A brief overview of Print, Newspaper, Magazines and Advertising

Print Media
Print media is one of the oldest and basic forms of mass communication. It includes newspapers, weeklies,
magazines, monthlies and other forms of printed journals. A basic understanding of the print media is
essential in the study of mass communication. The contribution of print media in providing information and
transfer of knowledge is remarkable. Even after the advent of electronic media, the print media has not lost
its charm or relevance. Print media has the advantage of making a longer impact on the minds of the
reader, with more in-depth reporting and analysis.

History of Print Media

In ancient Rome, Acta diurna were published prior to 59 BC (as early as 131 BC). These were daily
gazettes, or news sheets, created by the government that contained information for the public: political
news, military campaigns, trials, and executions.
There was a time when people used to write on palm leaves. This was before the discovery of paper. Some
of the old manuscripts written on palm leaves are preserved in our National Manuscript Library in Delhi.
The Chinese were the first to invent the art of printing. They made wooden blocks to print letters. This was
started during the period of the Tang Dynasty in 600 AD. The oldest known surviving printed work in a
woodblock is a Buddhist scripture of 684 AD. It is now exhibited in a calligraphy museum in Tokyo, the
capital of Japan. The first printed book published in China was the Buddhist text, the “Diamond Sutra” by
Wang Chick in 868 AD. Some copies of the Buddhist scriptures printed in 1377 are preserved in museums
in China.
Can you imagine a world without paper? Nowadays paper has become an integral part of our life. We read
papers in the morning, write on notebooks made of paper, send letters on paper, use paper boxes to carry
things and so on and so forth. Though the Egyptians made paper by 3500 BC, it came to Europe only by
the 11th century. The first paper mill in Europe was set up in Spain in 1120.
Block printing came to Europe by 1300. It is believed that Johannes Gutenberg of Germany had developed
printing technology around 1439. Gutenberg also invented an oil-based ink for printing. He printed the Bible
in 1450. It was in the Latin language and had 1282 pages. He used movable printing blocks for the book.
Printing technology came to India in 1556. It was the Jesuit priests who brought this technology to our
country. The first book printed in India was in Portugese language in Old Goa. It was Doctrina Christa by
St. Francis Xavier.
The invention of printing has revolutionised mass communication. Books are printed in large numbers and
circulated in many countries. No other invention has had such an influence in the history of mankind.

Functions of Print Media

Education Industries

Text book is a type of print media that is transmits the information to all students. Print media can help the
intellectual and professional person to transmission their knowledge and experience to readers.
Newspapers have provides the practice section for primary and secondary school students to do their
revision such as News Straight Times. For example, tuition Centre is a type of education firm. Print media
such as the newspaper and magazine have a loyal readership. This function can be very useful for
advertisers and promote the courses of tuition centre. If you are targeting a specific geographical area, so
you can advertiser the new tuition centre through print media. Magazine can promote the tuition centre
through colourful pages and can show the beautiful picture of the tuition centre. Besides that, you also can
control and plan the budget of the advertisement. For example, you can choose the size of advertisement
space and choose the colour or black and white advertisement. In additional, flyer also can help promote
the tuition centre. Flyer will cheaper than advertise through broadcast media because flyer will give to the
target audience directly. If the information of flyer is detail so can prove to be a proper option.
Business Industries

Nowadays, many people will do the online business. Online business means that the company are doing
business and earning a profit through internet. Business people must have creativity to create an attractive
website and find innovation ways to leverage the internet for business purpose. Business people can create
the business website to promote their products or company with some colourful pictures. Therefore, the
entrepreneurs will easy to advertise and show the features of their products to every people through
internet. They can save time and money because create the business website is free and no need to do
face to face presentation with customers. Besides that, the business website is potential for reaching a
wider audience compared with print media. For example, a restaurant has created a business website on
internet so will attract many customers because of the beautiful and attractive pictures. After that, the
company also can update their information of the products or company easily. The consumer can get the
latest information through internet. In additional, latest and accurate business information or video about
business can be uploading on internet and can search by anyone. Entrepreneur can record a video to
promote and introduce their products and upload it on internet. Business person also can have a meeting
with the partner at foreign country through internet.

Entertainment Industries

Playing online games are become a habit of mostly teenagers. Internet have many online games to
entertain all people especially teenagers and kids. Besides that, songs and movies also can search on
internet. We can free to download the song or movie through internet. Next, supporter of the artists or
singer also can get the latest news of their idol. The latest news of the artists or singer can be uploading on
the internet. Artists also can share their happiness or experience with their fans through internet. MV of the
songs also can be post on certain website such as Youtube. Therefore, singers or artists can promote their
songs and movies through internet. In additional, new movies are broadcast on cinema also can upload
some trailors to advertise the movies. Therefore, moviegoers can understand the content of movies before
watching at cinema.

Benefits of Print Media:

    Appeal to visual learners

    Best for local targeting
    Still gives a higher ROI than digital ads
    Enable more visibility to small businesses
    Produce a loyal customer base
    Reach multiple generations
    Flexible to establish credible trust
    Immensely powerful to craft a message
    No, follow back interruptions

Demerits of Print Media:

    Not for a global audience

    Requires multiple exposures
    Requires a lot of planning
    Competition for attention is fierce
    Hard to target a specific audience
    Higher cost
    Requires longer lead times

Conclusion

Media is a good ways to transmission the news and information. Functions of print media are transmission
information, entertainment, doing advertising and persuasive. Nowadays, internet has become a basic
need for mostly people. During technology changing day by day, we are not only collecting data from
internet, we also shopping through internet. Internet was provide many advantages towards varies industry.
I seem that print media is suitable for education and the internet is suitable for business and entertainment
to transmit information.

NEWSPAPER
While the newspaper industry is dwindling worldwide, the phenomenon has yet to catch up in India where
print media continues to dominate the market alongside television and digital media. Print newspapers in
India have been seeing a significant surge in revenue, making it the largest global market for the industry.
From a little over 200 dailies published in the post-independence India, to over a 100,000 registered
newspapers and periodicals as of 2021, the print media in India has matured to its full capacity.

A spurt in literacy rates along with a renewed focus on regional language publications have been the main
drivers of this growth anomaly. However, another lesser-known fact is that Indian newspapers are primarily
made from recycled newsprint, while also being aided by government subsidies. This makes newspapers in
the country far more affordable when compared to other parts of the world. Additionally, the credit also
goes to the socio-culturally embedded routine of having newspapers delivered to the doorstep every
morning amongst a large section of the society.

The first newspaper in the country was started in 1780 by the British and was known as Hicky’s Bengal
Gazette. This gave an impetus to establish other newspapers that covered the tidings of the British Raj
along with local news. Notably, the oldest continuously published newspaper in the country is the Bombay
Samachar and was established in 1822.

The most popular daily in the country is Dainik Jagran that is published in Hindi. Among English speaking
Indians, The Times of India had the highest average readership in 2019. Regional publications which are
read avidly include Malayalam Manorama, Daily Thanthi in Tamil, Eenadu in Telugu and Lokmat in Marathi
amongst many others.

As the younger population is increasingly embracing news on their screens, it cannot be denied that some
of the print sector has taken a hit in the country compared to its growth trajectory from a few years ago.
Moving on, the challenge for India’s newsprint industry is to be able to retain their audiences through digital
platforms, while still maintaining enough advertising and subscription revenue to continue the print editions.

International News Coverage in Four Indian Newspapers

In a modern society flooded with a vast range of media, newspapers provide a variety of information to
readers and help them in making informed choices. Different types and categories of news events
occurring at local, regional, national and international levels, selected on the basis of news values and
newsworthiness form the core of a newspaper. International news bringing events from beyond national
boundaries is a good indicator of the emphasis a newspaper places on global issues. The selection,
placement and treatment accorded to international news, in addition to information dissemination, indicate
the priorities and approach of a newspaper. In view of globalization, it becomes even more important that
international news be given adequate space and projection in newspaper columns so that it contributes
towards international goodwill and peace and helps in the understanding of cross-cultural relations. An
overview of the Indian press will help to appreciate the projection of international news in the Indian press
and situate it in a larger context.
12 Most Important Aspects of Indian Newspaper
The Most Important Aspects of Indian Newspaper are listed below:

1. The Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) took the initiative in asking for an enquiry into
certain aspects of newspaper production. It passed a resolution on the subject at its plenary
session in Calcutta in April, 1952. It has since expressed satisfaction with the Press
Commission’s terms of reference. These cover the ground indicated in the Federation’s
Calcutta resolution, except in one or two particulars.

2. Public opinion has for some time been concerned with certain developments in the Indian
newspaper world, which have weakened the reader’s faith in what the newspaper
published. The working journalist is vitally interested in measures designed to regain the
reader’s confidence. The working journalist seeks the opportunity and the freedom to re-
establish the newspaper as a faithful and trustworthy record of history in the making.
3. In this era of planning, he is anxious that the status and function of the press be defined
with some precision. He is anxious also to understand his own position in the new policy
dominated by the ideal of the Co-operative Commonwealth, the Welfare State and the
Working-Class Democracy. He would like to know what is to be his share in the plans for a
better order of society.

4. Journalism in India is an unplanned growth. It is a by-product of the political movement,

inspired in the early stages by the social and religious reform movements dating back to the
time of Raja Ram Mohan Roy.It has radically changed since then, but largely without a
steady sense of direction. To remove this deficiency should be one of the objectives of any
plan for the future development of journalism in India.

5. That is the basic governing purpose of the survey made and the suggestion put forward in
this memorandum. The approach is intended to be severely factual. Superficially, much of
what is stated in these pages might seem excessively critical of newspaper ownership and
control and might be mistaken for morbid pre-occupation with grievances. That would be a
misreading of the memorandum. It is not intended to be a document of denigration. It aims
at a faithful portrayal of conditions as they are and as they affect the working journalist.

6. The Federation feels that it can help the Commission best by presenting facts with fidelity,
even with a certain harsh fidelity, where necessary. That does not mean a denial of credit
where credit is due. The working journalist readily acknowledges that there are newspapers
in this country which strive to maintain professional and economic standards at as high a
level as can be found in any comparable country.
 7. In adopting a predominantly critical tone, the memorandum seeks to reflect the general
attitude of the public at large not merely the attitude of the professional journalist.

8. The scope of the present enquiry is wider than that of the British Royal Commission. This is
a welcome enlargement.

9. The Federation’s constitution includes proof readers and a press photographer among
working journalists, and, accordingly all that is stated in the memorandum applies generally
to them. No specific reference is made to the press worker, the clerk, and other employees
of the newspaper. They will no doubt speak for themselves. Their importance in the
newspaper world is accepted. So is the need for better conditions for them as much as for
others. It will be for the Commission to visit the various newspaper offices meets these and
other classes of employees and generally observe the conditions in which newspapers are
produced.

10. An attempt is made in the memorandum to deal with all the subjects raised in the terms of
reference. A certain amount of overlapping has become unavoidable in this process. The
same set of facts and suggestions appear in more than one part of the memorandum, but, it
is hoped that their relevance to the context would be obvious.

11. This is a preliminary memorandum, prepared on the understanding that in reply to the
questionnaire, to be issued by the Commission, the Federation and bodies affiliated to will
have an opportunity to put their case more fully and with supporting evidence. The
Federation and its units are proceeding on the assumption that statements which are made
in this proceeding on the assumption that statements which are made in this memorandum
and which will hereafter be made by witnesses are fully protected. An authoritative
assurance from the Commission to this effect will encourage the production of all the data
that can help it in its work.

12. Though the central purpose of the memorandum is to describe and explain the existing
position and not to suggest reform, reference is made under various heads to certain
directions in which remedies may be sought. They are offered as suggestions for
exploration. The considered proposals of the Federation will be put forward at the
appropriate stage of the enquiry.

Key Action Points for the Newspaper Industry

a. It would be critical for the Print sector to recoup lost ground by addressing the decline in advertising rates
and growing them back to at historic levels. This may prove challenging as there may be significant push
back from advertisers.
b. The Print sector needs to focus on managing the readership decline through increasing penetration and
also by increasing content relevance for various demographic sections and age groups. This is already a
serious problem in developed markets which are seeing declining overall readership levels (after adjusting
for migration to online readership).
c. The Print industry needs to increase focus on online editions to tap into potential migration onto the
internet. There is a consistent migration onto online news noted in developed countries, which though
currently not a major concern in India, is inevitable as internet penetration grows. Given that increasing
number of eyeballs will be viewing news online, monetization opportunities of online editions requires more
focus.
d. A continued focus is required on operational improvements and retaining efficiencies. There is a risk that
as the economy improves some of the operational improvements may be lost and companies would revert
to adding more flab.
e. Regional media needs to improve its profile among advertisers through improved product quality,
innovative use of reach and bundling of services to provide advertisers with ‘more bang for their buck’. This
would be essential to narrow the gap in advertising share between English and Regional Print.
f. English media needs to focus more on localizing the content in terms of relevance and attractiveness,
continuing to add niche and special interest segments, etc. This would be essential to gain a higher wallet
share from their existing markets and also to penetrate into the advertising share going to regional media.

The Economics
Costs
The cost of producing a newspaper or magazine depends on the number of pages, the extent of color
used, the quality of paper, circulation and the degree of competition in the market among several factors.
These could change from year to year. The typical cost heads are: Production/printing, people costs,
marketing costs and distribution costs.
1. Production/Printing:
These are variable costs which vary with the size of the print run. Newsprint forms 50-60 percent of
the production cost, and its prices oscillate anywhere between $400 to 1000 per tonne, depending
on demand. The more the number of copies printed, the more money is lost-unless every jump in
circulation fetches an increase in advertising revenues that is more than or equal to, the rise in
printing costs. Typically, advertising revenues have subsidized the real price of newspapers for
readers. According to one circulation, a newspaper costs between Rs.15 to Rs.20 to produce but it
sells from Rs.1 to Rs.5. Assume that it sells for Rs.1 to Rs.2.50 like most English dailies that would
bring Rs.0.60 to Rs.1.50 back to the publisher’s kitty after taking out trade commission. In the years
that the ad spend on print was growing slowly, there was no incentive to invest in circulation for it
would eat into profits. Many leading newspapers and magazine companies deliberately cap
circulation. It is routine for publishing companies to drop in and out of ABC (Audit Bureau of
Circulation) in the years when newsprint costs are high. Those are the years they do not spend on
increasing circulation. A distinction has to be made here between language and English dailies.
 Paradoxically, though the former reaches a less affluent audience, the cover price is higher. This
could range between Rs.2.50 to Rs.6.00 depending on the language and also on whether it is
weekend edition. This is because even with higher circulation, the ad rates they can command are
significantly lower than those for English newspapers. The actual proportion varies across brands,
languages and regions. English newspapers usually get anywhere between 25-50 percent more on
cost per thousand, according to one estimate.

2. People Costs:
What remain more or less fixed are staff costs and other overheads. Roughly, people costs vary
between 12-20 percent of revenues depending on whether it is English or an Indian language
publication. Over the past few years, however, as more brands have been launched and
competition has increased, there has been a shortage of people in the business. As a result, people
costs have gone up by about 2-4 times of what they were in 2006.
3. Marketing Costs:
This is a new imperative in the age of multiple editions and multimedia competition. Toward off
competitors within print and from TV, radio or other media, it is crucial that a brand creates its own
identity. Distribution costs: This includes trade margins and the cost of returns or ‘unsold’. The
hawker who collects the money from readers’ homes usually pays the salaries of the line boys. The
hawker, in turn, makes anything between 18-25 percent on the cover price of the newspaper. The
commission could vary according to the publication, the area, the city and the norms there. It could
be significantly higher if the newspaper or magazine is not an ABC member and therefore not
subject to its rules. The unsold are a regular part of the business; the average volume of these
returns varies between 1-5 percent depending on its city and its trade norms in the case of
newspapers. In magazines, unsold could be as high as 10-25 percent, moving progressively
upwards as the frequency of magazines increases. According to one analysis for large publishing
brands such as Times of India and Dainik Jagran, selling and distribution expenses are roughly 7-8
percent of gross sales.

Revenues
Revenues come from circulation, advertising, subscriptions, brand extensions and
internet/mobile/apps.
1. Circulation:
This is brought in from the cover or retail price of a magazine or a newspaper after deducting
trade margins and the cost of unsold copies. The ratio could change depending on a number
of things- circulation, language, price and frequency.
2. Advertising:
About 80 percent of a publication’s revenues come from advertising and the rest from
circulation. This again could vary by language, frequency, price, the market it addresses and
so on. The best way to look at ad growth is to look at both advertising rates and volumes.
3. Subscriptions:
Inspired by publications like Reader’s Digest magazines like India Today or Femina
launched high-profile subscriptions schemes. Earlier, these were treated as revenue stream.
 The fact is that most subscription schemes are subsidized with free gifts. While they do bring
in cash they also involve a huge cost, of more copies to be printed, transported as well as
the cost of marketing the subscription offer. So, subscription schemes are really about
buying circulation-unless the magazine is actually making a profit on every additional copy
sold to the subscriber, which it does not. Most subscription schemes are used to ramp up
circulation numbers and demand a higher rate from advertisers.
4. Brand Extensions:
There are several ways in which a magazine or newspaper can extend the same brand to
tap into different revenue streams. These include, among others, events, TV programs,
compact discs, seminars, roundtables, syndication of content and education. This is
especially true for specialized magazines or papers.
5. Internet/Mobile/Apps:
Most Indian newspapers and magazines have been ramping up their internet and mobile
presence to generate revenues using their original content. However, both are not yet
significant contributors to revenue.

MAGAZINE
We are all familiar with magazines. Growing up, we all had a favourite magazine whose next edition we
eagerly awaited. Magazine literally means a collection or a storage space. So the name comes from the
fact that a magazine is a collection of written articles. These articles depend on what the magazine has to
offer to its readers. There is a wide variety of categories under which magazines are published and each of
these categories have their own set of users.

History of the rise of two magazines

The history of journalism and publishing is characterised by a close interplay of technical innovation and
social change, each promoting the other. Journalism and publishing, as known today, depend on a series
of several major inventions – writing, paper, printing and investigative writing and well-researched writings,
besides one crucial social development — the spread of literacy in urban as well as rural areas of our
country. Basically, the magazine is a by-product of the newspaper. It is a compilation of various items
written by different authors on the subjects like politics, social, sports, entertainment, comments on current
affairs, book reviews, etc.
The word magazine first appeared in 1731 with the occurrence of the Gentleman’s Magazine. The word,
magazine, derived from the Arabic word, meaning ‘warehouse’, was used to describe the place which
deposits large quantities of various goods, while the analogy used to describe a book that contained many
useful information for the travellers and sailors.
The first publication which can be called a magazine was the German ‘Erbauliche Monaths Unteretungene’,
launched in 1663. It was a literary and philosophical publication, and after its release, several other
periodicals with similar content and topics, mostly targeted for an intellectual audience, were published.
Initially, the magazine started as potpourri of various prime news items about social, political or economic
news covered in the newspapers, besides literary and creative works like poetry, prose or reviews of
prominent literary books. Such magazines were issued after a week or alternate week after such items
were published first in the then newspapers.
The reception of success of the magazine was great but the cost of every issue was higher than the
previous issue. Printing cost was higher vis-à-vis newspapers and the number of printed copies could not
be more than couple of thousand, because it was technically impossible to squeeze a larger amount of
paper through the machine at one go. Distribution was also a big problem because it was difficult to move
large number of magazines at great distances.
In the beginning, the thematic scope of a magazine was very narrow; it was mainly written by one author. A
publication similar to modern, rather I should say today’s magazine – different themes and several authors
– appeared in 1672 when a French author by the name of Jean Donneau Vize created de Mercure Gallant.
It had a variety of content covering current events, theatre, literature and even sports. The concept of this
magazine was copied by most of European countries. Surprising enough, first woman’s magazine was
released in London by the name The Lady’s Mercury. It was published for only four weeks in 1693. The first
issue of the periodical was issued on 27 February 1693 by its founder, publisher, editor John Dunton. All
these publications in the initial years were called periodicals.

Magazines in India
During early 16th century Christian missionaries brought printing presses to India for publishing evangelical
materials and literature besides the Bible. All these activities were focused to assist conversion and
evangelisation. This was the beginning of mass printed materials for people’s consumption.
James Augustus Hicky, a British citizen, was responsible for the first newspaper in India. Its first issue was
released on 29 January 1780 in Calcutta, bearing the name Bengal Gazette. It was a weekly newspaper
published in English and addressed exclusively to the large group of British residents in Calcutta. It was a
two-page newspaper and the size of the paper was 12x8-inches inches carrying all the classified
advertisements on front page and the content of the paper on the other side. James Augustus Hicky was
the founder, editor, printer, publisher and promoter. But this so-called newspaper never carried any news
items about Indians.
Here, let me point out that journalists or the newsman was always hounded by the ruling class (as it is
happening currently). So Warren Hasting finally took action against Hicky for defamation in 1781. Hicky
was convicted and sentenced to a year’s imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs 2,000. But Bengal
Gazette continued to appear regularly while Hicky was in prison. Hicky continued to lampoon Warren
Hasting and in return, he was suppressed and harassed by Warren Hasting by very mean methods like
raiding and confiscating his type faces and printing materials. This was the beginning of the unceremonious
end of India’s first newspaper. Finally the seizure of the printing press was a severe blow to the already hurt
editor and Hicky died in obscurity. Some say Hicky was the first creator of yellow journalism in India.
After the premature demise of Bengal Gazette, yet another Calcutta based Britisher, Sir James Silk
Buckingham assumed the charge of editorship of Calcutta Journal in 1818 and the first issue of Calcutta
Journal, much talked-about in social circles, was launched on 2 October 1818. It was an eight page bi-
weekly with a price tag of Re 1. Its content included political, commercial, social and literary news and
views. Calcutta Journal was in reality the beginning of a news magazine sort of publication in our country.
This publication was entirely different from Hicky’s Bengal Gazette which mostly carried gossip, scandals
and scurrilous writings.

Language magazines
Pundit Jugal Kishore Shukla started the first newspaper-cum-magazine in India in Hindi language and
named it Udant Martanda and its first copy was launched on 30 May 1826 in Calcutta. The paper was in
Khari Boli and Brij Bhasha dialects of Hindi. Only with 500 copies, the issue sold like hot cakes.
A serious and concentrated beginning of Hindi newspaper and periodical publishing efforts goes back to
Bhartendu Harishchandra’s efforts in the years 1850-1865 by publishing his own writings with a social
message of mass appeal. Several other Hindi writers followed his writings. A reputed publication during that
period was Saraswati, a monthly magazine published from Allahabad by Chintamani Ghosh, on his owned
printing press named Indian Press, Allahabad. He handed over the command of editing of Saraswati to a
great litterateur Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi (1903-1920) and it led to the flourishing of modern Hindi prose and
poetry, especially in Khari Boli dialect. This was followed by Gita Press, Gorakhpur publication Kalyan,
which was mostly dedicated to religious preaching and analytical articles about Hindu scriptures. The
Indian freedom movement gave a big boost to Hindi publishing with scores of Hindi newspapers and
periodicals being fielded to reach the masses.
Maulavi Mohmmed Baqir in 1836 founded the first Urdu language newspaper-cum-magazine by the
name Delhi Urdu Akhbar.

Changes over the years

In the Western world, things were moving faster vis-à-vis India because of technology being at their
disposal. Great Britain closely followed continental Europe’s lead in producing magazines during the early
18th century, resulting in three major influential magazines The Review by Daniel Defoe; The Tatler by Sir
Richard Steele, and The Spectator by Joseph Addison. All the three publications were published either
daily or several times a week. They were supplied as frequently as newspapers but the content was very
close to that of magazines.
The first American magazine which appeared on the scene was American Magazine in 1741 and was
published by Andrew Bradford. This publication was followed by a new publication General Magazine by
Benjamin Franklin. Neither of these magazines did last long. The first one ceased publishing after three
months and the second one just after six months of its inception.
The first really successful magazine in the United States was the Saturday Evening Post. This weekly
magazine first hit the newsstands by 1821 with very wide circulation until 1969. Saturday Evening
Post featured famous artists and authors. The popularity of those writers contributed to the continuing
success of the magazine. Yet another mass magazine was Youth’s Companion. Then there were exclusive
news magazines like Time and Newsweek.   

Rise of Indian magazines

On the home front, Indian journalism scene kept on marching ahead with the slow spread of literacy in early
19th and late 18th century. By this time several English and regional language newspapers had taken roots
in the minds of the educated class of people and the need for more reading materials was
needed. Illustrated Weekly was launched by Bennett and Coleman Group under the flagship Times of
India in 1923, which ceased publication in 1993. Its first copy appeared on the scene way back in 1880 by
the name of ‘Times of India Weekly’. Illustrated Weekly was considered to be an important English
language publication in the country for more than a century. This publication was edited by many illustrious
editors. But the most popular was Khushwant Singh. It is well-known that he gave a big boost not just to
the Weekly but to all magazine journalism in India.
New Delhi-based Delhi Press gave a real and new twist to Hindi magazine journalism by starting a cost-
effective Hindi household magazine by the name Sarita in 1945, immediately after its English
magazine Caravan, which was launched in 1940. What made Delhi Press group stand out was its capacity
to publish popular consumer magazines for women and children, besides Caravan, Alive and Sarita, for
more than 76 years. The group has always maintained affordable cover price of the magazine while using
cost-effective technology to produce them.

Among the oldest in the world

Here, I may say, print-media started in our country as early as 1780, whereas Radio broadcasting began in
1927. Indian print-media is among the oldest in the world. As mentioned earlier, printing machines in India
were brought by Christian missionaries for printing their conversion materials and for printing of the Bible.
This appearance of technology was obviously responsible for the spread of the printed word in India.
The print industry mainly comprises of newspaper and magazine publishing. Book publishing is smaller but
significant in terms of revenue; it is a mature industry. New magazines are being launched every year. India
has been one of the fastest growing world economies since 2010-2011 (although there is slight pause
because of the Covid pandemic). Robust consumption and rising income levels added with literacy growth
in urban as well as rural India have helped the growth of print-media, of which, the magazine sector is quite
phenomenal. Economic Times, in its recent first quarter survey of 2020, said, ‘Indian print and publishing
industry’s turnover will touch Rs 739 billion, which includes books, magazines and newspapers, etc. The
Registrar of Newspapers for India, government of India, in its recent release, said more than one lakh
newspapers and magazines have been registered with the department (the exact figure is 1,05,443). This
is a clear indication of literacy growth and demand of reading materials.
Newspapers and magazines have become more affordable world-wide in the recent times, the reason
being in the late 19th century, prices of magazines and newspapers became much affordable because
print-runs increased because of new advent of technology in the printing, binding and other quick and
productive technologies used in the print-production in shortest period of time. Rotary presses with offset
printing method, which is cost-effective, quick reproduction and sharper images and new experimental
designs and more number of copies at much less cost and less time consumed in production operation and
that is how we entered 2oth century.
The growth of magazines and newspapers are on a continuous track onward because the reader base in
India is growing fast. India has always been a multilingual country and with the country set to become a hub
of the largest English speaking population, magazines, newspapers and book sales will directly grow-up, so
will the sales of regional newspapers and magazines.
During the late 20th and early 21th centuries, the advent of online technology began to affect both the
magazine industry and the print-media as a whole. Much like newspaper publishers, magazine publishers
will have to rethink their structure to reach out to an increasingly online market.

Challenging Times

The magazine industry is going through a tough phase in India just like in other countries. Newspapers
have added supplements to their main issue and infringed on the content covered by magazines earlier.
Television channels have launched in different genres that did not exist a few years back. And with the
increased penetration and adoption of the Internet in the country, more people are now consuming news
and stories on different topics on the web and mobile. There is still a demand for high quality print content
and magazines need to deliver on that need to avoid losing market share to other mediums. In addition,
they also need to explore and distribute their content on the web and mobile platforms to give choice to
their subscribers to consume content from anywhere and at any time.

India has 49,000 publications, but annual revenues total just $1.1 billion. Most lack technology, marketing,
and capital to grow which has resulted in a handful of publications dominating the market with the Times of
India Group being the market leader. Distribution is critical for a magazine since it has to be readily
available and marketed to consumers. Big publications have strong distribution network set up.
 Retail: magazines are available in retail outlets for sale. The retailer gets a commission on the
sale price.
 Subscription: publisher signs up subscribers directly or through partners and delivers the issues
in mail.
 Selective Distribution: Special sponsored copies are distributed in airplanes and hotels.

With the growth coming from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, magazines have to expand their distribution channel
aggressively in those locations and localize content where needed.

The print industry in India is highly fragmented due to the large number of local languages. Regional
language publications own 46 percent of the market share, Hindi language publications cover 44 percent
and the remaining 10 percent is served by English publications. The primary penetration of English
language magazines currently is in metros and urban centres though the growth is widening to smaller
cities as the education and income levels increase among the middle class.

With the opening up of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy, several international publishers are
aggressively entering the market and this trend is expected to continue.

The Opportunity

There's little doubt about India's market potential. According to a national survey, 248 million literate adults
still don't read any publication. Readership of newspapers and magazines is up 15% since 1998 to 180
million. It's a reflection of a younger, more educated population, especially in smaller cities.

Now that the doors to foreign investors in print media have been thrown open, one can expect activity to
pick up in this sector. Companies such as Pearson, Haymarket, Time India, News Corp., and Dow Jones
have eyed India's big, English-reading market. ICICI Ventures, which holds stakes in three media
companies, is quite bullish about the industry's prospects.

Trade books offer the best openings, since a higher FDI has been permitted in them. Britain's Haymarket
Publishing Group already has ties to Autocar India, with 80,000 subscribers. Haymarket doesn't own a
stake, but helps with research and management. Now, it can invest, provide funds to print more copies,
market more strongly and use Autocar as a platform to bring its other brands. Bombay's Tata Infomedia, a
$30 million publisher of yellow pages and trade magazines, also has already started to solicit business with
foreign companies. The Tata Group sold the Indian edition of Reader's Digest magazine, making it the first
publishing property offered for sale since the government had scrapped the ban on foreign investment in
the print media.

As expected, there have been various anti-FDI lobbies, which are strongly voicing protests against foreign
investment in Indian Print Media. Their major contention is that foreign forces might begin dominating the
content of Indian publications, which is detrimental to national interests. An extreme view given by a former
Indian Prime Minister is that powered by their immense finances and goaded by an ambition to control the
emerging Indian market, the foreign monopolies will impose their own agenda of ultimately controlling
Indian politics. But there is more than meets the eye. The English-language media, fearing competition
from players with deeper pockets, has been resisting this move by the Government. And from a marketing
point of view, the English press reaches the most lucrative segment of society - the 300-million-strong
middle class. International players are seen as a threat to market share.

The opening up of the print media sector to foreign investment is a bold decision by the Government,
considering the unwillingness of so many past Governments to do the same. It is a policy decision that
could have a very positive impact on the sector, provided the Indian publications generate enough interest
and exhibit their true potential to the overseas investors. It could enrich the quality of the magazines and
other publications.

Recent Developments
 There were several niche titles that were launched in 2008 and 2009. A slew of foreign players
launched their India editions.
o The most notable magazine launched was Forbes India in May 2009 by Network18
and Forbes Media.
o RPG Group's 'Open', a weekly magazine aimed at evolved Indian readers who are
well informed, well traveled and identify themselves as global citizens. It is
available in 12 cities.
o Pathfinder Publishing's maiden title Career 360, a monthly publication focusing on
career advise.
o Technology Review, a technology magazine launched in India jointly by MIT's
Technology Review magazine and CyberMedia India Ltd.
o Hearst Corporation's Harper's Bazaar, a fashion and beauty magazine in
partnership with India Today.
o The re-launch of Delhi Press' The Caravann, a fortnightly magazine that covers
politics, culture, arts and literature.
o Images Group's FNL and Salon and Living etc., an Indian edition of international
homes magazine.
o Gill India Communications' What Women Want, a woman's magazine for women
aged between 20 and 45 years and 'Lifestyle Living', a lifestyle magazine dedicated
to those with a creative lifestyle.
o The trend for foreign magazines to launch their India edition is expected to continue
in 2010 as well, with BBC's Lonely Planet magazine having launched recently.
 Newspapers and publications have reduced the number of pages to cut print and production
cost. Magazines have discontinued supplements, which were earlier distributed free of cost
with the main product.

Foreign Investment in Indian Print Media - Role of Government

The process of economic liberalization in India, which began more than a decade ago, has taken another
significant step by opening up the print media sector. With the UPA Government scoring an emphatic win in
the Lok Sabha elections, the media industry got an open-minded Information & Broadcast Minister in
Ambika Soni who has sent positive signals to the industry. Earlier in 2009, the Government gave its nod to
an increase in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in facsimile editions of foreign newspapers. The
Government also announced customs duty exemption on newsprint.

In December 2008, the Indian Government unveiled a set of guidelines to allow Indian editions of foreign
news and current affairs magazines 26 per cent FDI as long as all key executives and editorial staff are
Indian. The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has for the first time given approval for the publication of
the facsimile edition of foreign newspapers by allowing ‘The Wall Street Journal’ and ‘The Wall Street
Journal Asia’ in India. Wall Street Journal India Publishing Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Jones
and Company Inc, would bring out these newspapers. The government has announced customs duty
exemption on newsprint for the newspaper and magazine publishing industry. These concessions were
announced in February 2009 in view of the economic slowdown and the high newsprint cost which spiralled
close to 25%.

Average Issue Readership (AIR) Analysis (2008 vs. 2009)

The Average issue readership numbers have been on a decline due to increased competition from free
content on the Internet and Mobile platforms.
 India Today is the highest read English magazine in the county with an AIR of 1,955,000, which
is an 8.7 percent decline in its readership.
 Reader’s Digest has seen a 2.1 percent drop in its AIR and is now at 1,327,000.
 General Knowledge Today has dropped by 8.5 percent, and is now at 1,121,000.
 Competition Success Review has an AIR of 766,00 and has seen a 3.5 percent drop.
 Outlook with an AIR of 533,000 has seen a 7 percent drop.
 Filmfare is the new entrant in the top ten list with an AIR of 490,000.
 Wisdom has seen a 4.6% drop with an AIR of 455,000.
 Stardust has slipped down the list with a 11.4 percent decrease. The current AIR is at 388,000.
 Diamond Cricket Today has an AIR of 378,000, which is a 5.5 percent decline.
 Competition Refresher has increased by 37.3% and its AIR is now at 335,000.
 The Week has dropped by 4.2 percent and the AIR is 322,000.
 Femina has dropped by 4 percent and now has an AIR of 309,000.
 Business Today has dropped by 12 percent in its AIR down to 287,000.
 Health & Nutrition has an AIR of 250,000, which is a 11.3 percent decline.
 The Sportstar has seen 14.8 percent drop in its AIR and now stands at 242,000.
 Business India stands at 222,000, which is a 7.5 percent decline in its AIR.
 Woman’s Era has seen an AIR of 200,000, which is a 4.8 percent decline.
 Auto Car had a 13.1 percent growth to an AIR of 199,000.
 Champak has seen a 4 percent decrease with an AIR of 193,000.
 Business India has an AIR of 166,000, which is a decline of 18.6 percent.
 Business World has an AIR of 165,000.
 Outlook Traveller has seen an AIR of 146,000.
 Digit has seen a 5.8 percent decline.
 Society has seen a growth of 1.7 percent.
 Frontline has seen a 20.8 percent decline.
 Tinkle – Amar Chitrakatha is one of the few who have seen a 0.9 percent growth.
 Femina Girl saw a growth of 6.2 percent.
 Auto India like many others has seen a 18.7 percent decline in its AIR.
 P C Quest and Outlook Money have both seen a decline of 17.4 percent and 24.3 percent
respectively.
 Business and Economy has seen a 6.5 percent growth with an AIR of 82,000.
 Inside Outside has seen a 17.3 percent while Cosmopolitan has seen a 61.4 percent growth.
 Overdrive has dropped by 23.7 percent.
  The Telegraph in Schools has grown by 72.5 percent with an AIR of 69,000.
 New Woman has seen a drop of 9.2 percent while Magic Pot has an AIR of 58,000.
 Time has seen a growth of 3.6 percent.
 Cine Blitz has dropped by 5.7 percent while Elle and Savvy have grown by 29.7 percent and 13
percent respectively.

Magazine Business in India: Invent of online content

In the last decade internet access has improved drastically. Areas which were once considered remote due
to lack of connectivity are are now abreast with the events all over the world. And it is not just the
geographical barrier that has been broken, the ‘inaccessible people’, the important ones, ones who are
spearheading humanity to new avenues and possibilities, whose opinion people were eager to learn about,
are now available for comments. They can be ‘followed’ to learn about their day to day activities. In such
times, the appeal of magazines, which come out only after a month, is waning.

Most magazines now have online presence as well where they post more regularly because that is what
the modern user wants and needs. They are also publishing E-Magazines, which is online version of their
offline magazines. A magazine though, is still very different from a newspaper. A newspaper keeps you
updated with the recent events whereas magazines have always been about analysing events that
happened in hindsight and predicting the impact on the future. A newspaper has only one dedicated
section, the editorial, which is not just reporting events, but views of an eminent personality about the
recent events. A magazine is a dedicated unit for just that.

So, even as the world paces up and the updates become more regular, magazines will still find a place
among users who want a deeper understanding of the events happening around them.

Magazine Business in India: Revenue sources

One of the key revenue sources for magazines has always been through advertisement; print ads to be
more specific. These ads can be classified into categories, the simplest of which is Banner Ads, which is a
simple add which you print in your magazine. A more advanced version of these ads are called Native Ads,
here the magazine advertises for a brand, but it is done in a manner, where it does not seem like an
advertisement, but rather another article of the magazine. Classified ads is another source of revenue, but
it is not as sizeable since magazines are typically a monthly affair and requirements are time sensitive.
Though we see (in the graph below) that the fraction of revenue that comes from advertisements is slowly
dropping, overall it still remains the biggest chunk of revenue. What we also notice is that though E-
Newsletters are slowly becoming non profitable (as a standalone product), because they are published for
free in most cases, but the ad revenue from them is still a sizeable amount when we see the fraction of
revenue that comes from them.

Magazine Business Revenue: Revenue from ads has stayed consistent indicating that companies still
consider magazines to be the best way to target users
Events is again a major source of revenue especially when we look at the B2B segment. For some time
now magazines have been actively organising events relevant to their segment. These events are either
completely independent and thus require one to purchase a ticket or sometimes, like in case of an
extremely successful trial by ‘The Guardian’ in 2016, these events could be part of subscription. 

Branded content is the buzzword these days. Most magazines have entered into creating branded content
after realising that the advertisers, who are their customers, are becoming a competition through this
segment. The best example of a successful branded campaign launched by a brand, is the ‘Beauty sketch
campaign‘ launched by Dove, where an artist makes a sketch of a woman as described by herself, without
looking at her. Then the artist draws another sketch of the same woman based on description by a stranger
who met her for a short time. At the end the woman is shown both the sketches and she realises how her
perception of herself (which is not very positive) is very different from how others see her.
In terms of absolute numbers, we see that even though the competition magazines face is immense, their
share of revenue from the total advertisement business has not decreased much. Internet has eaten in to
the share of TV and Print media, mainly because magazines are still the best way to target a specific
segment, whereas Print and TV media still focus mainly on impressions. But as the user data is becoming
more and more public, internet is soon going to take up a major share of targeted advertisements.

ADVERTISING
India’s advertising industry plays an important role, like in other world markets, in shaping sentiments
towards products and services in the minds of its consumers. The brand recall for several companies over
the decades has hung solely on the balance of their advertisements. From the “utterly, butterly delicious”
Amul cartoon girl, to Vodafone’s Zoozoos, and being a Complan boy/girl, among numerous other tag lines
that are synonymous with specific consumables, it comes as no surprise that the country has one of the
most successful ad markets in the world.

India has one of the fastest-growing advertising industries, recording just under 750 billion Indian rupees in
revenues in 2021, indicating a speedy recovery since the pandemic. A high share of television ownership
across the country made it the leading source of revenues for ads, having long overtaken print. Television
in India remains the booming source for ads among traditional media – thanks mostly to a sustained love
for daily soaps, reality shows, movies, and cricket in particular.

Digital advertising in India has seen tremendous growth in recent years. Propelled by the Digital India
initiative and the rapid adoption of smartphones with the availability of cheap data, mobile ads made up the
largest share within this segment. Other catalysts included the decreasing urban-rural gap, enabling a more
homogenous reach of all online content. Social media made up the highest share in terms of format for ads
in this category, followed by paid search. With the highest levels of online video consumption among digital
users in the country, the outlook for growth remained optimistic.

Despite digital media overtaking print in terms of advertising revenue, the latter continued to retain an
integral position for ads even with one of the slowest growth rates. This was probably also complemented
by the continuing morning routine of reading newspapers along with the first cup of chai in many
households. However, the surge in production costs coupled with the digitization of several publications
predict a rocky future for the country's massive print industry. Among other traditional segments, radio
advertising has also witnessed a dwindling share in ad expenditure. Meanwhile, this segment's ad revenue
trajectory indicates a painstakingly slow recovery amounting to just over 20 billion Indian rupees by 2024.

The fast-moving consumer goods market contributed the most in terms of ad spends in India. E-commerce
recorded the highest growth rates compared to other categories. Cricket seasons, specifically the Indian
Premier League, make for special competition between brands, putting forth their best and brightest scripts
and copies. Celebrity endorsements play a major role in all formats, regardless of ad category or month of
the year. Additionally, cultural festivals, especially centered around the Diwali season lead to a surge in
sales every year, ensuring a wave of new ads. It remains to be seen, however, if and how much the
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will impact the market in the medium and long term, affecting
businesses and the market overall.

The Advent of the Industrial Revolution

 The industrial revolution resulted in a massive export of goods to colonial India. Consequentially,
British business houses drastically increased the number of advertisements through print media. Prominent
newspapers like ‘The Statement’ and ‘The Times of India’ used their advertising departments to offer
facilities to ‘agents’ who functioned as space contractors, getting advertisements on a commission basis.

Advertising at the beginning of the 20th century

Swadeshi Movement (1907-11) and the installation of the printing machine in Calcutta(1907) were the two
main events that were responsible for the ascendancy of the Indian advertising agencies. In the next few
years, all newspapers installed the new machines that produced cost-effective newspapers with a large
national circulation.

Post-Independence Advertising
After 1957, the British owned agencies were acquired by Indian businesses. This period saw a massive
boom in the expansion and growth of the advertisements in newspapers and other public dissemination
forms. Ad business took a giant leap with the introduction of multi-colour printing, efficient and fast printing
machines and the development of commercial art.

Advertising in the Technological Era

With the importance of Advertising playing a prominent role in consumerist behaviour, it is shaping societal
attitudes and influencing consumer behaviour. Corporate organizations whose sole motive is profit are
investing enormously in marketing, research in consumer buying trends are prioritizing the training of their
employees in AMPR certification (Advertising Management and Public Relations). Online advertising
management & public relations programs are being fostered by big business conglomerates with the aim to
create goodwill and faith in the consumers to ensure customer retention and brand loyalty.

The Indian advertising market size reached INR 667 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, IMARC Group
expects the market to reach INR 1,272 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 11.3%
during 2022-2027. Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking
and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic on different end use
industries. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.
Advertising refers to a marketing strategy that involves the paid promotion of brands, products, and
services to attract customers and increase sales of companies. It includes roadside hoardings,
websites, electronic and print newsletters, product packaging, restaurant placemats, event
bulletins, video and image content on social media platforms, television (TV), sides of cars and
trucks, and subway car walls. It helps introduce a new product in the market, supports
salesmanship, offers more employment opportunities, and educates business customers. It also
enables companies to focus on the competitive advantages of their products, the distinctive added
value to customers, and sustain the market competition. As a result, various organizations in India
are relying on innovative advertising solutions to reach targeted audiences, enhance customer
experience, and increase profitability.

Indian Advertising Market Trends:

Rapid urbanization and economic growth of India are encouraging businesses to increase
investments in aggressive marketing strategies, promotional activities, innovative packaging
solutions, and celebrity endorsements. In addition, the rising focus of companies on improving
customer retention and attracting new buyers represents one of the key factors positively
influencing the market. Apart from this, the growing adoption of digital advertising solutions due to
the increasing penetration of high-speed internet connectivity in India is creating a positive market
outlook. This, along with the widespread utilization of smartphones, laptops, and tablets facilitates
the use of digital advertising. The increasing reliance of individuals on social media platforms is
also offering numerous opportunities to companies to promote their services and products. Shifting
consumer preference toward online shopping and continuous improvements in the e-commerce
infrastructure are offering lucrative growth opportunities to leading advertising industry players.
Furthermore, the expansion of media and entertainment channels and the advent of subscription-
based channel models are strengthening market growth. Additionally, the emerging trend of
advertisement through key sporting events, including the Indian Premier League and sports expo in
India, is offering a favorable market outlook. Moreover, the rising spending of the Government of
India (GoI) on political advertising is propelling market growth.

Key Market Segmentation

IMARC Group provides an analysis of the key trends in each sub-segment of the Indian advertising
market, along with forecasts at the country and state levels from 2022-2027. Our report has
categorized the market based on segments.
Breakup by Segments:

Television advertising is the most preferred mode of advertisement as it offers brand recognition
and enables companies to showcase their products and services to a wider consumer base.
Additionally, it shows advertisements in a repetitive mode that keeps brands alive in mind for a
much longer time than sponsored posts on social media platforms and roadside hoardings.

The focus of the Analysis:

 Historical, Current, and Future Market Trends

 Composition of the market
 Key Drivers and Challenges
 Impact of COVID-19 on the industry
 Major players
 SWOT analysis of the industry

Competitive Landscape:
Indian advertising industry is highly fragmented with the presence of several small and large
palyers. Some of the major players in the market are:

 JWT India
 Ogilvy & Mather India
 DDB Mudra Group
 FCB-Ulka Advertising Ltd.
 Rediffusion - DY&R
 McCann Erickson India

Understanding the Indian advertising market:

Television Advertising Market

The focus of the analysis:

 An overview of the television broadcasting industry

 Analysis of various sub-segments with their performance
 Major industries that use television as an advertising medium   
 Major companies that use television as an advertising medium
 Historical growth trends and driving factors

Print Advertising Market

The focus of the analysis:

 An overview of the print advertising industry

 Analysis of various sub-segments with their performance
 Major players in each segment and their performance
 Major industries that use print as an advertising medium
 Major companies that use print as an advertising medium
 Historical growth trends and driving factors

Radio Advertising Market

The focus of the analysis:

  An overview of the radio advertising industry
 Radio listenership across the country
 Major industries that use radio as an advertising medium   
 Major companies that use radio as an advertising medium  
 Historical growth trends and driving factors

Internet/Online Advertising Market

The focus of the analysis:

 An overview of the Internet/Online advertising industry

 Viewership of various websites
 Major industries that use the internet as an advertising medium   
 Major companies that use the internet as an advertising medium   
 Historical growth trends and driving factors

Mobile Advertising Market

The focus of the analysis:

 An overview of the mobile advertising industry

 Various forms of mobile advertising
 Major industries that use mobile as an advertising medium  
 Major companies that use mobile as an advertising medium  
 Historical growth trends and driving factors

Outdoor Advertising Market

The focus of the analysis:

 An overview of the outdoor advertising industry

 Analysis of various sub-segments with their performance
 Major industries and companies that use outdoor advertising as an advertising
medium  
 Historical growth trends for each sub-segment and driving factors

Researchers’ interest in international advertising stems from the different market environments for
advertising. From a practical point of view, Craig and Douglas 2012 argues the goal of international
advertising research is to facilitate the creation, refinement, and evaluation of advertising that takes place in
two or more countries. Both Zinkhan 1994 and Taylor 2005 suggest that one goal of international
advertising research is to develop comprehensive theories to explain advertising practices and effects
through testing in different market environments. Culture is one of the many factors that account for
different advertising practices and consumer behaviour in different markets. The field of international
advertising began with descriptive studies of advertising in foreign markets, but it has grown to be more
about testing theories in different markets. Ha 2010, a review of advertising research on Asian countries
and Asian ethnic groups, examines the contribution of such research, noting that Asia’s culture and
advertising development is very different from that of the West. Those advertising theories that can
withstand testing in both Asian and Western markets are most robust in explaining how advertising is
processed and exerts an impact on the society in general. China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong were the three
most commonly studied Asian countries in published research in English-language research journals from
1984 to 2003. A comprehensive bibliographical listing of books, journal articles, and conference
proceedings on international advertising published before 2007 can be found on Louisa Ha’s International
Advertising Resource Centre website.
Advertising In India Still Has Great Scope
According to the Pitch Madison Ad Report 2017, the Indian advertising industry grew by almost Rs 5,500
crore in 2016, adding about 12.5 percent to AdEx to reach Rs 49,480 crore

Among the several aspects that have marked the last 70 years of the communication and advertising
industry in India, the two key parameters that indicate the rise of the sector is India’s place in global AdEx
(advertising expenditure). From being one of the newest and smallest markets, India is now among the top
10 countries.

According to the Pitch Madison Ad Report 2017, the Indian advertising industry grew by almost Rs 5,500
crore in 2016, adding about 12.5 percent to AdEx to reach Rs 49,480 crore. It narrowly missed the Rs
50,000-crore mark due to demonetisation that took the nation by surprise. But with 2017 expected to be the
year of remonetisation, the market is estimated to grow 13.5 per cent, adding Rs 6,672 crore to AdEx to
reach a total size of Rs 56,152 crore.

What has made this journey interesting are the platforms that contributed to this growth. Sam Balsara,
chairman and managing director of Madison World, recalls the time when advertising in India was all about
print and radio. “There were established regional publications even though a large portion of the spend was
towards English publications,” he says. Over time, print, followed by TV in the 80s, continued to get the
lion’s share, but the shift towards local languages became more pronounced.

Print and TV, now dubbed as legacy media, still command a big chunk of the ad spend. But the growth in
AdEx in India is coming mainly on the back of spends in digital, which grew 40 per cent in 2016. It now
stands at

Rs 7,315 crore, having grown by as much as Rs 2,200 crore last year.

IPG Mediabrands CEO Shashi Sinha predicts that in the next three decades, AdEx in India will take over
global markets. “We are still a largely under-indexed market. The scope for growth in new and legacy
media is significant. More importantly, many steps are being taken today that will push India to be among
the top markets for multinational companies.”

India’s market dynamics, which boast of a very large and young consumer base, have contributed to it
being among the most important markets for global players. Also, there has been parallel sophistication in
the creative output from India. In 2008, India won its first Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International
Festival of Creativity, and has since added a few more. Not only in terms of awards but also in terms of
work and ideas, India is now exporting to other markets, especially for media such as mobile.

As India continues its growth journey, a significant aspect would be the contribution that entrepreneurs
would do to the advertising world. “Indian AdLand has its share of entrepreneurs even today, but I reckon
that as we grow, their contribution will grow to make a significant difference,” says Balsara. If that is a
change expected in the agency business where India at 100 will boast of the rise of the local leader, from a
sentimental standpoint, the one thing that will not change are the values that will resonate for the Indian
consumer.
“As a country, we are speaking customisation, we are pressing on the role of the individual, but I see India
as where family viewing, and togetherness will continue to be a decisive force,” says Sinha.

Economic Role of Advertising

Advertising performs an economic function for an advertiser, affect economic decision of the audience and
is an integral part of the whole economic system. Advertising stimulates demand, educate consumers
about new product, policies, programmers services and organizations, increase competition and improve
standard of life-style by helping to bring new product to the consumer. Advertising boosts the economy by
helping to introduce new product faster and more effectively to consumer by supporting to achieve the
economies of scale faster and by helping to remove the monopoly of the product.

Social Role of Advertising

Advertising reflects society and society reflects advertising. A social level advertising plays upon, derives
from and contributes to the social texture of a country. Various social changes are brought about or helped
by advertising. Adult education, family planning and pulse polio campaigns are example of few successful
social advertising campaigns. It makes role models who can create societal change. Advertising are
efficient source of information for product quality, new material and merchandise, new technology and cost.
It reduces distribution costs, encourage competition, and increases product quality through brand identity It
supports mass media to maintain independence from government, political parties, and special interest
groups.

Negative Role of Advertising on Society

Objectionable and in bad taste – some critics feel that advertising is objectionable because the creative
effort behind it is not in good taste. Intrusive, repetitive, unreal, offensive, and depressing are some of his
unpleasant features. Excessive for appeal – The fear appeal in advertising creates anxiety that is supposed
to be subsidized by an available product. Such appeals may create emotional disturbance in some
audience members. Products like fairness cream, insurance or germ-killing toothpaste all try to play with
fear factor. Intrusiveness – An advertising campaign moves with repetition from a period of effectiveness to
acceptance, to a period of irritation. Manipulation – Advertisements have the raw power to manipulate
consumers. Many companies have the capacity to obtain large numbers of advertisement exposures, which
is not good for healthy competition.

Effects on Values and Life Style

Advertising receives wide exposure as it is disseminated through mass media. It has an effects on people
buy and thus on their activities. It is a persuasive vehicle which has an impact on the values and life-style
of society. The impact of advertising has its negative as well as positive side. The relationship of advertising
to materialism- Advertising create or foster materialism. Materialism is defined as the tendency to give
undue importance to material interests. People buy high – end luxury products for social status. It reflects
changing values and attitudes that are created by more significant sociology forces. Advertising plays role
in creating harmful stereotypes of women and ethnic minorities. Contribution of advertising in promoting
harmful products- The harmful products like tobacco, alcohol are promoted through surrogate advertising