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Outlook’s vice president (advertising), R Rajmohan
says, “Monday to Friday coverage makes Outlook a complete news
weekly. What we miss in our hurry to hit the stands on Friday, actually
never gets covered in the magazine as it's stale by the next week.
We are in the business of news and current affairs. It really doesn't
matter to the reader whether the magazine is released on Friday
or Saturday morning. What matters is how much more of the week you
are covering."
On the origination of the initiative by Outlook, Rajmohan
adds, “India Today had a mail shot about the 'Friday
release' claiming that to be an advantage. We felt that competitive
edge lies in the fact that we have an extra day to cover news/events
of the week. We thought of putting things in perspective through
a mail shot from the same web site. However, we are sustaining this
activity, of communicating this definite competitive edge, through
a print campaign which breaks on Saturday. In fact, point of sale
(POS) materials are already up for the last five days.”
Outlook briefed Triton to convert its rival’s idea
of hitting the stands on Friday into a competitive advantage. “In
doing so (through new Outlook campaign), Outlook would
own the plank of being a comprehensive newsweekly, reporting all
the news till Friday for the reader to devour over Saturday and
Sunday. This would be unlike the competitors hasty approach of meeting
a dateline at the expense of comprehensive news,” says Triton
Communications executive director Vivek Srivastava.
According to Triton, the media strategy is to utilise in-house
publications as well as all leading dailies to convey the message
to Outlook’s current and prospective readers, highlighting
the fact that early on the news stands for a weekly means lesser
current news and analysis.
“The campaign tries to portray this move of India Today
as another desperate move by a cornered, besieged leader who
is faced with a formidable competitor in Outlook. The key
strategic thought is to reinforce the brand value of Outlook, to
ensure that it is the reader who gets full information on happening
in a working week Monday to Friday. Friday is important for news
as it is the last day of the week for business and central government,
the day for blockbusters release on box office, and so on,”
adds Srivastava.
The campaign aims to strengthen Outlook's brand values of
being bold, incisive and non-partisan and committed to complete
news coverage.
On the mail shot, Srivastava says, “The mail shot - 'Outlook
Agrees...' was an opening shot meant to turn the tables on India
Today by saying that yes best things shouldn't be hurried especially
news coverage. Outlook will cover everything till Friday
and reach its readers complete and fresh on Saturday."
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