Manoj Khatri, Editor & Publisher, Complete Wellbeing

With a degree in Economics and an MBA in Marketing from University of Bombay, Manoj Khatri has an experience of over 15 years in media, advertising, marketing, writing and editing, working with India’s top companies such as The Times of India, Mid-Day Publications and Zee Telefilms Ltd.

Currently, Khatri heads Complete Wellbeing Publishing Pvt Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK-based Goldshield Group Plc. As Head of Business, he is responsible for the success of the company. As Publisher and Editor, he has launched Complete Wellbeing, a magazine that promotes health and happiness.

Between 2001 and 2006, Khatri was Consulting Editor of India’s leading management journals – Strategic Marketing and General Management Review – both published by World Wide Media Ltd, a joint venture between The Times of India Group and BBC Worldwide.

He also writes/has written business and general-interest articles/columns for various publications such as The Times of India, Bombay Times, Education Times, Mid-Day, men’s magazine GT, Monster.com, and Times on Wheels (a tabloid for luxury trains). Among other activities, he takes an active interest in socially relevant issues and has addressed thousands of students and parents at counselling seminars on issues like exam stress and dealing with results. Being on the associate panel of IIT’s Entrepreneurship cell, he frequently mentors young and budding entrepreneurs.

Responding to an email from exchange4media’s Swapna Rahul Shah, Khatri shares the journey, the evolving content, his views on the competition in the market, future plans and many more.

Q. Congratulations on reaching the second-year milestone. As Editor, how does it feel? As an editor, I feel terrific that the philosophy called Complete Wellbeing has been so well received by readers. The past two years have been eventful. What has kept us going is our belief that we are genuinely contributing to make this world a healthier and happier place. Additionally, the encouragement and critical acclaim that has come our way, from readers, publishers, health professionals and journalists across the world, have really made it worth it.

Q. You started your career in media in 1994. How has the journey been so far?

I feel I have come full circle. I have spent 15 years in the media industry, having worked with top media brands such as The Times of India Group (Times FM), Zee Telefilms and Mid-Day, in editorial and marketing capacities. Now, as Editor-Publisher of Complete Wellbeing, I am putting to use all my experience. To say that the journey has been exciting would be an understatement. When I started off, satellite TV was just beginning to create an impact and FM radio was being introduced. There were no mobile phones then. Internet and the World Wide Web were nascent. Emails IDs were a mile long and difficult to use. VSNL was the only Internet service provider (ISP). The scene has completely changed since then.

I have witnessed the boom and bust of the Internet, followed by its consolidation. It has changed the way we produce, distribute and consume content. Media and journalism have undergone a major transformation. For instance, today, major advertisers are acknowledging citizen journalism and blogging as a potent source of content. Some of the most popular websites in the world belong to bloggers.

Q. How is Complete Wellbeing different from the rest? What is the idea behind the magazine, and what does ‘Three Chakras’ concept mean?

Complete Wellbeing is perhaps the only magazine in the world that is based on a copyrighted concept. The concept is about the ‘Three Chakras’ – namely, the physical, the physiological and the psychological – of individuals. It states that individuals are not sum of parts, but one integrated whole. The concept also states that because of the inter-connectedness and interdependence of the ‘Three Chakras’, it is impossible to have a problem in one of the chakras without also affecting the other two. For instance, stress falls under the psychological chakra. But stress affects our heart and other organs too. This means stress affects our physiological chakra. Moreover, stress can cause premature hair fall or greying, thereby affecting the physical chakra.

The magazine is different from the rest because our content agenda is guided by the Three Chakra philosophy. Every issue highlights how our mind, emotions and body are continuously affecting and being affected by one another. The magazine promotes better living by underlining the connections between our tangible and intangible aspects.

Q. Any special thoughts on the journey so far in terms of production, readership, revenues and so on? Our parent company, Goldshield Group Plc, is a UK-based healthcare MNC, listed on the London Stock Exchange. We have managed to publish the magazine consistently despite operating in non-publishing, non-media environment. That itself is an achievement, and our board of directors acknowledges this fact. We faced some teething problems, which only made our resolution of succeeding stronger. Our circulation and readership has gone up manifold over the last six months since we tied up with the India Today Group for distribution. Ad sales are also showing a good growth in spite of the economic slowdown. Our web and digital initiatives are receiving an equally good response – so much so that we are soon going to launch a UK-specific website, followed by one for the US markets.

Q. Who is your strongest competitor in the Indian market? Because of the nature of our content, we do not have a direct competitor in the market. Complete Wellbeing covers fashion, beauty, fitness, health, relationships, fulfilment, spirituality and everything that addresses our physical, psychological and physiological needs. Having said that, consumers do perceive ‘Prevention’, ‘Good Housekeeping’, ‘Reader’s Digest’ and ‘Life Positive’ to be the alternatives as they address some of the topics that we cover.

Q. What are the various ways of revenue generation? Advertising sales and circulation sales are the traditional ways and continue to be the leading ones. Events and special-interest workshops are also a norm these days. We are bullish on content syndication and reader-generated content, especially on the web. We also have some other web-based initiatives in the pipeline that will be good sources of revenue.

Q. Who do you feel is the king – content or the advertiser? The customer is the king. And content drives the customer. So, content rules. Ask any serious publisher or broadcaster, content rules. Those who sacrifice content or bend over backwards for advertisers usually reap in the short-term, but lose out in the long-term. We believe that genuine advertisers look for serious readers and they find them where there is serious, neutral content.

Q. How do you maintain a balance between content and advertisements? What is the ad-edit ratio for Complete Wellbeing? We are conscious of delivering value to our readers and subscribers. We believe in preserving a healthy ad-ratio that serves our readers. In a way, advertisements are useful content for our readers. So, 25 per cent ads to 75 per cent editorial content is a good balance and we follow this ratio. Our advertisers, too, have been supportive of this and we have a very high rate of repeat advertisers.

Q. Do you have any plans to change or revamp the product called ‘Complete Wellbeing magazine’? How do you plan to further build your brand in the future? We have completed two years and it’s time to strengthen the brand. For us, Complete Wellbeing is not just a magazine brand. It is a philosophy, an attitude, of living a healthier and happier life. We plan to promote the brand by emphasising the human values of good health, fulfilling relationships, professional satisfaction and living a purposeful life. We will do so using the print magazine, the website and also offline events and workshops – all the possible ways where we can deliver helpful content.

Q. What kind of challenges and opportunities do you see in the future for a magazine like Complete Wellbeing? The challenges will come mainly from growing consumer expectations. The media today is very dynamic and we need to continuously delight the reader to grab and retain his or her attention. There is just too much stimuli out there. So, the biggest challenge will be to keep the reader interested month after month. But keeping the reader interested is also an opportunity for us to keep innovating. Creatively, we have lots to explore. Not being from a traditional publishing company, we do not have many of their constraints. So, we can explore newer avenues in content creation and delivery. For example, mobile penetration in India offers a big opportunity to offer useful content to the consumers.

Q. How do you plan your content strategy to meet the competition?

As stated before, we do not have direct competition. So, when we design our content strategy, we look towards our readers. We try and gauge the complications that human beings encounter in our everyday living. When we observe our relationships, our professional lives, our social interactions, we get flooded with ideas. There is so much to explore. Our readers and their lives are the main drivers of our content.

Complete Wellbeing has already had contributions from the likes of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Deepak Chopra, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Kiran Bedi, Osho and Wasim Akram, among others. We intend to continue getting in perspectives from stalwarts like these and explore various value-additions to our subscribers.

Q. Do you have an online version of Complete Wellbeing? Yes. The online version of Complete Wellbeing (http://completewellbeing.com) is based on a different proposition. The content is packaged differently to serve the needs of people looking for specific, in-depth information about wellbeing issues.

Q. What are the future plans for Complete Wellbeing? We plan to enter the UK and the US markets via the web. We will publish locally relevant content for the British and American readers over and above the content that is global. We also plan to build local communities in those markets. In India, we intend to make the brand more visible and capitalise on our strong availability across India.

Q. Who are your target readers?

Demographically, the biggest segment comprises educated men and women in the 30-45 age group, many of whom are professionally qualified. Geographically, for the magazine, the readers are in towns and cities. For the website though, our audiences also come from various countries across the world.

Psychographics: Anyone who wishes to improve his or her life (is conscious about his or her well-being) and is willing to put the efforts required for the same. They work hard and seek out ways to enrich their lives. They believe in fitness and good health. They are willing to learn new ways to improve their lives.

Q. With the growing popularity and usage of the Internet and the television media, will your target audience devote the time to read the magazine?

At the recently held Indian Magazine Congress in Mumbai, Peter Phippen (BBC Worldwide’s Managing Director, Magazines) had said that many of their magazines had seen a rise in copy sales since their respective websites were launched. Indeed, I agree with the views of Phippen and George Green (President and CEO of Hearst Magazines International) that the Internet complements magazines.

As far as television is concerned, it satisfies a different need than magazines. I suppose the threat from TV, if any, is only to general interest magazines. Special interest magazines are here to stay and Complete Wellbeing’s growth in the last two years is evidence of that.

Q. What are your views on the growing health industry with more and more people becoming health conscious? The health industry will only grow faster. People are spending more than ever before on health foods, supplements, and treatments. The consumer health industry is already witnessing the introduction of so many new products and services. Many old brands are repositioning themselves to cater to this growing need. Take Nescafe, for instance, which was earlier a “refreshing morning beverage”, but is now being advertised as a rich source of antioxidants! Nestle is one of the many FMCG companies that are taking advantage of this well-being trend. Similar is the case with Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Hindustan Unilever, ITC, Britannia, Marico and so many others.