In modern life, it can be noticed that entirely different factors influence marketing decisions. In marketing, firms want their offerings and brands to stand out in the market and differ from their competitors. It is influenced by various factors, such as culture, seasonality, the price of products, and others. Culture, in this case, represents the values and beliefs of people, and one of the most critical aspects of culture is religion.
Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world after Christianity and Islam and has about 1.1 billion adherents worldwide – 15% of the world’s population (Weightman, 2017). The Bhagavad-gita, which reflects the essence of Hindu teachings and philosophy, impacts Hindu business practice. Many traditional principles of business and government were established at least 20 centuries ago and have been expanded and preserved over the years (Gherasim, 2018). This text contains essential recommendations on the impact of modern management thinking and global business practice. The influence of Hinduism can be traced in the newspaper marketing strategy of The Hindu, which, under the power of the fundamental lesson of Bhagavad-gita that there is nothing permanent in the world, allowed it to enter the top ten newspapers.
“O son of Kunti, the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent and come and go like the winter and summer seasons. O descendent of Bharat, one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” (BG 2.14) (Nadkarni, 2019). This verse says that it is necessary to learn patience because nothing is permanent in this life. Difficult times come and go, and people must learn to endure them without being influenced. The only thing that remains unchanged in this world is change.
One of the famous companies that follow this teaching is The Hindu. This is a newspaper publishing firm associated with the media and entertainment industry. It is of Indian origin and ranks second in the ranking of the most widely circulated English-language newspapers in India. The Hindu has expanded its international presence in eleven destinations, including London, Washington, DC, Dubai, Paris, Moscow, Colombo, and Islamabad (Arul & Suresh, 2017). The Hindu has a strong presence in India, which has been made possible by its intensive marketing policy. Constant innovations like the first printed color edition have helped the company increase customer brand loyalty (Arul & Suresh, 2017). He has also launched The Hindu, the official news app to cope with the changing times, which is compatible with most devices. Moreover, one of the company’s main characteristics is adapting to change. This is characteristic of one of the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita.
For a long time, the company adhered to its old marketing strategies and did not enter the electronic printing market. However, faced with a global epidemic in 2020, they decided not to resist change but to adapt (Arul & Suresh, 2017). The creation of an electronic newspaper, new pricing, and subscription access – in all these marketing solutions, one can trace the attitude to the central teachings of Hinduism. Since this brand is 143 years old and for a long time, it was considered obsolete. However, the company returned to service thanks to such an adaptive nature. Almost all the company founders, such as the vice president and business manager, have demonstrated such faith.
References
Arul, R., & Suresh, G. (2017). A study on consumer preference towards the Hindu newspaper in Tiruchirappalli Corporation. International Journal of Advanced Scientific Research & Development (IJASRD), 4(3), 52-57.
Gherasim, T. (2018). Religion in international marketing. Economy Transdisciplinarity Cognition, 21(1), 150-155.
Nadkarni, M. V. (2019). The Bhagavad-gita for the modern reader: History, interpretations and philosophy. Routledge India.
Weightman, S. (2017). Hinduism. A new handbook of living religions, 261-309.