Case Study - Eenadu
Introduction to Indian Media
FYBAMMC
Eenadu
Founded in 1974 in Vishakhapatnam.
Brainchild of Ramoji Rao who drifted from student
activism to advertising and then founded one of the
biggest media empires in the country.
When he returned from New Delhi to Andhra Pradesh
in the early 1960s, he started successful chit funds, and
by 1974 had the money and the sense of timing to start
Eenadu.
Key features
It took the newspaper deep into small town and rural
Andhra Pradesh by producing “district dailies” –
tabloid inserts focusing on the news of a single district.
In 1989, Eenadu set out to turn Telugus into
advertisers.
If you lived in small district, along with the 12-page
main broadsheet, you would get a 8-page tabloid
devoted to your own district.
By 1998, Ramoji Rao ensured that Eenadu used the
latest technology to publish from ten towns.
Using Advertising to its Advantage
The aim was to generate local classifieds and display
advertisements.
The “district dailies” claim Eenadu executives created
a new breed of small advertisers.
By 1993, more than 2500 advertising sales people
went door-to-door even in villages to sell the virtues of
advertising.
Close to 40 per cent of the 200,000 column
centimeters of advertising each month in the district
dailies were personal advertisements.
Ads and Eenadu
A farmer in the Andhra delta region bought a full page-
ad in his district daily at a cost of Rs. 6000 to lament
“the death of a bull”.
In 1992, Eenadu embarked on a major marketing
campaign to convince Telugu-speaking readers of the
advantages of marriage advertisements.
There was very little in the name of matrimonial
advertising as far as the Telugu dailies were concerned.
Eenadu did a research study as to why people in
Andhra Pradesh shy away from matrimonial
advertising.
MARG – one of India’s most reputed market research
agencies did the research for this study.
Hired an advertising agency – Everest to promote
marriage advertisements.
A series of advertisements appeared on TV for three
months.
Had to do a lot of research on the caste and other
parameters.
Computerized horoscopes were offered as an incentive
to those who took out marriage advertisements.
From the launch of the matrimonial page Eenadu
attracted more than 170 classified ads a week.
Similar elaborate research and marketing campaigns
were used to create a women’s supplement and a real
estate section.
When rival newspaper Andhra Jyoti introduced
serialized novels in their newspaper, Eenadu
responded by introducing a women’s page seven days
a week as part of its main newspaper in 1992.
As a result advertisers promoting women’s products
began to advertise in these pages.
Creating a market for real estate ads
in Rural Andhra
There were no real estate ads in Telugu papers.
Eenadu started an ad campaign to encourage people to
place ads in their daily for selling land.
To create a public market for land in rural India marks
a dramatic change in people’s outlook.
Land is a controversial issue in most parts of rural as
well as urban India.
Expansion of Eenadu (1974-1996)
Place Date
Vishakhapatnam August 1974
Hyderabad December 1975
Vijayawada May 1978
Tirupati June 1982
Ananthapur February 1991
Karimnagar March 1992
Rajahmundry September 1992
Guntur 1995
Suryapet 1995
Choice of Vishakhapatnam
Though Hyderabad was the capital of Andhra Pradesh,
and Vijayawada was the commercial centre where
Telugu papers were based, Ramoji Rao started his
daily in Vishakhapatnam where he already owned a
hotel and had other business interests.
At that time (1970s), despite being a growing town,
Vizag had no newspaper.
Had a large naval population who mostly read English
papers.
Telugu papers that came to the city arrived in the
afternoon.
Technology
Launched the Hyderabad edition during the
Emergency days.
By 1996, Eenadu was produced from nine centers, all
kept in close touch electronically, all printing on offset
presses and setting copy by computer.
In those days it sold close to 600,000 copies a day.
From 1980, technology allowed Eenadu to cope with
Andhra Pradesh’s scattered readers, great distances and
poor roads.
Local news
Emphasized local news.
Introduction of district dailies in 1989.
Each publication centre became responsible for a
number of its neighbouring districts.
Main broadsheet + 4-6 pages/split of the district.
Both the broadsheet and the district inserts used colour
photographs.
All this represented an immense organizational and
technical achievement.
Network of 1400 stringers.
Eenadu’s “district dailies” did not originate from
philanthropic urges to improve the lives of people in
the countryside, as such an enterprise might have been
explained in the days of the nationalist movement.
Gathering local news
To fill the district dailies with local news items,
required a lot of effort on the part of the news teams.
Eenadu maintained a network of stringers who
collected and reported news from small towns and
villages and were paid for expenses and a small
amount when their stories were published.
In the early 1990s, Eenadu claimed to have a stringer
in every mandal, the smallest units of the local
government.
Totaling more than 1000 throughout the state.
Language
Their aim was to mould the language in the easiest
way.
Make the newspaper very simple and very easy to
understand.
Used colloquial idiom in presentation of stories.
News analysis with an element of wit and sarcasm.
Known for its appealing photographs and captions.
