintaining transparency, as newspapers clearly demarcate editorial content and advertisements.
Moreover, our group publications have stringent editorial policies that ensure the highest journalistic standards.
As per the Trust Index by Reuters, The Times of India was the most trusted brand among all print publications in 2023. Trust in print ads (86%) is higher than any other medium (Nielsen report: Trust in Advertising 2020), which goes to show that readers trust the medium through and through – be it news or ads.
How was the last financial year for The Times of India publications in terms of advertising?
As per ADEX data for FY 23-24, approximately 18,000 display advertisers placed their trust in print and advertised across all our publications. These belong to varied sectors ranging from automobiles and real estate to FMCG and Healthcare, which goes to show that print is a versatile medium with offerings that appeal to brands across industries.
Across sectors of enterprise, industry leaders have vouched for the effectiveness that Print advertising lends to their marketing efforts. Also, our business solution units of Red Cell, Grey Cell and Green Cell have achieved healthy growth.
How do you see your role as one of the leaders in Print media in the context of the recent ASCI report?
For many decades, the Times of India Group has been the flagbearer of India’s Print medium. We take pride in creating opportunities for brands to make the most of the medium, while maintaining our status as a credible voice for the nation. The reaffirming evidence in the latest ASCI report adds to our confidence and pushes us to look for even more avenues to connect with our readers and deliver value to our brands.
In addition, our print innovations and on-ground solutions add a lot of newness and offer opportunities for engagement to our advertisers.
Some super-active proponents of digital would have us believe that the best look at Print today is what one would see in the rear-view mirror, but we believe Print is not only here to stay, but grow as well. What’s your view? What does the future hold for Print, and how does the medium aim to remain relevant with the times?
The unique attributes of India as a market profoundly contribute to the success of print in the country.
As a country with a growing English-speaking audience and improving literacy, English has become more than just a mode of communication; it is now an aspirational lifestyle choice. The newspaper provides a rich interface with that language. Unlike Digital, which shows you content ‘similar’ to what you like, Print as a medium enables you to explore and discover, opening your mind to greater possibilities.
For many Indians, reading the newspaper in the morning is a beloved daily habit and their first window to the day’s influx of information. When this information comes from a reliable source, such as Print, it resonates more deeply and intensifies the motivation to take action.
This is also evidenced in the forecast for the print medium as per the latest Madison Advertising Report, which holds that Print continues to maintain a high share of overall media in India compared to global trends, with India’s share nearly 5 times that of global. As readers continue to place their trust in us, we keep pushing for greater innovation and impact, introducing brands and readers to new ways to interact. This way, we see print’s relevance only increasing in the years to come.
