v PROJECT REPORT

A STUDY OF CONSUMER PREFERENCE TOWARDS NEWSPAPER BRANDS IN DELHI

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the

requirements for the award of the degree of

MASTERS OF
BUSINESSADMINISTRATION
To

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha

University, Delhi

Under the Guidance of Submitted by

Dr. Mani Manjari Rishabh Paliwal

Associate Professor MBA-IV Semester

00820803921

BHAGWAN PARSHURAM INSTITUTE OF

TECHNOLOGY

Session 2021-2023
 CHAPTER - 1

INTRODUCTION

The Newspaper in India is the self-righteous tradition of the general public. Without news
about the country people cannot stay or survive, it has turned out to be an evitable medium of
existence. Its major role is to act as the watch-dog of the nation and its surroundings; besides
this basic function it is also an important means to education, and entertainment. In other words,
it can be said that it is the printed means passing on current information.

Newspaper in India was first published on 29th January, 1780 by James Augustus Hicky under
the British Raj and its name was “the Bengal Gazette” or Calcutta General Advertiser or
commonly known as the “Hicky’s Gazette”. The period was characterized by strict government
control and censorship. The British Government imposed strict surveillance on the print media.
During the British rule Indian newspaper immensely participated in the freedom struggle of
India. After Independence the role of newspaper changed and it have become industrialized
and started employing large number of people. Presently missionary phase of India has been
replaced with a professional approach.

Modern India is updated by the information by a number of agencies. Presently India has four
major news agencies – Press Trust of India, United News of India, Samachar Bharati and
HindusthanSamachar. Role of newspaper is to be interpreted very cautiously as it is the lifeline
of our nation as well as the society.

Newspapers and print media have played a vast role in the growth and development of the
nation. During freedom struggle also it gave great contribution in awakening of people.

And the whole history of newspaper has seen the glorious progress of India as well as its failure
also. The print media is the silent witness of the past and present time of our country.

Thus, newspapers in India not only acted as news providers but also promoters of certain
market products. Some of the prominent newspapers in India in the recent times are The Times
of India, The Statesman, The Telegraph, The Economic Times, Indian Express and so on.

The Economic Times is one of the India's leading business newspapers; carrying news about
the Economy, Companies, Infrastructure, Trends in the Economy, Finance, Stocks, Forex and
Commodities, news from around the world and from the world of politics besides editorial and
various other features. The MalayalaManorama releases daily, weekly, monthly and annual
publications from Kerala. Started in 1988 in Tamil and Telegu languages, it is now published
in other regional languages like Hindi, Bengali, as well as in English. Among the various
publications, the MalayalaManorama Daily has the largest circulation, selling about 11 lakhs
50 thousand copies daily.
 The Times of India was founded in 1838 as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce by
Bennett, Coleman and Company, a colonial enterprise now owned by an Indian conglomerate
The Times Group publishes The Economic Times (launched in 1961), Navbharat Times (Hindi
language), Maharashtra Times (Marathi language).

Newspapers are lifeline of every literate individual in India. With rising literacy rose the demand
of newspapers in our country. In 1976, the literacy rate across India was not more than 35%.
However, there was a remarkable increase in 2008 the figure was 74% by 2011. Rising youth
literacy at the rate of 84% was a clear indication of rising number of potential readers.

The 2010 Indian Readership Survey findings shows that the largest read local language
newspapers to be Dainik Jagran (with 16.0 million readers) and Dainik Bhaskar (with 13.5
million readers), both published in Hindi. The Times of India is the most widely read English
language newspaper (7.900 million), followed by Hindustan Times (3.9 million),The Hindu(1.8
million),Eenadu (1.7 million), The Sakshi (1.45 million). Malayalam Manorama newspaper
which is published in Malayalam from currently has a readership of over 9.9 million (with a
circulation base of over 2 million copies) has the most circulation in other languages.

A newspaper is a publication containing written information about current events and is often
typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of
fields such as politics, business, sports and art, and often include materials.
Most newspapers are businesses, and they pay their expenses with a mixture
of subscription revenue, newsstand sales, and advertising revenue. The journalism organizations
that publish newspapers are themselves often metonymically called newspapers. Newspapers
have traditionally been published in print (usually on cheap, low-grade paper called newsprint).
However, today most newspapers are also published on websites as online newspapers, and
some have even abandoned their print versions entirely.

HISTORY

These newspapers carried news of the areas under the British rule. The first newspaper
published in an Indian language was the Samachar Darpan in Bengali. The first issue of
this daily was published from the Seram pore Mission Press on May 23, 1818. Samachar
Darpan, the first vernacular paper was started during the period of Lord Hastings. In the
same year, Ganga Kishore Bhattacharya started publishing another newspaper in Bengali,
the 'Bengal Gazette'. On July 1, 1822 the first Gujarati newspaper, the Bombay Samachar,
was published from Bombay, which is still in existence. The first Hindi newspaper, the
Samachar Sudha Varshana started its circulation in 1854. Since then, the prominent
Indian languages in which newspapers had been published over the years are Hindi,
Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu and Bengali languages.
 The year 1857 is known as the emergence year of journalism in India. This year is marked
by the division of Indian press and British press and as a result of it Vernacular Press Act
in 1876. In the year 1861 the first edition of “The Times of India” was published by
Robert Knight. Again, in the year 1868 “Amrit Bazar Patrika” was started, this newspaper
mainly focused upon the social reformers and political leaders and started contributing in
the field of journalism.

The Indian language newspapers eventually took over the English newspapers according
to the NRS survey of newspapers. The main reason was the marketing strategy that was
followed by the regional papers, commencing with Eenadu - a Telugu daily started by

Ramoji Rao. The second reason was the growing literacy rate. Increase in the literacy rate
direct positive effect on the rise of circulation of the regional papers. The people were

first educated in their mother tongue according to their state in which they live for and
eventually, the first thing a literate person would try to do is read the vernacular papers
and gain knowledge about his own locality. Moreover, localization of news has also
contributed to the growth of regional newspapers in India.

Indian regional papers have several editions for a particular state to offer a complete
scenario of local news for the reader to connect with the paper. Malayalam NorAm
features about 10 editions in Kerala itself and six others outside Kerala. Thus, regional
papers in India aim at providing localized news for their readers.

Eventually, the advertisers also realized the huge potential of the regional paper market,
partly due to their own research and more owing to the efforts of the regional papers to
make the advertisers aware of the huge market. These advertisers paid revenues to the
newspaper house and in return publicized their products throughout the locality.

The early 2000s saw the advent of online and digital publishing in India. Traditional print
dailies were the first to adapt and introduce their own digital versions of their print dailies
and magazines. Today, India is the home of many online publications including digital-
only news outlets, magazines, news portals and publishing houses.

The prominent English newspapers are The Times of India, founded in 1838 as The Bombay
Times and Journal of Commerce by Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd, a colonial enterprise
now owned by an Indian conglomerate; The Times Group. The Hindustan Times was
founded in 1924 during the Indian Independence Movement ('Hindustan' being the
historical name of India), it is published by HT Media Ltd. The Hindu was founded in 1878
by a group known as the Triplicane Six consisting of four law students and two teachers
in Madras (now Chennai), it is now owned by The Hindu Group.
In the 1950s, 214 daily newspapers were published in the country. Out of these, 44
were English language dailies while the rest were published in various regional and
national languages. This number rose to 3,805 dailies in 1993 with the total number of
newspapers published in the country having reached 35,595.

Following is the list of major newspapers in Delhi with their circulation figures:
Table No.1.1 List of Newspapers in Delhi

Sr.No. Name of Newspaper Language Circulation figure

1 Hindustan Times English 6,07,434

2 Hindu English 1,17,115

3 Times of India English 2,43,921

4 Navbharat Times Hindi 2,23,732

5 New Delhi Times English 23000

6 Dainik Bhaskar Hindi 21000

7 Economic times English 90,000

8 Jagran Hindi 50000

9 Punjab Kesari Hindi 15000

OBJECTIVES:
1. To find out the level of satisfaction towards newspapers.

2. To analyze the consumer preference and awareness towards newspapers.

3. To study the factors affecting consumers to opt for a particular brand

4. To understand the existing preference of customers

 CHAPTER - 2

THEOROTICAL FRAMEWORK

Consumer Preference Introduction

Consumer preference is defined as the subjective tastes of individual consumers, measured

by their satisfaction with those items after they’ve purchased them. This satisfaction is often
referred to as utility. Consumer value can be determined by how consumer utility compares
between different items.

Consumer preferences can be measured by their satisfaction with a specific item, compared
to the opportunity cost of that item since whenever you buy one item, you forfeit the
opportunity to buy a competing item.

The preferences of individual consumers are not contained within the field of economics.
These preferences are dictated by personal taste, culture, education and many other factors
such as social pressure from friends and neighbors. For example, someone who prefers to
own a specific brand of a car because her friends all have the same brand.

Consumer preference refers to the tendency to like or favor something over other alternatives.
If you buy an iPhone instead of Galaxy Smartphones, you have a preference for the iPhone. In
this case, preferences are a reflection of customer loyalty, brand strength, and successful
marketing tactics.

In economics, consumer preferences are linked to how consumers buy goods and services.
Individual preferences can be built into utility functions of various bundles of products.
Consumers rank the bundle of goods according to the level of utility.

Changes in preferences affect the level of demand for various goods. Knowing and
understanding customer preferences is vital for marketing success. Companies should
anticipate customer needs or adapt existing products to build stronger experiences. That way,
they can sell more profitably. Consumer preferences can change due to changes in fashion,
habits, and other factors. For this reason, companies can build consumer preferences by
combining various elements of the marketing mix.
Consumer Preference Examples

When it comes to consumer products, change is always a constant. Before smartphones

arrived on the market, for example, most people preferred small cellphones that they could
put in their pockets over larger handsets. With the advent of touchscreen keyboards, many
people today prefer larger phones over small ones. In 2018, there are a number of trends
being seen across different product markets that show no signs of slowing in the next couple
of years

➢ A Growing Taste for Activity

As the American population ages, a growing number of people are turning towards products
that are geared towards activity and longevity, which represents a $7.6 trillion opportunity
for the right products. Nike is one company that is already catering to this growing
preference, marketing to 55-year-olds who are trying to keep as active as they were in their
20s. New Balance is also targeting this market by offering footwear designed for people
with sore feet.

➢ Younger Influencers

Years ago, a child's influence on a parent's purchasing decisions was limited to toys and
children's wear. Today, however, parents are asking their children for opinions more than
ever, including what kind of car would best suit the family, where to go to dinner and even
what clothing the parents should buy for themselves. As a result, clothing retailers are putting
more emphasis on their children's departments. Their strategy is that once the children bring
the parents in for the children's clothes, they may see something they think their mother or
father should buy in the adult's section.

➢ Preferences for Larger Selections

In addition to getting older, Americans are also getting larger. In 2017, more than one-third
of adults and one-in-six children were obese, a trend that is only expected to increase. These
consumers know that just because they are larger, wider or thicker than the average customer,
it doesn't mean they shouldn't have well-fitting clothes. Consequently, consumers are
showing a preference for a larger selection in clothing sizes. Currently, Levi Jeans is catering
to this growing preference by offering custom-fitted jeans.

➢ A Need for Speed

Regarding the online shopping experience, one-week delivery times are now passé. More
consumers are developing a preference for nearly instant gratification. Supermarkets are now
offering same-day delivery, while Amazon is developing an army of drones that will be able
to deliver online purchases just as quickly. When it comes to the in-store shopping
experience, Amazon is also testing stores without cashiers. Shoppers simply fill their baskets,
and when they leave, the purchases are automatically scanned and billed to the customers'
phones.

Consumer Preference towards newspaper brands

Newspaper brand preference means when readers of newspaper have desire to use a
particular company's newspaper, even when there are many alternatives available. The
term Brand preference is very important for all types of companies because it makes
available an indicator of their customers' loyalty, and outcome of company’s marketing
tactics, and hence, company comes to know the strength of their respective brands. A
well know definition about brand says “A Brand is a name, term, symbol or design or
a combination of them, which is intended to identify the goods and services of a seller
or a group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.”

Each company know its sales can be increased through brands and they can capture the
attention of buyers, differentiates the goods of the manufacturer from its competitors.

Let that company may be of any Soap, washing machines or Newspapers, everyone
thinks of increasing their sales day by day. Branding creates awareness in the minds of
customers, and hence, customers recall product or service easily. Companies’ put lot of
efforts to create effective branding so that brand preference will happen easily. Hence,
we can say brand works as a tool which enables sales promotion of every company on
the market, where concrete competition exists, and it also makes advertising &publicity
of a product and services of a company, it creates consumer preference over the product
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research methodology is a way to solve the research problem in a systematic manner. It may
understand as a science of studying how the research is done significantly. The methodology
may differ from problem to problem, yet the basic approach towards the research remains the
same. Research Methodology chapter of a research describes research methods, approaches and designs
in detail highlighting those used throughout the study, justifying my choice through describing
advantages and disadvantages of each approach and design taking into account their practical

applicability to our research.

RESEARCH TYPE

The research type in this project is Descriptive.

Descriptive research focuses on expanding knowledge on current issues through a process of data
collection. Descriptive studies are used to describe the behavior of a sample population. In a descriptive
study, only one variable is required to conduct the study. The three main purposes of descriptive
research are describing, explaining, and validating the findings. There are 3 types of descriptive
research design methods- observational, case study and survey method. The descriptive method
used in this project is survey method.
This Study describes the consumer satisfaction towards different newspaper brands available
in Delhi NCR, the impact of various brands on consumer satisfaction.

DATA COLLECTION

Primary Data : It is a system in which the data is collected first hand or by collects
himself/herself through interview, door to door survey. This is called primary data.

Secondary Data: The data which is collected second hand through already existing piece
of information. It means the information that we take from the internet, newspaper,
news journal etc. This is called secondary data.

This Study collected data by both PRIMARY and SECONDARY SOURCES. The data
which I have collected is the primary data by doing a door to door survey with
questionnaire and all the information is based on what is likes and preferences of the
respondents. The primary data is collected through structured questionnaire and secondary data
is gathered through journals, magazines and reliable websites etc.

SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
The sampling technique used here is simple random sampling. A simple random sample is a
subset of a statistical population in which each member of the subset has an equal probability
of being chosen. A simple random sample is meant to be an unbiased representation of a group.

SAMPLING SIZE
Sample size measures the number of individual samples measured or observations used in a
survey or experiment.

The sample size used here is 100.

SAMPLING AREA

The sampling area for this study is Delhi NCR.

STATISTICAL TOOLS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS

The statistical tool used for Data Analysis is MS-Excel.

TOOLS USED FOR DATA ANALYSIS

Bar chart (Bar charts will be used for comparing two or more values that will be taken over
time or on different conditions, usually on small data set)
Pie-chart (Circular chart divided in to sectors, illustrating relative magnitudes or
frequencies)

QUESTIONNAIRE

The research methodology used in this project is self-administered questionnaire.

A questionnaire is a set of printed or written questions with a choice of answers, devised for

the purposes of a survey or statistical study. It is a primary method of research. A self-

administered questionnaire (SAQ) refers to a questionnaire that has been designed

specifically, to be completed by a respondent without intervention of the researchers (e.g. an

interviewer) collecting the data. For this research, self-administered survey would be done

through structured questionnaires and conduct on internet-based connection.

A self-administered questionnaire designed for gathering information about respondents &am

attributes, behavior’s, beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, or opinions.