Mumbai Mirror

Lets understand a few recent and important developements in Newspaper Industry, particular to Mumbai !

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The Indian Express has bought a 10% stake in Mid-Day for a little over Rs 25 crore. Times already holds about 8% stake in Mid-Day. Mid-Day is numero uno Mumbai Tabloid.

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DNA and Hindustan Times plan mega launch for Mumbai Morninger ! Daily Morninger has been a fiercely fought market between two major players i.e. Indian Express and Times of India.

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Times Group launches Daily Mirror ! Sold as Reflection of Mumbai in Compact form !

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Bennett Coleman and Company (B&C) which happens to be the mammoth print media organisation in India is also publisher of several big publications like Times of India , Economic Times, etc. For the years, B&C have always behaved like a big brother of the newspaper market making it sure they always use the upmarket symbol for all their products.

How upmarket ??? Loksatta which marathi newspaper from Express stable and Maharashtra Times which a marathi morninger from Times stable is compared by Times salesman as follows ... Sir, Maharashtra Times goes to all the top class and high quality readers whereas Loksatta zopadpatti mein jata hai ! So the point that I’m making is all about upmarket positioning of all Times’ products as against the other competing products.

Mirror is no exception ! Times has deliberately avoided the strategy of labeling the Mirror as a tabloid. A tabloid typically carries a low market image world wide even it is read with greater anxiety when compared with the morningers.

Mid-Day which is the favorite tabloid of Mumbai is the undisputed leader of the market. To avoid ’’DIRECT’’ competition with Mid-Day, Times has labelled Mirror as newspaper in Compact form !

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How compact ? Mirror is ....

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So Mirror is ... as compact as Mid-Day !

So Mirror is ... as small as Mid-Day !

So Mirror is ... as reflective of mumbai as Mid-Day !

So Mirror is ... as informative as Mid-Day !

So Mirror is ... as juicy as Mid-Day !

So Mirror is ... sold same times when Mid-Day is sold i.e. Morning in afternoon.

So Mirror is ... almost same when we compare no. of pages.

So Mirror is ... as accomodative as Mid-Day when it comes to juicy gossips, local crime, entertainment, astrology, cartoons, sports, nation, politics and bigger pie for classifieds !

So Mirror is ... another platform for Times to advertise their all other businesses as National events !

So Mirror is ... as ....... as Mid-Day !

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Price : Gimmick of Invitation price ! Mirror is priced at Rs. 2 as against Mid-Day Rs. 3 ! Times seems to have easily forgotten the Asian Age Re. 1 story where the newspaper lost its reader base when the invitation price was jacked up from Re. 1 to Rs. 2 !

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So Mirror is .... Mirror of Mumbai and Mirror of Mid-Day !

So Mirror is .... Reflection of Mumbai and Reflection of Mid-Day !

So Mirror is .... mirror of Mumbai and photocopy of Mid-Day !

So Mirror is .... Mirror of Mumbai and carbon copy of Mid-Day !

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Carbon copy ??

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I still feel Mid-day is better option even a Rs. 3 !

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So Mid-Day is Good. is it ?