MAM
Ad war between Times of India and Hindu gets uglier
MUMBAI: The war between the two print titans has got even uglier with The Times of India hitting hard at The Hindu in a new ad campaign. The splash created by The Hindu’s ‘Stay Ahead of the Times’ campaign seems to have finally elicited a response from The Times of India, heating up the ad war further.
The Chennai edition of the TOI carried a copy on 3 February that stated: “We congratulate the competition for finally waking up to the Times of India.”
The copy went on to say that the flagship news daily from Bennett, Coleman and Co Ltd (BCCL) enjoyed reacting to the competitor’s recent campaign and looks forward to them following its footsteps in connecting with the readers.
It concluded by saying, “We now look forward by emulating our approach to connecting with readers, led by a new editor and CEO who’ve cut their teeth at the TOI. We wish them good morning and good luck.”
Taproot India handles the creative duties for TOI and is behind this particular ad as well.
Considering that The Hindu campaign focused on the trivialisation of content in print journalism, BCCL CMO Rahul Kansal said, “We at TOI believe in searching and operating on the middle ground and establishing a reader connect. We carry news that is relevant to different sections of the reading masses and not only for those interested in serious information.”
Reacting to the new ad, The Hindu Group VP advertising Suresh Srinivasan told Indiantelevision, “We do not know what to make of this ad. It has appeared in a publication that is anyway going to reach the TOI readers only. The most I can say is that we are amused. Also, by the ad’s logic, every school and college in the country should stand up and take credit for training professionals in the field out there.”
The Chennai edition of the TOI was launched on 14 April 2008 and has been trying to catch up with the forerunner The Hindu since then. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulation (January-June 2011), The Hindu’s circulation in Chennai is 356,826 copies, followed by the Deccan Chronicle at 243,581 and the New Indian Express at 89,546.
Since the TOI Chennai edition is not registered with the ABC, accurate data regarding the daily’s circulation figures could not be attained.
The ad war started about four months back with TOI taking potshots at the mundane content of The Hindu and asking readers to ‘Wake up to the Times of India’.
In response, The Hindu created a campaign that elucidated that it’s content is much more relevant in this globalising age and is not “Bollywoodised” or “trivialised” in any way.
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Hindu wants to stay ahead of ‘The Times‘
MAM
Schneider Electric launches One Unit Mission for Women’s Day
Green Yodha 2.0 urges every Indian household to save one unit of electricity daily.
MUMBAI: Schneider Electric just flipped the switch on savings because this Women’s Day the brightest idea isn’t a new bulb, it’s turning one unit off. Schneider Electric launched the second phase of its Green Yodha initiative, ‘One Unit Mission’, on International Women’s Day 2026, calling on every Indian household to save at least one unit of electricity daily. The campaign was flagged off in Delhi by chief minister Rekha Gupta, actor and sustainability advocate Bhumi Pednekar, and other dignitaries.
Rekha Gupta said, “Delhi’s journey towards clean, resilient growth begins with how efficiently we use the energy we already have. Green Yodha 2.0 reminds us that every citizen is a stakeholder in India’s energy future, and saving one unit of power today is an act of nation-building for tomorrow.”
Schneider Electric India zone president, MD & CEO Deepak Sharma added, “India is entering a decade of unprecedented growth, and that growth will require enormous amounts of energy. The real challenge is not just how much power we produce, but how intelligently we use it. If every Indian household saves just one unit of electricity a day, the impact would be equivalent to planting billions of trees or taking millions of cars off the road.”
Schneider Electric India, vice president of marketing Rajat Abbi noted, “Sustainability becomes real when it is simple and measurable. The One Unit Mission is about turning awareness into everyday action.”
In FY 2023–24, India’s energy-efficiency programmes (PAT, UJALA, S&L, SLNP, CAFÉ) collectively saved 53.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent, avoided 321 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions, and reduced energy expenditure by Rs 2 lakh crore equivalent to nearly 6 per cent of national primary energy supply.
The initiative aligns with government efforts on efficient cooling, appliance standards and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s state-level SEEI FY 2024 framework, emphasising demand-side efficiency as a cost-effective complement to new generation capacity.
In a nation sprinting toward brighter, bigger tomorrows, Schneider isn’t selling more power, it’s quietly handing every household a daily superpower: the ability to save one unit and help light up a cleaner, more efficient future, one thoughtful switch at a time.
