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Tag: advertising

  • There is a growing awareness of Metaverse and it is the future, reveals Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s survey

    There is a growing awareness of Metaverse and it is the future, reveals Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s survey

    Mumbai: There has been an increasing awareness of the metaverse recently. It was revealed in Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s latest survey ‘New Realities: Into the Metaverse and Beyond’, that 76 per cent of people feel the metaverse will allow authentic self-expression and however, the market is becoming aware of the advantage of it.

    The survey shows brands and agencies a clear direction in a tech field where 74 per cent of people feel metaverse will be the future. The analysis presents a roadmap for adland which expands upon the groundbreaking into the metaverse study.

    Its 2022 metaverse survey ‘New Realities: Into the Metaverse and Beyond’ for which research was fielded in March – from over 3,000 people aged 16-65 in the US, UK and China – shows that awareness of the metaverse has more than doubled in less than a year. While less than a third (32 per cent ) had heard of the term in July 2021, by March 2022 almost three quarters (74 per cent) had heard of the term.

    Although awareness has increased, understanding remains low. The research also finds that there is a lack of clarity around what the term means, with only 15 per cent stating that they know what it is and can explain it to someone else.

    Despite being unable to explain the metaverse, consumers believe that it promises to impact our lives significantly and among those who know what the metaverse is, two-thirds believe it will be life-changing.

    Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s global director and author of the report Emma Chiu said, “As ever-greater portions of our lives move into the virtual realm, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the metaverse will be instrumental in our collective future, with our follow-up survey uncovering widespread expectation that the metaverse heralds enormous changes to almost all industries.”

    Areas in which consumers are expecting to see innovation include entertainment where 90 per cent of respondents held this belief, followed by advertising and retail. Meanwhile, 85 per cent believe the metaverse will impact the fashion industry and also the world of work.

    With many still assessing the impact of new screen-based habits, alongside the continued blurring of the virtual and physical worlds, the latest, companion report includes fresh data and several other critical insights:

    • Retail brand analysis shows the development of digital and physical shopping alongside one another, sharing case studies including Nike in Roblox, Forever 21’s Shop City and Fred Segal’s Artcade.

    • The finance section of the report outlines the top banks, credit companies and crypto literacy projects along with research into the growth of virtual currencies. The outcome is that these currencies are becoming a significant economic force both for business and for countries as several get involved in experiments with nationally regulated crypto.

    • Health and Wellness shares insights into deepening connections between digital and physical care for bodily and mental health. Explore case studies from Sims to CVS.

    • Food brands have jumped into the metaverse with restaurants and beverage brands leveraging the link between food and social connection. From Coca-Cola’s Indian wedding to the Flyfish member’s only restaurant where NFTs are exchanged as verification, this sector shows real creative flair.

    Wunderman Thompson Global Chief Marketing and Growth Officer Naomi Troni said, “Brands must establish a roadmap for entry into the metaverse. However, there are concerns too around privacy, security, and safety.”

    “So, while our latest findings indicate almost limitless opportunities for brands — enabling them to re-imagine what their products, services and consumer engagement could and should look like – they must also enter this new world carefully,” she added.

  • Unacademy’s new campaign highlights role of mother as first teacher

    Unacademy’s new campaign highlights role of mother as first teacher

    Mumbai: The edtech learning platform, Unacademy has launched its new campaign celebrating motherhood titled ‘Meri Pehli Academy’. The film commemorates the role of every mother as the first teacher, educator in every child’s life.

    Conceptualised by Ogilvy, the film showcases the story of a young student – Bulbul, who is moving to a new city to live alone. It highlights how her mother has come along to help her set up the place, guiding her to do things on her own, testing and mentoring her to live her life independently. The heartfelt appreciation soon turns into a deeper realisation, as Bulbul begins to see her mother as her first academy.

    The film outlines several instances which reinforce the subconscious learnings from the mother. When the mother asks Bulbul to make ‘chai’ – Bulbul learns the whereabouts of items in the kitchen and it is a metaphor for learning how to fend for yourself. When Bulbul starts unpacking her room, her mother hands her the box opener, highlighting how she is equipping Bulbul to start the new journey.

    Speaking on the launch of the film, Unacademy’s partner & chief marketing officer, Karan Shroff said, “Throughout our formative years, our mother figures teach us several valuable life lessons. For most of us, we do not realise during our entire lifetime, the pivotal role they play in our lives, which is that of our first educator, our first Academy.

    “This year, we are commemorating the learnings we all got from our #MeriPehliAcademy with the hope that the message resonates with all our learners. It also conveys Unacademy’s promise of being a lifelong ally to learners at every step of their journey along with their mother,” he added.

    Ogilvy’s chief creative officer Puneet Kapoor said, “A mother is our first teacher and our first school. From learning our first lessons from her, we also learn valuable life lessons. A mother is the foundation to a child’s being, her/his pillar of strength. The role that a mother plays in a child’s life, can’t be paralleled by any other human relationship. This was the genesis of the wonderful idea of the film:Maa- #MeriPehliAcademy.”

  • upGrad’s latest digital-first campaign focuses on upskilling

    upGrad’s latest digital-first campaign focuses on upskilling

    Mumbai: Edtech firm, upGrad’s latest campaign focuses on the importance of upskilling across tech domains for working professionals. It is a digital-first, gender-specific micro-targeted campaign.

    The campaign aims to encourage more women professionals to upskill and scale up their tech careers, across the industry. upGrad’s tech offerings like blockchain, full stack development (FSD), big data, devOps, cybersecurity and cloud computing are areas that learners are showing interest.

    Aligning with the viewer’s needs, the campaign targets professionals using gender-specific ads and creatives, based on their area of interest.  

    With close to 10 different versions, the campaign aims to micro-target users who are seeking to upskill themselves, by showcasing creatives and ads that align with their gender and subject interest across technology programs.  

    The digital film for the campaign, which is conceptualised by The Womb, showcases the mayhem that ensues when there is a fire in the office, and who the team rescues. The campaign has been directed by Roopali Singhal of Chrome Pictures and is live on digital.

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    Moreover, given the increased interest by women professionals in coding and software programs, upGrad’s campaign is reinforcing the importance of women coders by representing female protagonists in the ad films. The film showcases women learners upskilling with upGrad’s tech courses to become ‘very very important’ team members who drive organisational growth and success at their jobs, upon course completion.

    Commenting on the tech campaign, upGrad head of marketing Ankit Khirwal said, “we can no longer pretend that skilling is not important, especially in the field of technology, where human-machine interactions, Web 3.0, brand building in Metaverse are happening as we speak. Following this trend, we have witnessed an increase in interest from women coders for our tech offerings across blockchain, fsd, devops, cybersecurity, and more.”

    “Therefore, to encourage them further to upskill and fast forward their careers, our digital campaign will undertake a micro-targeting approach, to showcase the right offering to the right viewer based on their interest and profile, to help them navigate their upskilling solutions,” he added.

    Till date, upGrad learners have received an average career hike of 51 percent while getting placed with top companies like Uber, Flipkart, Meesho and Razorpay, after completing tech courses with the edtech major.

     “When there’s fire in the office, who will you save? Yourself, your boss or the most important employee in the office? That’s the premise Gunjan cracked when thinking of this campaign. The chaos added to the drama, the twist added to the fun and thus, we found a creative way of highlighting the importance of tech courses in today’s world,” added the Womb creative head Suyash Khabya.

  • Tanishq, Talented launch new campaign to inspire moms and break stereotypes

    Tanishq, Talented launch new campaign to inspire moms and break stereotypes

    Mumbai: Tanishq has launched its latest campaign ‘The Interview’ ahead of Mother’s Day. Conceptualized by Tanishq and Talented, the two-minute slice of life film attempts to break stereotypes around maternity break and showcases an apt description of ‘Life’s Boot Camp’ through the eyes of a new mother.

    Created in partnership with Superfly Films, it strives to strike a conversation with new mothers as it shines the light upon progressive womanhood by celebrating the inherent leader in every mother. A maternity break teaches a woman to lead by instinct, and trust her own decisions, even when she often feels overwhelmed by advice received by others. It is only in this special phase of life that a woman really masters the art of time management and constant prioritization while she juggles multiple roles and responsibilities both personally and professionally.

    The film protagonist, Radhika, is a young mother and a promising candidate with charisma and a whole lot of rich experience. She is just back from her maternity break as she appears for a job interview. The interviewer is curiously surprised by the mention of ‘Life Boot Camp’ on her resume, even as she describes it beautifully just like any other job experience and the responsibilities that she might not even let go of. However, the interviewer’s decision was a little divided!

    Speaking on the launch of the film, Titan’s General Manager-Marketing, Ranjani Krishnaswamy said, “The woman of today is seeking to express herself with honesty and authenticity to confidently celebrate her realities. She’s thriving in her vulnerability while rising in her power to change her world. The brand believes these powerful stories build positive momentum in cultivating a world of equality and adding to her self-growth. This film is an ode to women who challenge set narratives and inspire many others to follow the change.”

    Titan’s Head-HR, Retail and Corporate said, “Work teams with better women representation bring high value to organizations. But this is not the only reason for Titan to embark on this journey. The purpose behind taking this step was that we thought it was innately the right thing to do. In the last three decades, we have built a foundation by increasing our gender representation across managerial levels, strengthening diversity enabling processes and building a culture of inclusivity. But we do not settle here. Titan is striving to continue improving women’s representation and create a culture where we make sure women receive all the required support from the organization in their journey as a mother with flexible and supportive policies”.

    Speaking on the film, Talented’s Founding Member and Creative Binaifer Dulani said, “Studies reveal that it will take at least 136 years to close the global gender pay gap, and one of the biggest factors for this is the lack of representation of women in senior leadership. We need more workplaces to see beyond the dominant culture and create equity for women so that they can make their comeback. There is no parallel to the thought differentiation and unique life experiences mothers bring to the table, yet they are constantly on the back foot when they want to make a comeback after a maternity break. Through this campaign, we want to inspire organisations to take affirmative action towards retaining and hiring mothers, and we want to inspire mothers to claim their maternity breaks as what it is – a boot camp in life and leadership”.

  • This Mother’s Day, Let us do the “Super-moms” a favour, retire them

    This Mother’s Day, Let us do the “Super-moms” a favour, retire them

    MUMBAI: Brand X “launches heart-warming video dedicated to all ‘Super Moms’” blares an accessories brand campaign…“Celebrating the superstar mothers”, says another. “Dedicated to mothers who like a superwoman…blah blah” reads yet another brand campaign.

    Come Mother’s Day and one is inundated with ads showcasing heroic, self-sacrificing moms multitasking, juggling an over-abundance of chores while managing both the work and home fronts super efficiently, constructing an image of a super-human or a symbol of divinity with multiple pairs of hands. Brand after brand in ad after ad repeats the same tired tropes of a “super mom” effortlessly ‘doing it all’ or role-playing the selfless epitome of virtue and goodness in a bid to keep the domestic machinery well-oiled and running smoothly.

    In a damning indictment of how we treat our women as a nation, a 2011 Nielson Survey found that women in India are the most stressed of all. The study conducted across 21 countries measured stress by asking women questions such as ‘If they often felt pressured for time’, ‘If they rarely had time to relax’, ‘If they felt stressed/ overworked most of the time’. An overwhelming 87 per cent of Indian women signalled that they felt stressed most of the time, and 82 per cent had no time to relax.

    Ten years down the line, a cursory look at our ads and campaigns rolled out ahead of Mother’s Day makes it clear that little has changed in women’s lives, while also presenting a possible indicator of why this may be so.

    Lifestyle & mobile accessories brand KDM has launched a ‘Karo Dil Ki Marzi Mummy with KDM’ video ahead of Mother’s Day, that starts with a young daughter introducing her mother who’s talented but sacrificed her dreams for the sake of her family. The film shows the mom busy dusting, cleaning, cooking and having no time to follow her passion. The key purpose of the campaign is to pay tribute to all the “selfless sacrificing mothers who need to also listen to their heart along with performing their jobs”. The ad, which probably has its heart in the right place, unfortunately, chooses to play to the gallery with all the mommy stereotypes in place.

    A recent LG Dishwasher advert, although not strictly a mother’s day campaign – takes us right back to the 70’s era if not earlier with its brand film and tagline of ‘Love wife, Love LG Dishwasher’. Circa 1982, Prestige pressure cooker ad, anyone? The vintage ad for the Prestige pressure cooker brand had a similar sentiment to sell its brand of pressure cookers- “Jo Biwi se kare pyar, Woh Prestige se kaise kare inkaar”! And from the looks of it, the time has stood still for the LG dishwasher ad!

    Coming back to 2022, LG’s latest depicts a seemingly modern-looking urban couple beginning their marital journey. The film goes on to show the new bride struggling and labouring over a pile of dirty dishes. That is, till her knight-in-shining-armour – the husband, decides to rescue her from the catastrophic fate by gifting her an LG dishwasher. The voiceover in the ad ends with a believe it or not- “Not only take care of your dishes but your wife’s hands too!” slogan, clearly implying that it’s only the woman’s job to keep the soiled dishes ‘spic n span’. If only the brand’s marketing team had some “modern” thinking to go along with the modern features it talks about inbuilt in the machine!

    If you thought this was an aberration to the brand’s dishwasher campaigns, there’s more. In another advert of the same series, the film goes on to nominate the husband as “the best husband in the world” for being gracious enough to gift his wife an LG dishwasher. The ad spot goes on to commission the brand itself as “The true symbol of love and care” for “Keeping your wife’s hands soft and beautiful as ever”! Coming from a multinational conglomerate, and one of the leading names in consumer electronics and home appliances, one would have expected better. But alas..that was not to be.

    A lot has been said about equal parenting, but the truth remains, in one way or the other, women do end up with a larger share of work at the domestic level and such advertisements and brand campaigns further drill into the trope of a woman-managing-it-all perfectly are not helping matters!

     

    In a slightly refreshing mode, the latest Prega news campaign seeks to break the stereotypical image of a “perfect” mom while acknowledging that a mother can be humanly imperfect and not excel at every role laid out by society. The brand in its latest Mother’s Day campaign depicts a working mother undergoing guilt pangs because she feels she has let her baby down. The film goes on to emphasise the message that mothers need not be perfect all the time and “embraces the imperfection of a mother with the #SheIsImperfectlyPerfect campaign”.

    On the flip side, the pregnancy detection brand’s International Women’s Day 2022 campaign appears to be at odds with its Mothers’ day messaging. It speaks about the same tired trope of celebrating the “boundless spirit of womanhood with its #SheCanCarryBoth” message, where it enunciates “the huge strength of women who do not shy away from any form of responsibility”. Here the brand attempts to examine via the life journeys of four women passing through a railways waiting room, whether being a mom while being “extremely rewarding”, takes a toll on one’s ambitions and dreams? While the concept and intent behind the campaign is to be commended, (as it says, “, it’s time to break free from the nay-sayers of society and bring in confidence to women that #SheCanCarryBoth!”) the ad ends up glossing over the challenges faced by new mothers in trying to single-handedly manage the baby, home and her career, with the daddys, as usual, nowhere in the picture. 

    However, to be fair, the brand has in the past highlighted important issues faced by women through its ads. It even threw light on an important matter such as postpartum depression (PPD) and how new mothers grapple with it, in its 2018 campaign, emphasises how PPD is a harsh reality and how we, as a society, can help mothers deal with it by being understanding and empathetic.

    But sadly, such advertisements are exceptions rather than the rule, and the major part of the ads still depict women and mothers in conformist avatars. This, while adding to the not-so-subtle societal pressure on women, also takes away the culpability of the rest of the household to do their bit in easing the load on a single individual.

    It’s 2022. High time we retired the “super-mom” from our ads? And bring them down from the ‘divine’ super-humanly pedestal we have bestowed upon them only to weigh them down with the crown of our expectations? Let’s keep hoping.

  • Goafest 2022 returns after a gap of two years to inspire

    Goafest 2022 returns after a gap of two years to inspire

    Mumbai: Goafest returns back once again! For advertising and media businesses, it is one of the important celebrations. 15 years of Goafest is truly a special milestone. What makes it more special is that it is being celebrated after a gap of two years. Many have braved the hard times as it got affected due to covid pandemic.

    The pandemic brought forth the superpower within each one of us. When we thought we were down and out, we were compelled to dig deeper and find courage and resilience. Not just people, businesses discovered their own unbeatable spirit to survive and thrive, so did governments and countries. Now, it is time to acknowledge this power within each one of us that makes us unique, that enables us to face challenges with ease and helps us make the world a better place. It is time to celebrate “The Superpower Within”.

    The event will bring together under one roof 28 highly accomplished, power-packed speakers, who will share valuable insights of their knowledge on content, creativity, strategies, stories and experiences from new-age media like OTT, social media, gaming, health & wellness along with an attention to policies and regulations.

    Goafest will have iconic personalities from Indian Sports and Bollywood inspiring us with their achievements and stories of strength. The festival will focus on the superpower of Bharat and its growing digital reach, and on the rich startup ecosystem with Shark Tank India’s Vineeta Singh of SUGAR and Unicorn builder, Ankush Sachdeva. No growth can be achieved if personal well-being is ignored, and for that, we have the exceptional Rujuta Diwekar, nutritionist and influencer.

    There will be the presence of stalwarts like SS Rajamouli, Kash Sree and Menno Kluin amongst others. The story of perseverance from a graceful actress like Madhuri Dixit along with stories from the fearless Kiran Bedi, the indomitable PV Sindhu, the courageous Mithali Raj and the man with the unwavering faith to win, Kapil Dev! In addition to this, leaders like Level Ex founder and ceo Sam Glassenberg, Ministry of Consumer Affairs & Food Distribution’s Secretary, Aqilliz’s Ceo Rohit Kumar Singh, Gowthaman Ragothaman co-founder Web3 Marketing Association,   Sandeep Bhushan, Director & Head of GSM (Global Marketing Solutions) India, Meta will share their invaluable insights.

    There will also be nine empowering Knowledge Masterclasses this year including topics like ‘The Power of Camera Marketing’, Creative workshops by FCB Ulka, Snapchat, Publicis Groupe and many more interesting workshops from Meta, Sharechat, and Google.

    Entertainers like Sukhbir and Shilpa Rao will be performing at the event. The event will take place between 5-7 May at Grand Hyatt, Goa.

  • Media personality Pranav Harihar Sharma joins Pippip Media as showrunner & partner

    Media personality Pranav Harihar Sharma joins Pippip Media as showrunner & partner

    Mumbai: New age content house Pippip Media has announced the onboarding of Cannes Lions winning filmmaker and ad-man Pranav Harihar Sharma as partner and showrunner of the company.   

    With close to two decades of noticeable work in the advertising industry, Sharma will now lead Pippip’s foray into long format storytelling and branded campaigns. With over two hundred ad films under his belt as director, and having won multiple awards for his short films at several international festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, New York Film Fest to name a few, Sharma feels this is the right time to get into new-age storytelling.

    Speaking on his association with Pippip Media, he says, “The world is fast moving from advertising to media & entertainment and in no time we will see branded content replacing the good old TVC. The change is already here and at Pippip, we want to be at the forefront of this change.”

    “I’ve been working closely with Pippip on various projects last year. While working together we realised that we share the same vision and passion for creating cutting edge content. As Showrunner, I may not be writing or directing every content piece hereon but will be responsible for the final creative product,” Sharma added.

    Director and chief business officer Joy Bhattacharya said, “We are delighted to announce the inclusion of Pranav as Showrunner and Partner. We believe he will play an instrumental role in building Pippip Media and accelerating the growth further.”

    Pippip Media director and chief creative officer Aritra Mukherjee said, “The time is here to toggle between films, TVCs, digital content, branded campaigns, web series and not be limited to any one particular medium. We want to be present where good content can be created and no one better than Pranav to lead this vertical for us.”

    Pippip Media’s recent IPL focused campaign for Fantasy Akhada with Harsha Bhogle and Ali Fazal has been well received and their short film ‘The Table’ for Greenply has been officially selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival. They have also produced the 18th season of the iconic show MTV Roadies, filmed in South Africa with actor Sonu Sood.

  • Ad spends are likely to get impacted if consumption reduces: Carat India CEO Anita Kotwani

    Ad spends are likely to get impacted if consumption reduces: Carat India CEO Anita Kotwani

    Mumbai: In March this year, India completed a year of double-digit wholesale price inflation (WPI inflation). This is the sixth occasion when inflation has remained over 10 per cent for a year or longer, and it came more than a quarter of a century after the last such episode — between March 1994 and May 1995.

    In an exclusive interaction with IndianTelevision.com, Carat India CEO Anita Kotwani noted that inflation is already impacting FMCG which is the broadcast industry’s highest ad spender. She offers her take on the impact of inflation noting that right now ad spend patterns are unlikely to be impacted and the market is recovering from Covid-19. But she warns that if the price of commodities significantly goes up, then that could impact consumption negatively. And ad spends are the easiest to cut back on when commodity prices rise. She offers the example of domestic aviation cutting back on TV ad spends in a significant manner so far this year. On a more positive note, she sheds light on the resilience of TV as an ad medium.

    Edited excerpts:

    There is talk about high inflation. How is this impacting companies especially FMCG?

    High inflation is likely to bite into the FMCG sector’s volume growth in 2022. Retail inflation in India rose to a seven-month high from 6.01 per cent in January, breaching the upper tolerance level. The rise was mainly on account of high food inflation, which jumped to a 14-month high of 5.43 per cent, along with a high base.

    A majority of FMCG companies have already reported a decline in volume growth in the third quarter of FY22. At this juncture, FMCG firms face the dilemma of choosing between margins and volumes. However, the analysts believe that protecting the margins will further impact volumes as consumers will hold back consumption.

    A recent Nielson IQ report suggests that demand in the rural segment has taken a hit, with volume growth declining by 2.9 per cent. Inflation in the price of fertiliser and diesel has impacted the disposable income of the farmers, thus, impacting the consumption in the rural regions.

    Some of the recent reports also suggest that consumers may have to pay more for their daily essential items. Since the FMCG companies are mulling over another round of price hikes, to offset the impact of an unprecedented level of inflation in commodity prices such as wheat, palm oil and packaging materials. A 10-15 per cent hike is expected across industries. The market is volatile as of now, therefore, brands will consider multiple factors before finalising the incremental in the price for their product.

    Do you see clients’ ad spending getting impacted in the coming quarters as consumer sentiment turns negative and spending slows down?

    Currently, the negative sentiments are not very strong and things are still volatile. Ad spends are likely to get impacted if consumption reduces. However, the impact on consumption will be determined by the increase in the cost of the product. Yes, the essentials are getting a bit expensive but that is largely due to the increased fuel cost led by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Apart from that, the market has been steadily recovering from Covid and the advertiser spend patterns are unlikely to see any impact. Only if the price of commodities significantly goes up, then that could impact consumption negatively.

    Which are the sectors that you see coming under stress due to inflation?

    As per the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of March 2022, India stood at an inflation rate of 6.95 per cent.

    Amidst the hardening of fuel prices, India’s wholesale price-based inflation quickened to 14.55 percent in March from 13.11 percent in February. Retail inflation for March has also climbed to 6.95 per cent, a 17-month high. According to the country’s CPI-based inflation report, the spike in prices was led by food items.

    A continuous rise in fuel prices since March 22 has not been completely captured in the latest data, suggesting that inflation may remain elevated in the coming months. A surge in crude oil prices to a 14-year high has resulted in broad price pressures on Indian households.

    Among food items, the index for oil and fats recorded the largest sequential price hike, by 5.3 per cent in March. This may raise pressure on the government to make edible oils cheaper.

    The worst affected sectors include food (+1.4 percent over February), clothing and footwear (+0.9 percent over February), and fuel and light (+0.9 percent over February).

    Do you see urban and rural India both being equally affected?

    Since the beginning of 2021, inflation has started to see a gap between urban and rural geographies. For rural consumers, their basket has a higher weightage on food and essentials. Whereas, for urban consumers, the non-food items dominate their shopping baskets as well. Recreation (malls/cinemas) also impact urban consumers more than rural.

    While the inflation gap between urban and rural audiences is always going to remain, rural is also likely to see an impact in consumption due to increased prices of fertilisers and diesel. This impacts the disposable income of people in the rural region.

    The people who are most affected by rising inflation are the final consumers of goods. The prices of goods and services are constantly rising. However, the salaries and income of consumers do not rise proportionately. Hence, there is a lag leading to goods and services becoming less affordable to the final consumers. The CPI inflation witnessed significant and sustained moderation during 2012-13 to 2018-19, before rising thereafter.

    Rural and urban inflation exhibited a similar trend; the only difference witnessed was that urban inflation started rising from 2018 to 2019.

    Moreover, the annual average urban inflation which was ruling below rural inflation till 2017-18, moved above it during 2018-19 and 2019-20 (Chart 1a). Food and non-food inflation contributed to the divergence between urban and rural inflation (Chart 1b).

    The consumer food price inflation for rural areas was 3.94 per cent in March 2021. It went up to 8.04 per cent in March 2022. Similarly, the CPI for rural India has also gone up to 7.66 per cent in 2022, from 4.61 per cent in March 2021.

    The rural food inflation in March has also registered a steep hike in comparison to February 2022. It has gone up to 8.04 per cent in March, from 5.81 per cent in February.

    The Consumer food price inflation for India as a whole, including rural and urban, has gone up to 7.68 per cent in March 2022, from 4.87 per cent in March 2021. Given this understanding, yes, inflation will impact rural and urban consumers equally.

    What does the media industry need to do to prepare for growth potentially not being as smooth?

    Ad spends are the first and the easiest way to cut costs during times of high commodity prices. It is already evident. Hit by high aviation fuel prices, domestic airlines in the country have cut television advertising by as much as 27 per cent , during the first five months of the year.

    When companies try to reduce the ‘extra’ spending, the packages provided by marketers for consolidated marketing become way more lucrative for the brands concerned.
    It is imperative for brands to understand that the focus of cost-cutting should be on reducing wastages and not reducing activity that can generate future sales or build a brand.

    When a brand is in its growth phase, a reduction in ad spends is unadvisable, even during times of inflation. If a brand is sensitive to media ad spends, which consequently drives movement in business impact, then they too should not cut ad costs. This education to brands by media agencies and partners is imperative.

    360-degree media campaigns are the most lucrative campaigns. They combine the most effective and efficient mediums that drive business impact for the brand and further boost media outcomes to the best possible, depending on the category.

    Exploring newer advertising options like addressable TV, geo-fencing on digital, digital OOH and interactive print is not only more efficient but far much more sharp-targeted to the audience, avoiding spillage and minimizing costs.

    Is there a likelihood of revising the projected ad spend growth of  Rs 82,500 crore?

    As an industry we are keeping a close watch on how the media spends are progressing, advertisers and agencies have come to terms that things need to normalise despite rising in covid cases, we will have to co-exist with the virus and continue business as usual. We are hopeful that the situation will not deteriorate, and growth projections if needed will be upward only.

    It is a bit unclear right now if the projection for the ad spends will get changed. There has to be a situation as major as the 2020 Covid crisis for the ad spend projections to change significantly.

    Will print be the first medium to suffer if clients cut back on spends? What is your take?

    In a world wherein all media inputs are determined by ROI, print is the low-hanging fruit. It always witnesses cuts whenever there are budget cuts. A lot of marketing mix modeling (MMM studies) show that for a lot of FMCG brands, print has the lowest ROI, and hence print is always under the scanner.

    Dentsu’s ad forecast report mentioned TV being the most resilient. What is the reason for this?

    Linear television remains to be the most popular and resilient media in India with a 40 per cent share of spend. Linear television ad volumes continued to post a healthy growth starting H2 2021, as marketers leveraged the reach and power of TV to raise the profile of their brands.

    We have seen this in the past as well. In 2021, the TV spends were fully recovered and since TV is still the highest reach building media, brands must leverage TV for building equity and for the movement in top-funnel metrics. While there has been a shift in content viewing with some audiences moving from TV to OTTs and demand for OTT advertising is rising, the impact on TV spends is minimal.

    On TV which are the top five properties for an advertiser?

    The properties are bucketed under different genres and are listed below:

    ⦁ Cricket – IPL & CWC
    ⦁ Dance Reality Shows (“Dance India Dance,” “Dance+”)
    ⦁ Singing Reality Shows (“Indian Idol,” “SaReGaMaPa”)
    ⦁ Unscripted Shows (“Bigg Boss,” “Fear Factor”)
    ⦁ Fictions/Scripted Shows (“Anupama,” “Imli,” “KumKum Bhagya”)

    Will smaller genres like music continue to find the going difficult?

    Over the last couple of years, there has been a drop in the viewership of the music genre. A major reason is the movement of audiences from music to news and film genres, especially post Covid. Additionally, music listeners who also like to watch music videos have moved to YouTube to watch the videos of their choice. While the viewership for smaller genres will continue to remain low, relevant brands can still look at these genres for the right targeting. Brands targeting youth and females can look at this genre to build frequency.

  • Chivas announces Hrithik Roshan as its brand ambassador and launches its new campaign

    Chivas announces Hrithik Roshan as its brand ambassador and launches its new campaign

    Chivas has appointed Hrithik Roshan as its new brand ambassador with a captivating campaign, ‘Made of Great Character’.

    Chivas showcased a refreshing brand image through the new campaign narrative, which highlights a ‘rich blend of success, generosity & brotherhood’, while retaining the brand ethos. The 360-degree integrated campaign will be widely seen on social media platforms, popular newspapers, OOH & during IPL on Hotstar.

    Conceptualized by creative agency Ogilvy, the ad film has been shot by the famous French filmmaker and visual artist Jean Claude Thibaut.

    The campaign celebrates the spirit of an individual’s positive character that makes them stand out as beacons of grace and gratitude, hope and high ideals. “We see various facets of great character through different lenses that highlight the attributes of self-made individuals who prioritize knowledge and progressive values above materialistic pleasures. The core ideology of character being a true measure of a successful individual with a positive spirit that is cultivated over years & refined over time, is reflected through the campaign,” the company said in a statement.

    “The ad film showcases Hrithik as a successful entrepreneur who is pure class, reflective of his positive character. A seasoned actor who has only gained respect for his charisma and bold persona, Hrithik is a class apart both in real and reel life. He embodies modern values and a progressive mindset and is aware of his goals and desires,” it said.

    The multi-talented actor, with his sheer simplicity, integrity, kind-heartedness and love for his audience, truly represents the brand’s philosophy, which is also reflected in the campaign film. The film also features actor Mouni Roy.

    Commenting on the announcement, Pernod Ricard India chief marketing officer Kartik Mohindra said, “Chivas is an iconic brand for the successful individuals who embody progressive values & appreciate luxury.”

    “The brand has always inspired others while celebrating the stories of those who have led the new paths of success. With Hrithik Roshan being one of the most successful and celebrated actors, his inspiring story of upholding great values while riding on the path to success makes him unarguably the best choice as our new brand ambassador. The coming together of Hrithik and Chivas’s outstanding character in the campaign ‘Made of Great Character’, will help forge a new direction for the brand,” he added.

    On his partnership with the brand actor Hrithik Roshan, said, “I am thrilled to be the face of Chivas and take pride in being the voice of their latest campaign ‘Made of Great Character’. I truly believe that great values embody great character, which ultimately forges the path to success. I love the core theme of the campaign that encourages people to lead a life that they value and to develop their character. It also connects with so many different aspects of my life.”

    “Character defines destiny” – simple, yet powerful words underline the fact that destiny is not a predetermined outside force. Rather, an individual’s future is determined by his inner character. The crux and the core of Chivas exemplifies this. Character is at the heart of Chivas’ spirit. The Chivas campaign revolves around our protagonist, who not just mirrors these values, but elevates character by capturing its many nuances,” said Ogilvy, North, executive creative director and head of design Nitin Srivastava.

  • One-word description of Abby’s this year would be ‘game-changer’: The Ad Club’s Partha Sinha & Rana Barua

    One-word description of Abby’s this year would be ‘game-changer’: The Ad Club’s Partha Sinha & Rana Barua

    Mumbai: The stage is finally set for the annual awards hosted by The Advertising Club (TAC) to be held from 5 to 7 May at the GoaFest this year. The thirteenth edition of the Abby awards is back on ground after taking an enforced breather of two years, thanks to the pandemic. IndianTelevision.com caught up with The Ad Club president Partha Sinha and Abby Awards Governing Council 2022 chairman and The Ad Club VP Rana Barua to find out what has changed at the Abbys and on the participation from agencies and industry at large at this year’s awards.

    The award ceremony that celebrates the cream of the country’s advertising works and the advertising industry at large is in its thirteenth year at the GoaFest. Earlier this year, The Ad Club announced its partnership with the prestigious The One Show for Abby’s 2022, and thereafter the appointment of three International jury chairs to judge the works.

    What’s different this time

    “One of the key things that we wanted to do was to take Abby’s to global standards and we have done precisely that. We have tied up with the world’s most credible and sought-after award program, The One Show,” says Partha Sinha, diving right into what’s different this year about the awards.

    This was unimaginable, says Sinha, reminiscing about the initial days of the awards. “Abby’s used to be a cottage industry- from there we have moved it to The One Show – that’s like the biggest global standard there is.” So, thanks to that a few things will be very different this year, he continues. “That is the standard of judging, the quality of jury we are getting due to the intervention of The One Show, and we also expect this to serve as a shortlist for global awards. Because here the remit maybe South Asia but the standard is global.”

    “So South Asia entries will be judged in global light and my guess is that some of the works which will win here will go on to win on global platforms,” Sinha adds.

    The work that is being judged is from the last three years, Barua reminds while talking about the awards’ association. “It’s truly now a part of an international circuit via this collaboration. So also, the quality of work is not going to be basic. I think that’s one of the biggest changes that is going to start- maybe some of it this year too but you will see it in the subsequent years- the work quality will automatically start improving.”

    The quality of jury chairs that has come in because of The One Show, it’s going to become an introspective pressure on all of them because you have to raise the benchmark of work that’s coming out now, continues Barua. “That’s the exciting bit for us.”

    Kind of work being received

    What is the kind of work being received in the wake of the pandemic, considering that the pandemic has served as a disruptor for most industries- advertising and marketing included? To that Barua says, “We need to remember that it is three years of work that we are judging this time. So there might be a pre-pandemic, pandemic, and also post-pandemic work from last year- which is when we came out of the pandemic and more or less life was returning to normalcy.”

    “Also, because of the strictness of the process, neither Rana nor me- nor anybody in the committee, for that matter, has seen the work. The work is seen and evaluated only by the jury,” he emphasises, adding that, “We will get to see the work and the award only when it wins an award, and when the Abby is made. There’s a sanctity to the whole process and that is the beauty of The One Show. I’m loving it.”

    Having said that, Sinha perceives that a key part of the works this time could be humane in nature “because one thing everybody has realised- whether its communication or business or anything- is that you need to have a lot of sympathy, a lot of empathy towards your audience.” Calling the pandemic the biggest teacher, he says, “The pandemic taught us that maybe ‘empathy’ is a bigger power than even ‘persuasion’ so we will get to see some reflection on that, rather than pure persuasion and selling.”

    Participation from agencies

    Abby’s partnership with The One Show will add credibility and raise levels of transparency to the entire selection process for the awards, which had come in for a fair share of criticism from agencies in the past over transparency in the awarding process. It also saw a few big names in agencies dropping out of the process.

    On the participation from agencies this time around after a gap of two years, Barua says, “I can just tell you the participation numbers this year have beaten both 2018 and 2019’s numbers. Both on Creative and on Media we have had some outstanding contributions from all the agencies- independent as well as network agencies.” It’s probably a record-breaking year, he adds, and so next year is going to get tougher for us as the stakes are going to be higher.

    Barua acknowledges that because of the timing and uncertainty due to the Omicron wave, few network agencies could not manage to participate within time. “But they have all shown equal participation because of The One Show and from next year we are going to see a maximum number of these agencies coming back.”

    Sinha draws attention to another event recently held by TAC- the EMVIES, which was likely the advertising industry’s first large-scale event post the pandemic. “We saw the energy, the number of entries, the quality of entries. And I am not expecting anything lesser- this will be as big, as exciting. The number of entries has surpassed all kinds of records so we think the participation is very strong. My guess is that even the quality of work would be great, as also seen during EMVIES. And I’m expecting the quality to only go upwards from here,” he says.

    “And I’m also expecting that because of this global standard jury process, some of the work which wins here will also go on to win on some global platforms,” he further adds.

    Earlier this year, post its partnership announcement with the prestigious The One Show for Abby’s 2022, the Ad Club announced the appointment of three International Jury Chairs for judging Abbys this year, namely – Menno Kluin, Aricio Fortes and Myra Nussbaum, who are each stalwarts in the global advertising industry and also some of the world’s most awarded.

    Additionally, the Abbys Governing Council announced the names of six advertising professionals, who will be judging Abbys 2022 along with the international judges as jury chairs.

    Reaction from jury members

    On the excitement from jury members, Barua says, “They were very excited to know about this entire association. For most of the global persons who have come onto the jury, India is a country that they would have loved to become a part of and play a role in this. And they are playing it either directly or indirectly through the network from some of the best agencies.”

    If the time had permitted they would have got a wider range of people, says Barua. “Some of these names are absolutely the biggest in the industry. And there’s high excitement, they would love to know what’s happening in the country. Some of the best juries have managed to come onboard. We gave them the right categories to manage so that it’s easy for them to understand the entire thing.”

    To give an insight into the kind of responses they were getting from the jury chairs, Sinha read out a text from a jury chairman (whose name is not disclosed for now). “TOS judging interface is a game-changer, it made the whole process on-the-go,” he reads out. “I found the composition of the jury very refreshing and I must appreciate the TAC for being so thorough even though it’s the first year of their collaboration.”

    Setting a benchmark

    He further went on to say, “If there’s a one-word description of Abby’s this year, it would be ‘game-changer’. Everybody thinks it’s a game-changer. Everybody who judged thinks so too. We know it’s a game-changer. We want to make sure it is.”

    Calling it a big change that the industry will always remember, Sinha says, “We spent serious money and effort doing this collaboration. And we did all of that with just one thought in mind,” He continues, “Because I think we owe it to our fellow communication people in the industry, that we do something which’s of a standard. And Abby is going to be of a standard which is going to be recognised by anybody across the globe.”

    The TAC duo shared that the international collaboration has generated a lot of interest in the event amongst the global community, which was a little insulated before this. And that includes the kind of speakers the adfest is attracting. “We are getting Dan Wieden – that’s the man behind Nike’s famous ‘Just Do It’ slogan in 1988. Then there’s Menno Kluin – he’s the rockstar in the global creative world today. So suddenly the whole story is changing in a manner where people are now seeing us as a part of a circuit.”

    They further add, “We have to get it to the level of those Monaco circuits, Singapore circuits. To be a part of that circuit it has to have that quality, status and stature. And that is precisely what we are doing. So our job as the ad club office bearers would be to make sure we take a very strong step towards preparing our entire circuit in such a way that it is world-class.”

    “We have had enough bumps, hurdles, potholes so it’s time for us to even out the entire road and raise the game,” The Ad Club duo signs off.