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Category: MAM

  • ENO celebrates 50 Years in India with first-ever metaverse stand-up show

    ENO celebrates 50 Years in India with first-ever metaverse stand-up show

    Mumbai: GSK Consumer Healthcare’s ENO, who has completed 50 years in India, has consciously leveraged humour as a tool to communicate and create awareness around acidity. Its quirky approach has translated into iconic campaigns that have evolved from print to TV and, now, digital platforms.

    In recent years, ENO started collaborating with comic influencers as part of a long-term content strategy. To celebrate its 50th year and build a community of fun foodies across India’s diverse food cultures, ENO took the next natural step in its evolution, creating India’s first-ever stand-up comedy event in the metaverse.

    The event was headlined by leading stand-up comic Zakir Khan and supported by other comics such as Rahul Subramanian, Kaneez Surkha, Sahil Shah, Rahul Dua, Kiran Dutta and Shraddha Jain. Titled ‘A Plateful of Laughs’, the comics donned customised avatars and interacted with each other in an amphitheatrical metaverse venue.

    Following the event, the comics will be posting videos on Instagram of their experience in the metaverse. This successful campaign was a joint-effort of team WPP. ENO’s creative partners Ogilvy conceptualised and created the theme of the event, the creative roll-out strategy and the design. Genesis BCW co-created the branded content with the comics and ran the internal communications. The metaverse experience itself was powered by PartyNite.

    GSK Consumer Healthcare India chief marketing officer, India sub continent Anurita Chopra said, “We are very proud to celebrate ENO’s 50 years in India, adding to the legacy of one the most iconic and loved brands in the country. It is a brand that has always been about pushing the boundaries of communication and becoming a real wingman for the everyday acidity sufferer. Celebrating this in the metaverse is a preview of the next 5 decades, as the brand continues to remain relevant, contemporary and full of life. The brand has always been about pushing the boundaries of connecting with its vast consumer base, spread across rural and urban India. We have been leaders in digital content creation, and the comedy genre is not just in sync with the brand, but also helps build unique allyship with the consumer.”

    Stand-up comic artist Zakir Khan added, “Everyone who knows me well, can corroborate the extent I am willing to go to when it comes to my passion for food – even if that means going into the metaverse! I am excited to have partnered with an iconic brand like ENO as they continue to evolve and take the first steps in the metaverse. They have brought joy into our lives through innovations and humorous storytelling for over five decades. I am hopeful that our fans will enjoy the fun-filled food ride.”

    “A brand completing 50 years is no ordinary feat. So, when ENO turned 50 we knew we had to make the celebrations extraordinary. Instead of looking for the perfect place for the occasion, we ended up creating one. And so, ‘Plateful of Laughs’, India’s first stand-up comedy event inside the metaverse, came into existence. We had partners across functions like tech and PR working in complete synergy to create a cutting-edge metaverse experience. In collaboration with some of the most sought-after names in the comedy circuit, we created an experience that was truly out of this world,” said Ogilvy North chief creative officer Ritu Sharda

    “A huge congratulations to GSK Consumer Healthcare and brand ENO on this commendable milestone. It has been our privilege to be part of that journey for over a decade and to see the brand grow as a household favourite for wellness. The ‘Plateful of Laughs’ event is both a celebration of that legacy as well as an overture to a new set of audiences through the metaverse. For us, that means an opportunity to showcase our earned-plus offer, with the comedy talent provided by The Outstanding Speakers’ Bureau and integrated communications across traditional and digital platforms. The metaverse is the new frontier for communications and together with our WPP partners and GSK Consumer Healthcare, I am sure we will be able to move people for ENO,” said BCW India Group CEO Deepshikha Dharmaraj.

    Gamitronics (PartyNite) founder Rajat Ojha said, “Metaverse is an ever-evolving technology and possibilities are not just being explored by the developers but by users and brand owners as well. We are shaping the new internet, and, in this journey, we are stoked to have a partner like Ogilvy on this journey of ours. Working with Ogilvy to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ENO was technologically and creatively immensely satisfying.”

  • APCO Worldwide rolls out strategic partnership with VeKommunicate in India

    APCO Worldwide rolls out strategic partnership with VeKommunicate in India

    MUMBAI : APCO Worldwide has launched a strategic partnership with advocacy and communication agency VeKommunicate which operates from Gurugram.

    The partnership aims to provide clients with advocacy and communications services in several areas, including trade and multilateral issues.

    The exclusive partnership was announced by APCO managing director Rahul Sharma. He said, “We are very excited about this partnership and see it as providing value to our business given the advocacy expertise that rests in VeKommunicate. We believe this association will help us achieve some of our key objectives in the India market.”

    Speaking of their association with APCO, VeKommunicate’s partner and co-founder T.S. Vishwanath said, “We believe both APCO Worldwide and VeKommunicate have complementary advantages that we will build on to create a solid and lasting partnership. We are very excited to work with APCO—a strong global brand.”

  • Madison BMB launches new musicians-only campaign for True School of Music

    Madison BMB launches new musicians-only campaign for True School of Music

    Mumbai: Madison BMB on Tuesday created a mental health awareness campaign True School of Music (TSM) that speaks to musicians in a language that only they can understand. The poster and social media campaign uses music notations to communicate with musicians and urges them to seek help from a mental health counsellor if they are facing mental health issues. TSM is endeavouring to not just train musicians but look after their mental wellbeing as well by joining hands with mental health wellness partners like The Mood Space.

    This integrated campaign is a combination of posters which were put up at leading sound studios, social media posts and live Instagram sessions with celebrated musicians like Karsh Kale.

    The culmination of this campaign is Don’t Give Up – a music video conceptualised by TSM’s founder Ashutosh Phatak and created by the alumni and current batch of TSM students. The music video will be launched on World Music Day to celebrate each musician and to empower them to overcome their daily struggles.

    Madison BMB senior creative director Rohan Joseph said, “Music is something that is very close to our hearts. The fact that more than 50 per cent musicians are battling depression needed immediate attention. We hope that our campaign which is exclusively made for this gifted species doesn’t just resonate with them but also helps them be in a happy space and create even better music.”

    Madison BMB CEO and chief creative officer Raj Nair said, “We have always believed in the power of creativity, and the potential it has in bringing about meaningful change. For this campaign, we used music itself as a language, quite literally, for its ability to have a universal impact and drive home the message of support we wanted to give to the creators of music. We are confident that it will strike the right chord with musicians especially and many will genuinely benefit from their association with True School Of Music and The Mood Space.”

    True School of Music co-founder Ashutosh Phatak said, “Music is such an integral part of our lives. It has the ability to inspire, motivate and heal. But the creative process has tremendous challenges. Musicians bare their souls and, in that expression, there is often anxiety and insecurity.  This is a real issue that people go through and at TSM we would like to raise awareness about these issues while offering help and solutions at the same time. Whether you’re someone who is just thinking about having a career in music, or someone who is studying to be a musician or someone who is just starting their career or someone who’s had a very successful life making music, this process is riddled with ups and downs.  I think it’s important for us to recognize this and help and support anyone who is in this inspiring and creative musical journey.”

    “Music is a huge part of all our lives. Whether it is on the way back from work, during a road trip or just when we’re feeling low, music has been there for us. I think it’s time we extend the same support to the musicians who face the extreme demands of a creative career path, struggle to sustain inspiration, joy and prioritize their mental health. As mental health partners of The True School of Music, we at The Mood Space, aim to provide musicians with a space to create and space to heal. This World Music Day, we urge musicians to reach out for support when needed and take time out to focus on yourself if things get too much. After all, it’s about looking after each other and ourselves,” added The Mood Space co-founder and counselling psychologist Rhea Sawhney.

  • You can be creative and edgy, without being insensitive: Dentsu Creative India CEO

    You can be creative and edgy, without being insensitive: Dentsu Creative India CEO

    Mumbai : Exactly a year back on 22 June 2021, erstwhile Dentsu Impact president Amit Wadhwa took on the mantle of chief executive officer (CEO) to lead the Dentsu India creative service line leadership team. The newly restructured creative service line in India, brought together brands from the house of Dentsu such as Dentsu Webchutney, Taproot Dentsu, WATConsult, Perfect Relations, Isobar, Dentsu One, Dentsu India and Dentsu Impact, along with their digital & PR capabilities- all under one umbrella of Dentsu Creative India.

    The past year also witnessed major upheavals, both, at the network which saw several high-profile exits, as well as in the advertising and media landscape with the pandemic rewriting the rules for the communication industry.

    The Dentsu Creative India CEO shares with Indiantelevision.com how the past year fared for the network as well as for him, amid the tumultuous new normal, and what his priorities were since taking over the creative agency mantle.

    Wadhwa also completed over a decade at the network last year, having joined Dentsu Creative Impact (now Dentsu Impact) in November 2011. With another five-year stint at JWT (J. Walter Thompson) in his kitty before that, he has literally seen the industry evolve over the past decade and a half.

    Despite challenges due to macro-economic uncertainties and global inflationary trends, Wadhwa remains buoyant and confident that the advertising and marketing industry will grow at a good pace “crossing double digits”.

    IndianTelevision.com’s Anupama Sajeet caught up with the advertising veteran and self-confessed ‘passionate brand builder’ for a free-wheeling conversation, where he also spoke about what has changed in adland and how the creative group is ensuring it keeps pace with the emerging new tech in the space.

    Edited excerpts:

    On his focus areas since taking on the helm of the Dentsu Creative Group

    Three things. Integration was the biggest objective. Secondly, making sure that we digitise everything and so we infused digital and technology in everything we do – whether it is creative, or PR- we have digitised it all- the entire system. And the third of course, was to make sure that the cornerstone of the entire offering is “creative”, and hence up the creative product. These were the three things I kept in mind as I took on the CEO mantle. Have I done that 100 per cent? Of course not. But I think we have moved leaps and bounds on all these fronts.

    On how the past year fared for the agency amid high profile exits and the uncertainty wrought on by the pandemic

    In terms of how we have fared, I think we are working in a far more unified manner for our clients. So, we have integrated to make sure the best experts come together and deliver as one single team for a client. There are many brands where earlier erstwhile different units of Dentsu Creative are now working together as one. For eg- we recently worked at Ikea where the Dentsu MB and Dentsu Webchutney worked as a single team. Then there was another instance where Isobar and Taproot Dentsu worked together as one unit. There are many such examples. That’s from the integration point of view.

    As far as creativity is concerned, one big yardstick is the awards and I think we have done fantastically well, led by the team at Dentsu Webchutney. Having said that, we have also invested in some great talent like Ajay (Gahlaut), Arjuna, Anu Gulati, along with the creative talent which is already there in-house such as Alaap, Anupama and loads of talent below them. So, I think we have upped the game on creativity. And it’s not just awards. Some of the campaigns that we rolled out I’m absolutely proud of. For instance, the campaigns we have done for Uber, Paytm, to name a few, have been great.

    And honestly, without being digital-first there’s no possibility of a business surviving. We have ensured that right from our PR to what we used to call our traditional agencies, every one of them is digitally savvy and understands the medium.

    So, on all these fronts, we are moving in the right direction and at the right pace.

    On whether the recently released ASCI guidelines on gender stereotypes (in the wake of the recent controversy over the Layer’r Shot deo ads) will lead to curbing creativity.

    We are in the business of creativity, we need to express ourselves. But at the same time, we are all living in a society and we need to be sensitive. Does that mean that we curtail creativity? No. But is that the only way to be creative?  Absolutely not. I don’t wish to comment on that ad, as enough has been said about it being in bad taste and stuff. But the point is you do not need to go that way to be creative. I don’t think to be creative, you need to be insensitive. You can be edgy without it.

    If you look at some of the works we have done recently, such as the ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ or the Paytm creative we did on financial empowerment. These works are very edgy and creative at the same time. It also had a strong connection with people, without being insensitive. Having said that, do we put a gag on everything because of certain instances? I don’t see that happening either.

    On the evolving advertising & marketing (A&M) landscape in the past decade

    It’s absolutely true that the entire A&M landscape has changed in the last decade, from what it used to be to where we are today. I remember when I joined Dentsu (back in 2011), I was taking care of a small agency called Dentsu Creative Impact. We brought in a lot of exciting talent, and we did it at a small scale – whether it was in creative, planning or account management. And we picked up businesses like Ikea etc and made it into this exciting brand. But that was then. Digital was there, but it was a small part of mainstream media.

    Today, if I’ve to do a similar exercise for the Dentsu Creative Group (DCG), I cannot step up the game on creativity by having a good creative team alone. Of course, creativity is the key essential part of it. But what we are also trying to infuse is to ensure that we are way ahead when it comes to creative technology. And that’s the other aspect that we have invested in heavily. Led by Gurbaksh, who heads the innovation and tech team, it’s a critical part of our creative team. We also have editors and social media experts as a part of it. So, the complexity and composition of the team is very different from what it was, say, less than a decade ago.

    On any key trends or emerging category/s in the A&M industry that might dominate in the coming year

    If we talk about emerging or dominant new categories, Fintech, of course, is huge, so is gaming. Online gaming is breaking through the roof. But at the same time as all these new categories are popping up, the traditional categories like FMCG remain equally exciting. So, one can see a mix of it with everyone, including the traditional players, trying to do something different in their space, stepping away from the tried and tested.

    On how the agency is ensuring it keeps pace with the emerging new tech in the space

    There are two parts to it. One is that we need to be digitally first and technologically far ahead. But, is that good enough? Is that the only thing we need to do? Unless there’s a brilliant idea it all comes to nought. The expression of the idea could be on the digital platform or through an innovative technology but the idea is still absolutely important. We need to marry technology very strongly with creativity.

    That combination of creative and new-age tech is what gives me the confidence that we are poised for something very exciting. And that for me, honestly is the place where I always wanted to be.

  • Cannes Lions Day 1: Dentsu Webchutney, VMLY&R shine with Grand Prix each

    Cannes Lions Day 1: Dentsu Webchutney, VMLY&R shine with Grand Prix each

    MUMBAI: The Indian contingent opened its innings grandly on day one of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2022 with a seven-metal haul, which includes two Grand Prix, three Silvers and two Bronzes. It also clinched 20 shortlists across five more categories, taking the total shortlists to 37.

    The first Grand Prix was won in the Radio & Audio Lions by Dentsu Creative for the ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ campaign for Vice Media. The campaign was the only shortlist from India and the category, and had got seven nominations. The Grand Prix came under the branded content and podcasts subcategory.

    The campaign also won a silver in the media & entertainment subcategory and two bronze lions in the audio-led creativity and cultural insight subcategories, respectively.

    The second Grand Prix was bagged by VMLY&R in the Health & Wellness Lions (OTC Products/Devices) for ‘The Killer Pack’ – an innovative 100 percent biodegradeble packaging for the mosquito repellent, which was lined with 5 percent active probiotic bacillus thuringiensis to kill mosquito larvae when disposed of in garbage dumps, dustbins and stagnant water – for Maxx Flash.

    The agency also won one Silver Health & Wellness Lion for ‘Adeli’, a unique campaign by Unipads that put menstruating women, colloquially known as adelis in certain parts of the country, into kitchens. The win came in the Brand-led Education & Awareness subcategory.

    Reacting to the win, VMLY&R global chief creative officer Debbi Vandeven said, “I am grateful that we get to work with brands impacting the world positively and clients who are passionate about building purpose-driven businesses. And I am very proud that work from around the world is getting the recognition it deserves.”

    Dentsu Creative CEO India Amit Wadhwa said, “This is a humongous win. A Grand Prix, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze on Day 1 itself indeed make for a perfect fairytale. The Unfiltered History Tour has won several laurels in the past but this one gets us positioned at the very top in terms of creativity. Kudos to each one from our army of artistic folks, both ex and current, who have invested their blood and sweat to build the masterpiece. This victory completely belongs to you and it deserves to be cherished for times to come.”

    Dentsu Creative group chief creative officer india Ajay Gahlaut added, “Winning four metals, including the coveted Grand Prix, on the first day at Cannes is a fantastic feeling. We have great hopes for this campaign and I’m sure it will win a few more metals by the end of Cannes Lions. Meanwhile we’re enjoying the feeling!”

  • dentsu intl consolidates creative business under Dentsu Creative; names Ajay Gahlaut group CCO

    dentsu intl consolidates creative business under Dentsu Creative; names Ajay Gahlaut group CCO

    Mumbai: dentsu international global CEO Wendy Clark and global CCO Fred Levron have announced the launch of global creative network Dentsu Creative at Cannes Lions. Ajay Gahlaut has been named group chief creative officer and will be in charge of media and CXM besides Dentsu Creative in India.

    Dentsu Creative will serve as the sole creative network for dentsu international working with clients around the globe. It will bring together the best of creative, media and CXM. dentsu international has united its creative agencies including DentsuMB, 360i and Isobar, and expanded its entertainment, earned attention and experience capabilities.

    “The launch is part of a broader strategy aimed at simplifying client engagement and injecting creativity in everything dentsu international does, all backed by a depth and breadth of creative capabilities that are unparalleled in the market,” said the statement.

    Led by Fred Levron, who joined dentsu international as chief creative officer in November 2021 and has demonstrated the transformative power of creativity throughout his acclaimed career; Dentsu Creative will be comprised of 9,000 creative experts in 46 markets connected to 37,000 media and CXM experts across dentsu international and collaborate closely with dentsu’s creative team in Japan. In the near future, further leadership announcements will be made as Dentsu Creative brings in the next generation of strategic, production, business and creative leaders.

    “If you had the chance to build a brand new global creative network designed for the modern world, what would it look like? That is what we are answering with the launch of Dentsu Creative,” said dentsu international chief creative officer Fred Levron. “Clients, talent and the industry at large are craving for a change: in the way we build brands, in the way we collaborate and, in the role, we give to creativity. If the current players have set the rules of the previous century, we have the ambition to set the rules for the decades to come.”

    “At dentsu, we’re building a modern agency network fuelled by horizontal creativity – a creativity designed to unify our people, their capabilities and our delivery for clients,” said dentsu international global CEO Wendy Clark. “We’re fortunate to draw from our Japanese heritage steeped in a relentless focus on craft, innovation and creativity. This legacy inspired our vision for modern creativity that was born in Japan and raised in a connected world. Dentsu Creative offers a simplified, modern creative proposition that answers clients’ needs for us to break down agency silos and inefficiencies and seamlessly connect our talent around the right client opportunities at the right time.”

    “Dentsu has over the years, time and again demonstrated innovation through creativity. With Dentsu Creative, we will unite our creative talent under one brand; this will further simplify client engagements and strengthen our creative prowess,” said Dentsu Creative CEO India Amit Wadhwa. “Moving with times is important and now is the time to transform brands and businesses through the lens of Modern Creativity. Dentsu Creative ensures the best output for our clients and the best opportunities for our people, which is the most exciting part for me.”

    “With Dentsu Creative, we will transform the creative face of dentsu as a network. As we add modern creativity to all the disciplines within the network and combine them, we will create a new-age powerhouse,” said Ajay Gahlaut. “Our aim is to bring profit and purpose together for our clients and our people. This is what the industry has been waiting for, and we are the forerunners of this breakthrough. Exciting times ahead!”

     

  • 4AM Worldwide bags integrated marketing mandate for Sumadhura Group

    4AM Worldwide bags integrated marketing mandate for Sumadhura Group

    Mumbai: The creative communication firm, 4AM Worldwide, has won the integrated marketing mandate for Sumadhura Group, a residential and commercial real estate developer.

    4AM will be responsible for creating awareness and salience for brand Sumadhura and their projects. The firm will take care of the overall branding, advertising and digital appearance of Sumadhura Group. To serve the marketing needs of the client, the firm aims to provide result driven solutions for the next phase of their exponential growth.

    Speaking of this association, Sumadhura Infracon senior VP- sales & marketing Srinivas Moramchetty said, “We’re thrilled to welcome 4AM Worldwide as our new creative communication partner. We want to leverage their vast experience in integrated marketing communication along with a storytelling approach. Today’s consumers are evolving every day, so it is important for the success of Real Estate companies like us, who have been in business for the last 25 years, to innovate and engage with customers differently from brand and product communication front.”

    Speaking about the win, 4AM Worldwide chief operating officer Meenakshi Aggarwal stated “Sumadhura group has been a well-established player in Bangalore and Hyderabad markets. It is aggressively pursuing growth and we are delighted to partner with them in their growth. The Real Estate sector is bounding back as the pandemic impact starts fading away, making it an ideal time to engage with audiences via integrated marketing.”

    The creative and business leadership at 4AM has successfully built numerous brands across diverse categories, from naming and identity design to  managing integrated campaigns across TV, print, outdoor, radio, digital & events.

    4AM attributes this success to  the deep research and landscape understanding the team does before embarking on any new domain or brief. The company’s portfolio includes clients from various sectors starting from BFSI, Film and Media, Government & PSU, Education, Real Estate, Construction Materials to E-commerce.

  • Cannes Lions ’22: India scores 20 more shortlists, takes its tally to 37

    Cannes Lions ’22: India scores 20 more shortlists, takes its tally to 37

    MUMBAI: The Indian contingent added a dazzling 20 more shortlists to its tally on Day One of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2022 being held from 20 June to 24 June 2022. This is in addition to the 17 shortlists the contingent garnered earlier, taking the country’s total score to 37 shortlists so far.

    Here is the breakdown of the latest shortlisted works:

    Dentsu Creative’s ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ for Vice Media bagged four more shortlists in the Digital Craft Lions.

    In Entertainment Lions, ‘Master Ji’ for BYJUS by BYJUS Bengaluru and Dora Digs Mumbai got one shortlist.  

    In Film Craft Lions, ‘The Missing Chapter’ for P&G’s Whisper by Off Road Films Mumbai & Leo Burnett received three shortlists, while Care Lives On #Touch0fCare for Vicks by Memesys Culture Lab Bambolim and ‘Master Ji’ for BYJUS by BYJUS Bengaluru and Dora Digs Mumbai got two shortlists each. Machine Gun Mouth for Battlegrounds Mobile India by Early Man Films picked one shortlist.

    In Industry Craft, ‘A Silent Frown’ created by DDB Mudra Mumbai for Charlie Chaplin Foundation scored one shortlist. 

    In Design Lions, Unaids’ ‘Unbox Me’ by FCB India and FCB Chicago, , ‘A Silent Frown’ created by DDB Mudra Mumbai for Charlie Chaplin Foundation got a shortlist each.

    ‘Polly the Polar Bear’ for Montessori Schools India, created by Landor & Fitch Mumbai & Paris, ‘The Missing Chapter’ for P&G’s Whisper by Leo Burnett got two shortlists each.

    However, it was a no-show for the contingent in the Entertainment Lions for Music and Entertainment Lions for Sports categories.

    In the earlier announcements made on Sunday, the Indian contingent picked up 12 shortlists in the categories Health and Wellness and Radio and Audio Lions. Dentsu Webchutney, DDB Mudra, Leo Burnett, and VMLY&R scored the shortlists, with the former’s The Unfiltered Historical past Tour for Vice Media harvesting upto seven shortlists. There were no Indian shortlists in the Pharma, Print and Publishing, and Out-of-home categories.

    In the Health and Wellness Lions, Killer Pack for Maxx Flash and The Adeli Motion for Unipads- both by VMLY&R, and DBB Mudra’s Machine Gun Mouth for BattleGrounds Cell India got a shortlist each, even as Leo Burnett’s The Lacking Chapter for P&G India’s Whisper picked up two Shortlists.

    In the Radio and Audio Lions category, Dentsu Webchutney’s The Unfiltered Historical past Tour for Vice Media picked up seven Shortlists.

    Before that, VMLY&R had gained two shortlists for the Killer Pack for Maxx Flash in the Innovation Lions and the Adeli for Unipads in the Glass: Lion for Change.

    BBDO India too scored a shortlist in the Glass Lions for the When we #SeeEqual, we #ShareTheLoad (Integrated) campaign it did for P&G India’s Ariel.

    The Titanium Lions garnered shortlists for Ogilvy India’s Shahrukh-My ad for Cadbury Celebrations and Dentsu Webchutney’s The Unfiltered History Tour for Vice Media.

  • NT Summit ’22: How the ever-changing TV news industry is opening up new avenues for marketeers

    NT Summit ’22: How the ever-changing TV news industry is opening up new avenues for marketeers

    Mumbai: As technology advances and consumer habits change due to the pandemic, television newsrooms navigate a new world. The pattern of consuming news content is also evolving with the rise of digital news platforms. The ever-changing landscape of news has witnessed tremendous growth & transformation over the last few years with various channels being launched in multiple languages on a steady basis.

    During a panel discussion on ‘news on television: a marketers delight’ at the recently concluded NT Summit hosted by Indiantelevision.com, the industry insiders explored the challenges and opportunities in the news television segment presented by the new normal. The event, co-sponsored by Dalet, was held recently in New Delhi.

    The panel saw industry stalwarts voice out their opinions & insights on the changes the space is undergoing and on the new avenues it opens up for marketers. Experts deliberated on the impact of news ratings and viewership data on advertising, and how marketers can leverage it.

    The participants on the panel were News18 (HC) vice president and head – marketing and product Aditya Tandon; Zee Media marketing head Anindya Khare; ABP Network chief revenue officer Mona Jain; Just Dial chief marketing officer Prasun Kumar; Policybazaar Insurance Brokers VP & head of brand marketing Samir Sethi; and Maruti Suzuki India senior executive director marketing & sales Shashank Srivastava. The session was moderated by Dentsu Creative India chief executive officer Amit Wadhwa.

    Ratings are key to take media planning decisions

    Talking about the impact that audience measurement ratings such as Barc data has on marketers and brands’ advertising, Amit Wadhwa raised the point of whether the ratings help brands in their media planning decisions. Maruti’s Shashank Srivastava acknowledged that ratings help vastly when it comes to investing in the right news channels for a particular brand/segment, while adding that there has to be a stronger basis for the data measurements. He added that apart from relying on the ratings, the brand has its own checks in place.

    Not being a part of the ratings is not a solution, Srivastava said while noting that there are channels who have gone that route. “That’s a confrontational approach, which is not going to help advertisers or even the platform or broadcasters. We need to find a solution on this by arriving at a consensus for the industry,” he added.

    For this, the measurement parameters have to be defined and it should be done in a way that’s proper, essential, he opined, adding, “We are not going to invest a single rupee without having a strong basis for the investment.”

    Most panelists agreed that ratings are important from a marketer’s perspective, as it bestows a clear picture about where to put in money and in which direction the marketing strategies and planning are moving. However, because of all the controversies around the ratings that one keeps hearing about, even with some channels opting out of it, and so on, it tends to plant seeds of doubt whether the ratings can be solely depend upon by a marketeer, Just Dial’s Prasun Kumar said. So as a marketeer, one does need to apply one’s own thinking and findings on top of the ratings, as Maruti is doing, by having their own checks and strategies in place, he affirmed.

    Having said that without audience measurement and numbers it’s not possible to decide on a solid television plan for a marketeer, said Kumar, adding that he does not know of any other way of doing that.

    Reaching out to the right audience

    Introducing some analytics into the conversation, Policybazaar’s Samir Sethi said that for a lot of digital brands one of the intentions of advertising is to generate immediate call to action from consumers. “What we do apart from looking at ratings when we make decisions on media planning or buying, is to also see the propensity of the eyeball to generate action.”

    “We would basically try and measure if there was a visit generated on our website, post-airing of the ad spot,” continued Sethi. These methodologies help not only in identifying what genres or channels to pick, but also in trying to understand what hours people tend to react more on advertising or on which days of week are better, etc., he added.

    Most of the brand spokespersons on the panel agreed that while the ratings helped them make media decisions, they were definitely not the sole decision-making criteria.

    ABP Network’s Mona Jain pointed out that when the brands are spending so much money on investing in news channels, while also “reaching out to a significant audience that’s an opinion maker”, then it becomes important to deep dive and find which is the slot & which is the prime time that works on which particular channel.

    “Because you’ll find that the dominant part of the TRPs comes from particular time slots,” explained Jain. “So, I would really like marketeers to spend some time analysing and understanding the data better.” There are many who use news genre as a commodity buying, not really looking at it from the point of engaging with the serious consumer that news genre draws, she rued, adding that it’s important too.

    The panel deliberated about the importance of news channels in a media buying spectrum, what they can do differently for better outcomes and on picking the suitable platform for building their brand.

    From the marketeer perspective, what news channels can do differently, Wadhwa asked the panel.

    “We always talk about TV vs digital, as if these are two platforms which are running up against each other,” said Zee Media’s marketing head Anindya Khare.

    “What I feel is that TV news channels need to be more inclusive and convergent, rather than being divergent. Wherein we can be more complementary to each other. If you are in a position to take leverage of the digital medium, for instance, for a particular target group (TG), digital medium may be more relevant and you might be getting a high return on investment (RoI) using digital. I think there is an immense opportunity for both the platforms to exist and grow further, provided there is an intelligence to how to use it in convergence,” added Khare.

    Content is the king in advertising

    From a marketeer perspective, on how to make the news genre work better, News18’s Aditya Tandon emphasised that it’s really about content. “I think technology, digital and all is fine, but for me at heart, it’s really about content. As an advertiser, if we can invest in and create great content, and work with marketers in doing that then I think that’ll never go out of fashion- it’s a win-win for everybody. And that’s an ongoing process that’s never going to end,” he added.

    Speaking from a holistic perspective, Kumar also pointed out that news channels may want to look at “how to arrest the transient audiences that’s moving out of this platform, and create a programming format for stickiness on the platform.” That will also help brands repose faith in a channel,” he added.

    The panelists stated that the whole striking of balance between digital and linear is tough, from a marketer’s viewpoint as it’s a constantly evolving state of affairs. The participants looked forward to the day, the news channels reached some sort of a consensus on a valid audience and viewership data measurement that can be accepted unanimously across the board as a common platform for ratings. They also noted that both from a consumer’s as well as from a marketer’s point of view, perhaps it may be time to move beyond the prime-time news format of debates.

  • boAt partners with Warner Bros. Consumer Products & DC

    boAt partners with Warner Bros. Consumer Products & DC

    Mumbai: boAt has unveiled new DC-themed designs across boAt’s top selling accessories in collaboration with Warner Bros. This new collection combines the epic characters Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman with boAt’s superior technology. The new collaboration will give the Indian market a way to be closer to the massive DC Multiverse for the first time. The collection and its offerings have been carefully curated and thoughtfully designed to synergize with all the characters and their unique attributes. The iconic association is an outcome of extremely similar audiences of DC and boAt, who are on the lookout for powerful and inspiring consumer durables; the ones who adorn an individual style and seek perfection in every move they make.

    The collaboration between the powerhouse brands includes the following: boAt Rockerz 450 headphones in Krypton Blue (Superman), boAt Stone 190 portable speaker in Amazonian Red (Wonder Woman), and boAt Airdopes 131 earbuds in Knight Black (Batman).

    Speaking on this, boAt co-founder and CMO Aman Gupta said, “I feel extremely excited to announce our partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and reveal our DC-themed boAt audio wear. DC Super Heroes are some of the most loved and watched characters across several age groups. We feel our boAthead community would really appreciate this truly unique collection.”

    Sharing his thoughts on the partnership, Warner Bros. Discovery India Southeast Asia & Korea head of consumers advertising and partnerships Vikram Sharma said, “We always endeavor to bring our iconic characters to fans through fun and engaging collaborations and we know the association with boAt will give DC fans in India an opportunity to bring the imagination of the DC Multiverse into their lives. We are sure they will enjoy this exclusive range.”

    The DC themed collection will be available on boat-lifestyle.com starting 18 June, 12 pm.