The Times are with the times

The Times of India proudly proclaims on its front page that they have now crossed 4 lakh in circulation in the city of Bangalore alone. Kudos to them. The TOI has proven what a brand must do to turn into a truly mass brand.

Part of TOI's strategy stems from dumbing down content so as to attract the masses who don't just want news, they want to be shocked, numbed, titillated and even at times humoured by what they read. The TOI in fact provides it on a platter to them, every day without fail. Contrast this with the Hindu. A paper, sought after by the intellectuals. A good example of what can be termed as the Hindu's conservative approach is seen when you search for its online site. The words that greet you are, 'republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu'. That's a surefire guarantee of never turning a mass brand. Because the last thing you would want as a mass brand is to stop people from using you. The Hindu should have been inviting people to use their content wherever they thought it fit for use, only asking in return, credits for the same. Instead they turn up their nose. Now you know why they can't ever be what the TOI has turned out to be. I can understand the Hindu wanting to be a niche brand. But my guess is, keep at it and you will fold up, never mind the Mylaporites.

As Thomas Sowell called it, this is the 'Gratingest Generation'. He states, If our era could have its own coat of arms, it would be a yak against a background of mush. This must be the golden age of endless and pointless talk.

Now you know why the Times are with the times.