Staid versus boring.
Glamour versus intelligence.
Staying with the times versus staying ahead of the times.
The battle lines are drawn and the salvos have been fired. The Times Of India versus The Hindu battle has begun.
Corporate history has seen many a battle of the brands. Remember the Mac versus PC series? (Adweek has listed them all out here) Or the Coke versus Pepsi series (Brand New has kindly documented them here) There was the Avis versus Hertz battle too, legendary stuff in the US advertising history.
Unlike in traditional battles, where there are clear winners and losers, in corporate brand wars, results are measured by market shares and audience perceptions. Tricky stuff these, to measure and read. And when the product is a habit-sensitive one, like a newspaper, getting a piece of the pie from your rival is more difficult.
What then, can rival brands hope to gain from a confrontational campaign? It’s a piece of the conversation, mind share more than market share. At least in the short term.
Most people love watching a fight. And if it’s got the biggest names involved, the excitement only increases. The Times Of India versus The Hindu campaign may have begun in Chennai, but it has resonated across the country. The Hindu’s campaign has made many people sit up and take notice of the brand, shaking off its conventional and boring image. The Times Of India seems to have lost round one to the rival, but it’s managed to get people talking about it too.
The real loss is perhaps for the other newspaper brands that have got left out of the conversation. What are they doing to get noticed?
In 2006, BMW ran an ad passing a jibe at Audi. Audi answered. Subaru jumped into the fray too, increasing the competition and fun. If only the other Indian newspapers would add their two bits to this bout.
