This report examines The Financial Express, Bangladesh's premier English-language financial newspaper founded in 1993, through a comprehensive marketing lens. The paper analyzes the publication's company profile, target consumer behavior, market segmentation and positioning strategy, distribution channels via hawkers, and promotional activities including advertising and public relations. The report identifies The Financial Express as employing geographic segmentation and undifferentiated marketing to reach businessmen and educated readers, utilizing a single-level indirect distribution system and push-based promotional strategies. Recommendations include launching a Bengali-language business edition, implementing hybrid distribution systems, expanding television advertising, and increasing distributor networks to enhance market penetration and profitability.
This report examines The Financial Express, Bangladesh's leading English-language financial newspaper, through the lens of business marketing strategy. The report analyzes promotional strategies, promotional activities, and product distribution methods using theoretical frameworks applied to real-world business practice. A research interview was conducted with the Business Editor of The Financial Express to gather primary information, which is then connected to academic marketing theory. This integrated approach strengthens both practical and theoretical understanding while developing professional communication and collaboration skills.
The Financial Express, the only English financial daily newspaper in Bangladesh, was founded on November 10, 1993. It represented an ambitious venture by International Publication Limited to establish a dedicated financial English daily in a market that had no comparable publication. The Financial Express established a new trend in Bangladesh's newspaper industry by prioritizing news concerning economic activities at national, regional, and international levels while maintaining coverage of major socio-political and cultural developments.
According to current market data, there are over 20 Bengali newspapers and over 10 English newspapers operating in Bangladesh. Approximately 5 percent of the population reads English newspapers. The Financial Express currently holds the second most popular position among English dailies in Bangladesh. The newspaper's main office is located at 45 Topkhana Road, Dhaka, with printing operations conducted at City Publishing House Ltd. on R.K. Mission Road, Dhaka. Moazzem Hossain serves as the editor.
International Publication Limited (IPL) is the primary owner of The Financial Express. The newspaper maintains a partnership structure of 7-8 additional stakeholders and is listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange, with 30 percent of shares owned by the general public. This structure diversifies ownership while maintaining editorial control and strategic direction.
The Financial Express focuses consistently on business news, prioritizing coverage of stock market conditions, banking sector developments, and the country's economic status. The newspaper also publishes political news and sports coverage but allocates fewer resources to these categories. The primary objective remains serving readers with financial news and business information. The publication's slogan, "Buyers for financial news," clearly articulates its market positioning, while the name and logo "The Financial Express" convey the organization's commitment to rapidly disseminating business information to the market.
Understanding consumer behavior is essential for developing effective marketing strategy. Marketing theorists identify four primary types of buying behavior based on product involvement and differentiation levels.
Complex Buying Behavior occurs when a purchase is risky and made infrequently (such as purchasing an automobile). Consumers gather extensive information and price is typically high. Variety-Seeking Behavior characterizes purchases where consumers do not extensively research the product, price is low, and the buyer seeks variety among similar options. Dissonance-Reducing Behavior applies to high-price purchases where post-purchase confusion or discomfort may occur, as sometimes happens with furniture purchases. Habitual Buying Behavior describes regular purchases where consumers prioritize convenience and do not carefully evaluate choices with each purchase.
The Financial Express operates within the variety-seeking buying behavior category. Although the newspaper concentrates on business news, it publishes general news content as well. Despite minimal differentiation between competing English newspapers, The Financial Express distinguishes itself through specific features and English-language presentation. Only businessmen and highly educated readers typically engage with this publication, indicating low consumer involvement. This low-involvement profile means consumers could shift to alternative publications or encourage format changes to reach broader audiences. These characteristics collectively position The Financial Express within the variety-seeking buying behavior classification.
Market segmentation divides the total market into distinct groups based on specific criteria. The primary segmentation approaches include geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral dimensions.
Geographic Segmentation divides the market into geographical units such as regions, cities, or countries, accounting for variations in local wants and demands. Many companies today customize products, advertising, promotions, and sales efforts to match regional preferences. Demographic Segmentation divides markets into groups based on age, gender, family size, income, occupation, and education level. This represents the most popular segmentation base but does not apply effectively to The Financial Express, which targets businessmen, students, and highly educated readers across multiple demographic categories. Psychographic Segmentation groups buyers by social class, lifestyle, and personality characteristics. However, newspaper marketing does not align with psychographic segmentation, as publications cannot effectively determine or influence individual personality and lifestyle. Behavioral Segmentation divides buyers based on knowledge, attitudes, uses, and product responses. While The Financial Express could theoretically apply behavioral segmentation, the services provided are largely indivisible in nature, making this approach impractical.
The Financial Express follows geographic market segmentation based on nation, country, and district divisions. The newspaper publishes throughout Bangladesh with primary distribution concentrated in divisional headquarters and business-oriented areas including Dhaka, Chittagong, and Khulna. While available in other divisions, distribution volume is considerably lower. This geographic strategy aligns with the publication's business news focus and the concentration of commercial activity in major urban centers.
The Financial Express operates under an undifferentiated marketing strategy. Approximately 5 percent of Bangladesh's population accesses this newspaper, consisting primarily of businessmen and students. The newspaper publishes identical features for all readers with no differentiated product for specific demographic segments. The publication's low price point further supports the undifferentiated approach, as the same product and value proposition target the entire addressable market without segmentation.
Product Differentiation: The Financial Express maintains consistent quality by publishing 24 pages on a regular basis with special expanded features reserved for significant national observances such as Victory Day and Independence Day. The newspaper is recognized for quality language, writing standards, and news content that appeals particularly to business professionals. The renowned IBA institution actively encourages students to engage with this publication.
Service Differentiation: Hawkers serve as the sole intermediary between producer and consumer. Readers easily obtain the newspaper through street hawkers or retail newspaper shops. Daily publication ensures consistent availability.
Employee/People Differentiation: The Financial Express employs highly regarded journalists including the renowned Jaglul Ahmed Chaudhury. The chief editor, Moazzem Hossain, commands respect within Bangladesh's media industry. Executive Editor and News Editor Shahiduzzaman Khan is recognized as a respected and reputable journalist. These journalists' credibility and professional standing differentiate the publication from competitors and enhance audience trust.
Channel Differentiation: The publication employs a direct-to-hawker distribution model with company employees responsible for delivering newspapers to retail hawkers. Hawkers earn commission based on sales volume with no additional income streams. This system establishes a clear, exclusive distribution channel.
Image Differentiation: The Financial Express maintains a distinctive brand image through premium paper quality and a primary focus on business news supplemented with general daily coverage. The publication appeals specifically to businessmen and educated readers interested in business news, creating a clearly differentiated market identity.
A product is anything offered to a market that satisfies consumer wants, needs, or demands. The Financial Express is fundamentally a product that fulfills the need for timely financial information and global business awareness. The publication satisfies the reader's need for information about worldwide economic developments.
Marketing intermediaries transfer products from producers to consumers. The Financial Express utilizes hawkers as its primary marketing intermediaries. The publication employs an indirect distribution channel with a single level of distribution:
The Financial Express Publication → Marketing Intermediary (Hawkers) → Consumers
Approximately 5 percent of Bangladesh's population reads The Financial Express, with nearly all readership obtained through hawker networks. Hawkers obtain newspapers from the publication and receive commission at month's end based on total sales volume. This commission-based compensation structure represents their only income related to newspaper sales.
The highest demand for The Financial Express occurs in Dhaka and Chittagong, Bangladesh's primary commercial centers. The newspaper is distributed to divisional offices and district locations, though district-level readership remains limited. Within Dhaka, distribution concentrates on business-oriented areas where the target audience is most concentrated.
The Financial Express operates under a conventional distribution system where manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer function as independent entities without contractual binding to specific brands. The publication does not mandate exclusive hawker relationships, nor are hawkers obligated to sell exclusively or at all for The Financial Express. Both parties operate independently, characteristic of conventional distribution systems.
The promotional mix's primary objectives are to inform, persuade, and remind customers about products and services. Organizations employ multiple promotional tools including advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, public relations, and direct marketing. The Financial Express primarily utilizes two promotional strategies: advertising and public relations.
Advertising informs potential customers about new products in the market. The Financial Express conducted paid advertising when the publication initially launched, primarily through print media channels. The organization has since discontinued active advertising campaigns, representing a significant strategic shift away from market promotion. Contemporary marketing practice typically maintains ongoing advertising presence to sustain awareness and market position.
Public relations conveys information about products and services indirectly through media coverage, press releases, corporate events, and sponsored activities. The Financial Express actively engages in public relations through seminar organization during government budget announcements and corporate anniversaries. The publication conducts public surveys regarding taxation and product pricing during budget periods and publishes public opinion about budgetary matters in the newspaper. Post-budget surveys further gather and publish citizen perspectives. These activities create positive public perception and demonstrate the publication's engagement with community interests, enhancing brand reputation and credibility.
The Financial Express employs a push promotional strategy in which the producer directs promotional activities. Middlemen (hawkers) collect newspapers from the producer and subsequently sell to consumers. This push approach relies on intermediary sales efforts rather than consumer demand generation.
The Financial Express is fundamentally a business-focused publication with strong emphasis on business news, businessmen's interests, and share market coverage. The publication targets businessmen, entrepreneurs, shareholders, and business students. The exclusive English-language format allows foreign investors to understand Bangladesh's market position and investment opportunities, providing strategic value to the national economy. The publication's pricing strategy remains highly accessible at 10 taka per copy.
"Market analysis, competitive standing, and NOAB grading assessment"
"Strategic recommendations and concluding observations on market potential"
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