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Backgrounder
May 26, 2005:
Mumbai Mirror is here, almost! The latest steed from the Bennett Coleman stable is ready for the sprint. After months of anticipation, the paper, expected to be a general newspaper in tabloid format, is set to hit the stands on May 30. With this, Mumbai Mirror becomes the first newspaper to take off in the flurry of 2005 media lauches.
Compared to the high-fidelity advertising campaign of DNA (and medium-fidelity campaign of HT), Mumbai Mirror has a low-key launch. Times started advertising the Mumbai Mirror as late as Tuesday, May 24, when it front-paged a non-bylined report describing its new kid on the block. Teaser advertisements started simultaneously.
However, Times claims that it has been doing a survey for Mumbai Mirror for some time. We were not contacted during this programme, but some of our friends who were approached in a promotional campaign heaped praises on the Mumbai Mirror dummies. When Times goes to battle, don't expect anything below the best.
Bennett Coleman claims that the new Mumbai newspaper is positioned for the younger and emerging audiences. Mumbai Mirror, it says, is the first co-created newspaper in the country. For good measure, the Times report adds (sic) "Bennett now has a good insight into exactly what readers in Mumbai want, even as others as others are still speaking to them and trying to achieve at this understanding". Ahem!
Tailpiece: It was Business Standard which reported first on March 12, 2005 that Times of India was planning a new paper. The new daily, it said, (1) will be called Times Independent and (2) will be launched on May 1. It added that it will be (3) a paper for those in the 40-plus age group. All three forecasts have been proved wrong by Times. Launch is on May 30, it is called Mumbai Mirror and it is for the young reader. However, the reporter who wrote the story has later joined the editorial team of Mumbai Mirror.
BY A CORRESPONDENT
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