Pune is the second largest city in Maharashtra and the ninth most populous city in the country with a population of 6,226,959 and a sex ratio of 915 per 1000. Spread over 15,643 sq.km, it is divided into 4 parts namely old city, new city, inner suburbs and a proposed expansion area to include 38 surrounding villages. Considered as one of the fastest growing city in the Asia –Pacific region, it has the eight largest metropolitan economy and the sixth highest per capita income in the country with its emergence as a prominent location for IT, educational institutes and automotive & oil engine manufacturing industry. This is the reason, it has attracted good number of migrants from different states to come and settle in the city, making it a lucrative hotspot for launching a new business. Marathi is the most widely used language, whereas English and Hindi are comprehended by a significant part of the population.
To effectively utilize your complete promotional potential for the launch of your store in Pune, without huge amount of cash investment, you have to tap into the 4 main channels of advertising that work best in the city. Online/digital, outdoor, cinema and print.
With 35% of working class and 13.2% cars owned for commuting, this mode of advertising helps in reaching out to a myriad set of listeners in the urban area (60%) and rural as well (40%) through a simple portable device. Ideal for music products or delivery services of a food store etc.
The cost of 10 sec ad varies from Rs 50 to 2500. You can hire a radio advertising agency for contacting multiple radio stations and discounted bulk rates.
2) Social media advertising
Pune has 1,913,640 users of Facebook alone with twitter and Instagram flowing closely behind. There is no guarantee of a 100% conversion rate but with huge numbers like these, social media presence becomes mandatory if you want to target the young segment, for Electronics, fashion/branded clothes and accessory stores.
Create an account, share and spread your announcements with contacts, and build hype, excitement and anticipation around the launch of your store through online contests, offers, prizes, interactive chats or live streaming.
According to data collected by the Pune Traffic Police, there are around 23 lakh vehicles on Pune roads and 49% of the commuters spend 3 hours on an average travelling within the city as per the Forbes Motor Company survey. Advertising through mobile vans, billboards, hoardings, signage and bus shelters should be considered as a serious option to captivate the consumers visually for products like ecommerce, jewellery, furniture, clothes and accessory stores.
Vimannagar, Kharadi, Magarpatta, Hinjewadi ,Kalyaninagar, Hadaspar and Satara Road are the prime commercial spots in Pune as they have the major IT parks like Giga space and Weikfield IT City etc. and offices of major companies like HSBC, Accenture, Cybage etc. People living in these areas are often targeted by apps and ecommerce businesses launched in Pune.
Senapati Bapat marg, Kothrud, Nagar road, Bund garden road and Camp have many educational institutes.
Koregaon park, Sangamwadi, Boat club road and Kalyaninagar are the high income areas of Pune to target the elite crowd.
Top malls you can target in Pune are Phoenix Market City, Inorbit Mall, Amanora Mall and Kumar Pacific Mall.
Migrant areas where you can reach out to the urban class are Bibewadi, Gangadham, Pimpri camp and Kondwa.
Shivajinagar, Swargate, Dapodi, Pune Junction railway station Pune central bus stops are high traffic and crowded zones. Brands looking to reach out to travellers will find value in advertising in these areas.
4)Newspaper advertising
With the literacy rate in Pune going up to 86.15%, newspaper advertising in Pune is a good option.
Sakal, Loksatta in Marathi,The Times of India & The Hindu in English and Dainik Bhaskar in Hindi are popular newspapers in Pune.
Different pages have different rates. An approximate cost for a quarter page in the front is 1,728,000 to 7,20,000 for the last page depending on the ad (display /classified) There are volume discounts on contract basis and through contract advertisers. Free newsletters also work and are less expensive than paid publications.
With a huge array of cinema content, the year 2017 looks to satisfy all audiences. With 87% of the of the cinema viewers exposed to the cinema ads, and 50% of viewers interested in the local business, advertising your store through this medium means reaching out to more local people which is critical for your store’s success.
PVR, INOX, Cinepolis Megaplex and E.Square are some of the popular theaters you can target for the A and B segments . A 10 sec mute slide in PVR will cost around Rs 953 for a week.
Laxminarayan, Prabhat, Alka, Vaibhav and Victory Cinemas are popular single screen theaters and suitable to target the more regional crowd.
Author-Alefiyah Kapasi
Statistical sources-http://www.news18.com/news/india/how-many-facebook-users-are-there-in-your-city-485374.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pune
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-pune-overtakes-maximum-city-in-vehicle-population-1667537
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indians-spend-more-time-behind-the-wheel-than-Chinese-Aussies-Survey/articleshow/46337734.cms
Disclaimer- Images have been taken from image.google.com and are for illustrative purposes only.
