MUMBAI: The kids’ genre is the third largest genre in the country in terms of viewership. Turner commanded 36.3 per cent Relative Share in 2014 with Cartoon Network at No. 1 and POGO No. 2.
Turner International India vice president ad sales South Asia Juhi Ravindranath spoke to Indiantelevision.com at length about the changes in scope of advertising on kids’ channels and changes that the industry has seen over the last decade.
While a large chunk of advertisers on kids channels are traditionally kids’ brands, the genre has recently witnessed a spurt in non-traditional brands that have come on board to tap the potential that kids offer as audiences. Kids today play a key role as influencers in the family’s decision making.
Ravindranath said, “If you see the total television viewership pie, the kids’ genre commands about seven per cent of the ratings. However, it is highly under monetized as the revenue it rakes in is only three per cent. But with growing influence of children in household decisions and increase in co-viewing, advertisers are beginning to understand the importance of the kids’ genre. Thus, there has been a surge in unconventional categories that come on the channel to engage kids and parents.”
She added, “Since kids’ brands form only five to six per cent of all brands, the growth for this genre is also being driven by non-kids brand categories. Till now largely driven by FMCGs targeting mothers through co viewing in the household, of late we have seen unconventional categories such as automobiles, e- commerce, insurance, etc. Last year, non- traditional advertisers formed about fifty to sixty per cent of all the advertisers on our channels.”
Turner via its kids’ channels – Cartoon Network and POGO, has been driving innovation in terms of ad sales solutions provided to its clients.
Talking about the innovations with brands, Ravindranath said, “Over the years, we have done many innovations on Cartoon Network and POGO. For instance, with Honda we not only did customized spots in which Chhota Bheem promoted road safety but also developed a meet and greet opportunity with Chhota Bheem across the country to gratify winners. Last year, Kellogg’s Chocos partnered with POGO to create a four-part series featuring the Kellogg’s mascot Coco and Chhota Bheem. This not only made for compelling content but also integrated the brand messaging in a subtle and unusual manner. We also partnered with clients like Perfetti and Jungle Magic on Adventures of Sholay. Going forward, we will continue to focus on offering our clients such unique opportunities to interact with our characters.”
On-ground activities are also a part of Turner’s strategy to entertain and engage its audience and provide a platform to brands to advertise. Turner has been conducting School Contact Programs for Cartoon Network and POGO since the past decade. Every year, through unique concepts, they reach over a million kids across 1000 school throughout India. The annual quarter four events undertaken in November/December also provide brands an opportunity to engage with thousands of kids and parents.
On the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) order on ad cap, Ravindranath said, “The TRAI inventory cap has definitely helped channels grow rates and balance inventory across dayparts and months in a more planned manner.
