Right of Way

As the economy limps backs, the morning daily (not that there are any eveningers around) is thicker again. Brands have returned and publishers are happy to add pages that fill the mind as well as the carton into which the newspaper is devoured and discarded to be sold to the raddiwala periodically. The more the pages, the higher the income in the revenue-generating recycling domestic economy sector.

Alongside the carton for old newspapers, I have a smaller box into which are dumped the fliers that fall out from in between the paper almost every day. During the lockdown, they had disappeared but, like a disease, have returned. These, too, are sold (at a lower rate, albeit).

But, as always, I digress...

Inserts are illegal

The point here is that the inserts are illegal and have no business to ride on the newspaper.

In the world of distribution (especially in the FMCG sector) there is something called the ‘right of way’: brands with wide, deeply-entrenched distribution networks, pride themselves on having built a chain of supply and stocking points for their units. As and when a brand (or variant) is launched, the manufacturer leverages this network to launch the newborn. That’s how ITC, for example, grew its food, soaps and dairy businesses: its century-old cigarette distribution business stood it in good stead. It’s also how an HUL, Nestlé, P&G, Dabur, Godrej and even Emami manage their brand sales through their proprietary distribution chains. So do telecom brands when it comes to distributing pre-paid SIM cards that can be found in almost any cigarette shop because they’ve emulated the FMCG model.

And, despite the fact, these brands are rivals who will compete on pricing, packaging and promotions, they respect each other’s distribution networks. Of course there are alliances to enter remote markets where a wholesaler will offer a bouquet of competing brands (in agreement with the principals). But they will not violate the right of way that each one has.

Cheap, unethical brands violate the right of way

Now, consider these infernal inserts... They are a means of slipping brands into the reader’s home without paying the newspaper the rate it commands for its ads. The rates are high because the newspaper has built a network of readers (the equivalent of retail stores for FMCG companies) and that’s the business model on which the print industry thrives (or survives). Cheap, unethical brands have found a workaround (justified as jugaar) to reach potential consumers. They violate this right of way every morning, and there is a shadowy industry that has cropped up sitting on the fringes: agencies, printers, vendors...

You won’t find a respectable FMCG brand inserting these fliers: some that did have been taken to court. But it’s usually Johnny-come-lately brands and hyper-local services who can’t afford the newspaper’s premium rates that ride on this illegal network. Sometimes, you’ll find a known brand (like Antara in the photo above) and, at least twice a week, the neighbourhood Reliance Signature store will slip its way into the newspaper.

What these violators (I wouldn’t do them the dignity of calling them ‘advertisers’) forget is that they are robbing the newspaper (and its employees) of legitimate income, and that their trash is treated like it is - trashed.

When all is said and done, when the dust has settled, all that will be left are principles and ethics. If people who invest in manufacturing products and supplying services, can’t invest in legal ways of building their brands, they should look for alternatives that are above board. Like digital advertising, for instance.

Do it the right way. Always.