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  • Indian AdEx to increase by 12.6 per cent in 2015: GroupM

    Indian AdEx to increase by 12.6 per cent in 2015: GroupM

    MUMBAI: India’s advertising investment is expected to reach an estimated Rs 48,977 crores in 2015, up 12.6 per cent from last year. This was revealed in GroupM’s biannual advertising expenditure futures report titled This Year Next Year (TYNY).

     

    As per GroupM, for the calendar year 2014, the ad spending stood at Rs 43,490 crores, which was an increase by 12.5 per cent over 2013. This growth was attributed to the heavy ad spending due to the General and State Elections and industry categories like e-commerce and Telecom. The FMCG sector, which contributes to nearly a third of the AdEx, had a steady year, growing broadly in line with the industry average.

     

    Last year began with uncertainties on the political and economic front. Once a stable government came to power the mood changed to one of cautious optimism.

     

    GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas said, “With a new Government coming to power the negative sentiment has lifted but there is still some bit of caution amongst advertisers. We continue to operate in the same zone as last year at an overall level. Digital, TV and cinema are expected to be the high growth media channels. We are seeing a lot more confidence amongst local businesses to invest in brand building than before. This is a positive sign for the industry. Penetration of smartphones coupled with the popularity of online video is making FMCG spend more on digital. Another trend is the emergence of categories like e-commerce and the increased competition in telecom both of which are aiding the growth of traditional media channels including print and TV apart from digital.”

     

    As per the report, e-commerce is expected to lead the charge in 2015 in terms of ad spend growth although from a relatively smaller base than more established categories. There is increased competition in this sector and no dearth of funding. The FMCG, auto and telecom sectors are expected to do better than the previous year. More multinational entrants under single brand retail are likely to add to ADEX spending in the retail category.

     

    The report added that the recent rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will stimulate the banking sector, reactions of which are evident on a buoyant stock market. This year will possibly see a number of IPOs as there is a sense of stability in policy and investors are willing to take more risks. The market will also see higher spends from the Central Government as they showcase their new initiatives.

     

    As per GroupM’s research of the Indian media industry, digital media continues to show the maximum growth with 37 per cent in 2015. Digital has been growing at an average rate of 35 per cent over the last two of years. Within digital media, video, mobile and social will be the biggest growth drivers this year.

     

    Television shows a higher growth percentage in 2015 compared to last year with 16 per cent. TV channels will especially be bullish with cross media integration via their own digital platforms. The big ticket event this year is the ICC Cricket World Cup in February and March, with scope for programming and advertising innovation during the tournament.

     

    Even with pressures on advertising revenues, the print medium shows an increase by 5.2 per cent as against the 2014 estimate of 7.6 per cent; however print magazines continue to be on the decline, as several are looking at digital delivery mechanisms.

     

    The surprise element in the media mix has been cinema advertising, which finally closed 2014 with a 25 per cent increase. This year too, GroupM estimates this media category to grow at 20 per cent, as multiplex chains consolidate, leading to a more organised and accountable environment. With technology fuelling exhibition and distribution, especially in smaller towns, consumers will get a better viewing experience.

     

    GroupM South Asia managing partner – Central Trading Group and Mindshare South Asia CEO designate Prasanth Kumar added, “Over the last few years, Indian media has been in a state of change. The next three to five years will be about embracing technology, which will allow both advertisers and media owners to customise distribution to a premium niche audience with very nominal margin of error. In 2015, programmatic buying will see an impetus, as all media in the future will see automation, backed by smart data and analytics.”

  • Mindshare appoints Prasanth Kumar as south Asia CEO

    Mindshare appoints Prasanth Kumar as south Asia CEO

    MUMBAI: Mindshare APAC, the global media agency network part of WPP, has appointed Prasanth Kumar or PK as he is popularly known, to the role of south Asia CEO.

     

    Currently head of GroupM’s Central Trading Group and a member of GroupM’s south Asia executive committee, PK will report to GroupM south Asia CEO CVL Srinivas and Mindshare Asia Pacific COO Gowthaman Ragothaman.

     

    The announcement was made following the news that the current CEO, Ravi Rao will be transitioning into a new role within GroupM, the details of which will be announced shortly.

     

    Srinivas commented, “Prasanth was a unanimous choice for this role. He is a very dynamic leader always full of ideas and a true organisation man. In the past ten years he has played a stellar role in ensuring GroupM’s scale is leveraged to maximise value for our clients. He has championed some exciting partnerships for GroupM both in the digital and traditional media spaces. I am sure under his leadership Mindshare will scale new peaks and delight its clients with a quality media product. I’d like to thank Ravi Rao for his contribution and wish him the very best in his new role within the network.”

     

    Kumar’s role is effective 1 March 2015.

  • WPP Stream India’s view into the future of communication and creativity

    WPP Stream India’s view into the future of communication and creativity

    MUMBAI: WPP Stream India, the unconventional (un) conference organised by WPP Group Company has announced its return in the pink city, Jaipur.  Being held in India for the second time, Stream will witness a diverse crowd of 250+ CEOs, senior marketers, senior leaders from media and creative, future thinking leaders, start ups/entrepreneurs and digital evangelists from the creative, media and technology space. The attendees would come together from 4 to 7 February to celebrate and explore the future of communications, creativity and digital innovation in South Asia.

     
    WPP Stream is a unique thought leadership initiative designed by WPP group to bring together the industry leaders on a single interactive platform in order to exchange and provoke ideas about the future of digital media, communications, creativity, business and society. With over one hundred discussion sessions, Ignite talks (15 slides in 15 seconds), pitch show and more, Stream India stands to be an exclusive opportunity for individuals to test their ideas and tap into the wisdom of the masses. Moreover, the participant will also get a chance to meet Yossi Vardi, the globally acclaimed hi-tech investor who is also the co-host of Stream 2015 India edition.

     

    Ranjan Kapur – WPP Country Manager India, who will be hosting the STREAM 2015 India on behalf of WPP said, “We are absolutely delighted to announce the return of WPP Stream India. By the way of this initiative, WPP aims to foster entrepreneurship in the industry and bring an upsurge in the disruptive technologies and innovation. Stream 2014 was a great success and we are confident that this year is going to be even more exciting.”

     

    Stream being an (un)conference, follows rules distinct from the usual conference model, with no keynote speeches or PowerPoint presentations. The (un)conference is vastly focused on active involvement of participants and spontaneous discussions and conversations leading to explosion of ideas and thoughts. Stream recognizes role of technology & start-ups in shaping our future and taking it a notch higher this time, WPP has partnered with NASSCOM 10K startups wherein technology startups under the programme will demonstrate futuristic & next-gen technologies, through the STREAM tech-lab.

     

    Speaking on the same, Rajat Tandon, Senior Director, NASSCOM 10,000 Start-Ups Program said, “Resonating with our mission to nurture tech start-ups and make them meet F.A.M.E., our partnership with the Tech Lab at WPP Stream 2015 is all about manufacturing magic, a fantastic opportunity to expose the 10ksuperstars to new ideas, demystify technology and foster creative partnerships between tech startups, designers, and media professionals in a highly interactive unconference format.”

     

    Tushar Vyas, Managing Partner, GroupM expressed, “At a time when the entire world is moving at such a fast pace and  everything is going digital , it becomes imperative to thrust South Asia’s marketing and media industry into a era of unconventional and out of the box concepts, thinking and creativity and therefore the introduction of WPP Stream. Stream brings together brand marketers with various industry leaders to think about our digital future and what that means for communications, creativity & business.”

  • Mumbai Marathon: Media professionals run for a cause

    Mumbai Marathon: Media professionals run for a cause

    MUMBAI: On the day that Mumbai runs, it’s another city altogether. No honking, no mad rush to reach somewhere, but an army of runners, who want to test their limits, painting a healthier sight of the maximum city.

    Keeping aside the usual business suits, a whole bunch of executives right from broadcast companies, media agencies to marketers and advertisers will once again don their running shoes as they join others for the 2015 edition of the Mumbai Marathon.

    The largest marathon in south east Asia, which will take place on 18 January, will see media veteran Bharat Kapadia running half marathon; his 12th marathon, overall. “Last year, I ranked 47th in my category. I started running at the age of 54. I have been training with a group called ‘Be Fit’ and we have been practicing on alternate days from 6 am to 8 am at Juhu Beach,” he says proudly.

    Kapadia believes that for people, who are hesitant to run, it’s all a mind game. “Anybody can run. 75 per cent of it is a mind game. No one is a born athlete. Also, the benefits of running versus that of visiting a gym can’t be compared,” he adds.

    Agrees his follow runner, HDFC Life marketing, product, digital and e-commerce senior executive vice president Sanjay Tripathy. “It is a great way to test your limits and prepare your mind for bigger challenges in the life. One can also see it as an opportunity to meet like-minded people,” he says, while adding that he will be running his seventh marathon for which he has been preparing for three months now.

    For Spatial Access founder Meenakshi Menon running the dream marathon is like child’s play. A regular runner, Menon will be running for her NGO Vanashakti along the likes of film director Namita Roy Ghose. “Lately, running has become sexy so a lot more people are up for the challenge. I believe everyone should run for a cause because the country lacks social compassion and to be great country it is a must,” she opines.

    India chairman and managing director Sunil Lulla will be running the half marathon with two partners of which one is physically handicapped. “I will be running for Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness,” says Lulla who is running his sixth marathon.

    Media agency Vizeum India managing director Yesu Yesudas is running the marathon. And he has taken to social media to raise funds for two of his causes: an old age home and orphanage Swagat Ashram in Mumbai, and a tribal school Vidya Vanam in Tamil Nadu.  “I have a desire to raise Rs 500,000 for these two causes. I am making a personal contribution of Rs 100,000,” he announced on Facebook.  And he went on to urge his friends to contribute Rs 2,000 each to help him reach his goal.

    GroupM ESP entertainment, sports and live events national director Vinit Karnik says that the property has been evolving over a period of time and it is highly commendable. “The organisers i.e. Procam have done a fantastic job and it is one of the most well respected and well organised sports property in India. Right from the registration of the participants to the doubts of the participants on the actual day about their well being is taken care of completely by the organizers,” he highlights.

    This year five new brands, namely Cigna TTK, Jabong.com, Volini, TUI, and India Cares Foundation have associated with the event as health insurance, online retail, recovery, travel and philanthropy partners, respectively.

     

  • MEC & FreeCharge explore new ‘Smart’ messaging platform

    MEC & FreeCharge explore new ‘Smart’ messaging platform

    MUMBAI: MEC, a part of GroupM, along with FreeCharge have harnessed a new ‘Smart Messaging Platform’ to reach out to consumer’s mobile phones with branded high quality, rich media such as videos, images, audio clips and more, directly, rather than having to push links.

    Smart Messaging Platform works across all platforms – iOS, Android and Windows and more and does not require users to download any application to support it. Commonly known in the Tech world as ‘MMS+ technology’, it merely requires the consumer to have a data-enabled mobile phone (both smartphones and feature phones).

    For the very first time 1,00,000 consumers across, Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune will receive a message, which will play the FreeCharge video directly without requiring the consumer to click on a link.

    MEC national director activation Sidhraj Shah said, “The MMS+ technology offers hyper-personalisation opportunities including tracking consumer reaction to the call for action, which is not possible with the current SMS platform.  At MEC we are constantly scouting to offer new experiences & technologies for our clients, to engage with their customers. With ‘Smart Messaging platform’ we have only scratched the surface.”

    Mobizon Media COO and co-founder Swapnil Rap said, “‘Messaging’ is an app that every phone in the world has by default! We have reimagined the traditional 160 characters by transforming it into a rich media communication channel. Every consumer in India can now experience high quality content from their favourite Brands, irrespective of whether they have Smart or Feature phones.”

     

  • 2014 was the year of innovations in digital advertising: CVL Srinivas

    2014 was the year of innovations in digital advertising: CVL Srinivas

    From a media perspective 2013 was the year of the perfect storm and something tells me that there is lots waiting to unfold in 2015.  Was 2014 the lull before another storm? The major event that dominated 2014 was of course the general election and the wave of optimism and hope that has been spreading ever since the new government came to power. Not only was this the most bitterly fought election from a media standpoint; it was the most well orchestrated win combining strategy with clever tactics.  Advertising was only one part of the strategy. 2014 will go down in history as the year that gave a new meaning to marketing of political parties. We now realise that the general election was only the beginning. With a slew of schemes, clever branding and initiatives that touch the common man, the government is turning out to be a very savvy marketer. One hopes the product lives up to its promise.

    The extension granted to TV digitisation was a bit of a dampener for the broadcast sector. There has been some indication that the phase III licensing for radio will soon go through. Meanwhile, India became the second biggest market for Facebook, the overall Internet penetration crossed 200 million and mobile Internet became the most dominant force of change. And yet we have bandwidth issues, call drops and sometimes feel like going back to the old faithful ‘landline’.  As a nation we need to play catch up in digital infrastructure and going forward I hope this is given the highest priority.

    As for the advertising industry, 2014 saw a 12.5 per cent growth (as per GroupM TYNY estimates) as against a global ad spend growth of 4.5 per cent. Apart from political advertising, if there was one sector that stood out was ecommerce. This sector will end up with more than 50 per cent growth over last year closing the year at Rs 2500 crore of ad spend. The upsurge in this sector is expected to continue. FMCG (which remains by far the biggest sector in terms of ad-spend contributing about a third of total advertising) continued to invest in advertising despite supply side pressures, poor volume growth and an uncertain monsoon season. We expect FMCG to end the year with 12-14 per cent growth. Auto has seen a revival both in terms of sales and ad spends. The sector is expected to see a 15-17 per cent ad spend growth in 2014. With petrol/diesel prices coming down, we expect more action in the months to come. Telecom brands are back after a lull, adding to the overall positive trend. All in all it was a good year, although anything less than 15 per cent ad spend growth still seems low for our market. As expected digital advertising grew at 35 per cent, while TV continued to do well with approximately 15 per cent growth. Regional language dailies helped grow the print sector. Cinema turned out to be the dark horse, with 25 per cent growth though on a relatively small base. Unlike the past few years, we had a clear blip during the festive season this year across all media.

    2014 saw a great deal of innovation in digital media advertising. GroupM and our agencies have been at the forefront of many exciting developments. Digital video has emerged as one of the biggest growth drivers of digital ad spend. Mashup, our digital video content unit has seen a lot of traction, we have made over 1500 pieces of digital video content in the past year. Across the industry, we saw many memorable campaigns launched first on digital media. More brands have taken to social media platforms to keep the conversation going, social listening is emerging as a key input for advertising and media planning.  We have worked with clients (like Nestle) to establish social command centers that have given our media and content planners real time insights. Mobile as a medium continues to grow and will soon account for nearly 20 per cent of the digital ad spend. Madhouse is our mobile center of excellence that is now in its third year of operation. Another emerging trend is audience planning, where digital inventory is combined with data to ensure better ROI for brands. GroupM’s Xaxis is a platform that is at the forefront of innovation in this space.

    We have lots to look forward to in 2015 including the ICC Cricket World Cup.

    Here’s wishing you all a Very Happy New Year.

    (These are purely personal views of GroupM south Asia CEO CVL Srinivas and indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • ‘GroupM Circuit Colombo 2014’ to pave the way for the newest phase in media

    ‘GroupM Circuit Colombo 2014’ to pave the way for the newest phase in media

    MUMBAI: Global digital expert and leading media innovator GroupM on Tuesday announced ‘GroupM Circuit Colombo 2014,’ which will take place in Colombo on 4 December, featuring an impressive line-up of speakers and a comprehensive programme.

    GroupM Circuit will be a platform to discuss the future of digital marketing featuring speakers from digital powerhouses Google, Facebook, Xaxis and GroupM. The event will be held at Park Street Mews and will be attended by heads of organisations and heads of marketing of top corporates.

    GroupM chief operating officer Sabry Haniz affirmed: “The potential of digital is yet to be fully realised. GroupM will be connecting the digital circuit in Sri Lanka and pave the way for the newest phase in media. We are looking forward to opening minds, inspiring new methods of connecting with audiences, and taking the industry to a whole new playing field.”

    Emphasising the group’s commitment to innovation, GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas commented: “Digital media is gaining popularity all across Asia and it is becoming imperative for brands to go digital. GroupM has been at the forefront of shaping the digital media landscape globally and here in Asia. Through this initiative we hope to answer some of the questions marketers have about digital and share some best in class case studies from around the world.”

    The opening keynote on the ‘Impact of Digital in Today’s World’ will be delivered by Google India director for ecommerce and online classifieds Nitin Bawankule. A panel discussion on Multi Screen Planning and its relevance to Sri Lanka will follow.

    Xaxis India director Atique Kazi will speak on ‘Programmatic that works – The Basics, The Opportunities and The Pitfalls!’ Kazi will shed light on the basics of the subject while explaining how to leverage programmatic advertising, demystify programmatic, dispel misconceptions, and provide pointers to making programmatic work.
    A panel discussion on ‘Comparing ROI of Digital Media to Traditional Media’ will follow. Despite digital media being a buzzword within the industry for a number of years, only a handful of brands have tapped its inherent potential; too often, it is a last minute add-on to a media plan. This discussion will plumb the depths of this topic, comparing the ROI between traditional media and its digital counterparts.

     

    GroupM India Social Practice Head Karthik Nagarajan will address the topic: ‘Can Social have a Strategy?’ While going viral is the marketer’s dream, the internet is a graveyard of many such initiatives. This session will analyse the success of some of the most socially-active brands globally and delve into their strategies through case studies.
    His session will be followed by a panel discussion on ‘The Value of an Online Influencer’. Trends in data suggest that the modern consumer is increasingly wary of an advertiser’s promise, relying more on external recommendations, which are perceived to be unbiased. The discussion will explore the value of an online influencer to a brand, and how best to leverage a positive review, and manage negative sentiments.

     

    Facebook Global Marketing Solutions Agency Head Vidyadhar Kale will discuss ‘From Mobile Marketing to Marketing in a Mobile World’. He will explore mobility and how it will be the driving force for Facebook, and digital media overall. The address will include data on Sri Lankans and mobile trends.

     

    The panel discussion ‘What’s Next in Digital?’ will evaluate the receptiveness of the relatively conservative Sri Lankan audience and will explore both, a forecast for digital media in Sri Lanka, as well as how communications teams can best exploit these trends. This will be followed by the keynote panel discussion moderated by GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas on ‘Marketing in the Digital Age,’ as he speaks to leading marketers across brands in Sri Lanka on their experienced with digital media and advertising.

     

    The GroupM Circuit Colombo will also feature an interactive ‘Experiential Zone’ by Crossworks Digital Experiential Lab showcasing state of the art technology for participants to experience first hand. The inspiring collection will include a Holobox display unit, a Directional speaker, Marker based AR on brochures and magazines, a Digital Sampling Tray, an Oculus rift, a Virtual Wardrobe, a Recipe Vending machine, and a Magic screen.

  • DTH, an innovative platform for advertisers: Matrix Publicities & Media

    DTH, an innovative platform for advertisers: Matrix Publicities & Media

    MUMBAI: It has been a stupendous growth story. Contrary to popular trade perception the DTH advertising growth story has only ended up surprising all.

     

    With approximately 65 to 68 million households across India and about 55 per cent of the C&S base in the country, this is one of the primary reason why a lot of advertisers are looking to engage customers on the medium. 

     

    What began with a low scale, low noise start with barely two to three advertisers three years ago, has grown more than 10 times in a very short span, says Matrix Publicities & Media India, a WPP company, which has been at the forefront of this revolutionary advertising blitzkrieg. 

     

    There are in all six DTH operators, who operate out of the paid DTH subscriber sphere, whilst planning, the agencies need to keep in mind the fact that DTH as a medium is a frequency builder and should necessarily be used to ensure incremental reach.  Like television, DTH reaches out to all SEC and demographic profiles, unlike otherwise perceived.  There are various options within the medium, however, to delivery impact too and on a case to case basis the medium allows innovations, albeit at a very competitive outlay.

     

    As a media sales aggregator for all the DTH operators to GroupM & non-GroupM clients and agencies, Matrix has been able to bridge the gap between the science, art and commerce for sales on this new age media platform. 

     

    The agency feels that the platform acts as a gatekeeper to the TV viewing audience and they are exposed to the DTH visuals prior to the TV channels.  Additionally, TV also faces a lot of clutter with regard to the various genres available for viewing.  With the 10+2 ad cap in place, in principle, with most channels, getting inventories across is also an issue.  All the factors put together have ensured that this medium has turned into a ‘pull’ medium from the erstwhile ‘push’ medium. 

     

    Hence, the company has not stopped at just mere vanilla sales as this is a philosophy that does not appeal to its business head Sparsh Ganguli, who has been at the forefront of this business since its inception three years ago.

     

    With this idea in mind, the advertisers have been divided into broad categories and an in-depth analysis has revealed a lot about the spending patterns of all advertisers on this medium.  Needless to say the research not only takes into consideration the brand spent from the GroupM set of clients but even some part of the non-Group M clients to help present a more clear and fair picture.  The efficacy of the study can be gauged from the fact that the entire categories can be bifurcated month wise and the spend patterns can be highlighted for future strategic pitches.

     

    The broad categories that have been the top spenders across this medium are: automobiles (two and four wheelers), FMCG, F&B, BFSI, e-commerce, watches and jewellery.

     

    A FMCG media planner says, “The DTH platform has been influential in targeting the housewives through sustained awareness campaigns during afternoon hours and worked phenomenally well for our client’s brands.  That’s the very reason why they look to optimise spends on these platforms.” 

     

    The ad rates are in sync with the growth of the medium.  The rates range from Rs 40,000 to Rs 1,00,000 depending on the options that are availed, highlights the agency.

     

    Ganguli, however, feels that there is still a lot of ground to be covered from the advertiser’s front.  He feels that technologically the platform is evolving in a positive manner that is both beneficial to the viewer as well as for the advertiser.  According to him, “The next revolutionary way of reaching out to the viewing household is on the spliced beam format which allows the advertiser to geo-target their consumers.  This has in turn made it possible for the brands to reach out and give a customised pre-buying experience, thus resulting into more reach and effective frequency for the brand campaign.” 

     

    He adds, “DTH has shown tremendous growth but I still feel clients can do a lot more, as of now we have been able to break new grounds by providing upgraded technology and this helps the clients and new clients to optimise the medium for every campaign as innovation is the way ahead.” 

     

     

  • Mobile trumps desktop as 55 lakh consumers visit the Grand Diwali Mela!

    Mobile trumps desktop as 55 lakh consumers visit the Grand Diwali Mela!

    Mumbai: The Grand Diwali Mela organised by GroupM in association with Google, Amazon.in, LINE, Games2Win and Hungama.com was a runaway success, attracting over 55 lakh visitors. The first of its kind initiative by GroupM to take the offline concept of Diwali Mela to an online destination was a hit with users across India.  The ‘Grand Diwali Mela’ saw very high engagement with users, who spent time getting product samples @ Re.1, enjoying movies and videos, playing games and greeting each other via the LINE messenger. The number of visits on the virtual mela as well as time spent surpasses any offline brand activation initiative organised during the festival in India.

     

    The ‘Grand Diwali received an overwhelming response with over 55 lakh visitors,the majority of which came from mobile phones with over 45% women visitors!. On October 24th, Diwali day, the mela received over 4.6 lakh visitors! In all mela visitors spent over 125,000 hours browsing various brand and entertainment stalls in the mela besides which many more hours were spent on partner sites – Amazon.in, Games2win and Hungama.com. Interestingly almost half the visitors discovered the mela through Search and LINE Messenger.

     

    The ‘Grand Diwali Mela’ emerged as the largest online sampling platform for brands. Over 150,000 samples were shipped across India, with 70% samples going to Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns. The samples ranged from skincare and household products relevant to both men & women. To celebrate the partnership LINE Messenger came out with a set of special edition stickers for the ‘Grand Diwali Mela’. More than 5 million ‘Grand Diwali Mela’ stickers were exchanged in during this festive season, as visitors wished friends and family via the LINE platform.

     

    Popular Diwali games like Rummy and the Diwali Chakri kept people engaged and entertained with over 36 lakh game plays. Diwali Chakri which was a special game launched by Games2Win to celebrate Grand Diwali Mela – saw over 1M plays!

     

    On the success of the Grand Diwali Mela, CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM South Asia said, “We are excited about the success of the first Grand Diwali Mela. We were able to create a great platform for consumers to come and sample products and interact with brands. It is also heartening to see the reach of the virtual mela was not restricted to the metros but filtered down to smaller towns where the digital penetration is growing exponentially. We also have seen a distinct spike in access via mobile phones, a clear indicator that India is opening up readily to mobile data and communication.”

  • Share of news channels in total AdEx is encouraging: CVL Srinivas

    Share of news channels in total AdEx is encouraging: CVL Srinivas

    NOIDA: “Indian news industry is as vibrant as the different cultures of India,” said GroupM south Asia CVL Srinivas as he presented the keynote on Innovations in news selling at the 7th Indian News Television Summit.

     

    Srinivas, sharing a media agency’s perspective on news and brands, added that the news industry today needs a lot of balance especially in terms of reportage, content for different audiences across platforms. 

     

    As for the AdEx, he informed that in the country the advertising expenditure for television stood at Rs 16,000 crore. “The news channels take 13 per cent share of the pie which is encouraging as the viewership of news channels stood at 10 per cent,” he stressed upon.

     

    Talking about the ad spend growth in the country, he informed that the television medium was growing at a rate of 14 per cent overall. The Hindi news genre was growing at 15 per cent, closely followed by regional news at 10 per cent while English news genre stood at seven per cent.

     

    Moving then onto brand research, Srinivas felt that today brand research is undergoing a radical change and old measurement methods are being questioned. Throwing some light on GroupM’s one such initiative, Social Command Centre, he said, “It is a virtual conference room that monitors the digital space and provides rich insights about consumers and brands.” And stated the example of Nestle which uses the tool to monitor chatter and gather buzz around the brand digitally. 

     

    Honda using the popular comedian Kapil Sharma to launch a series of campaign online, which garnered 1.5 million hits, was another example, he highlighted upon. He went on to say that cause-based marketing should be initiated and brands should ask themselves, how do we evolve ourselves to become more meaningful entities?  “Once brands are able to answer the same, there will be a lot of headroom for improvement and growth,” he opined. Providing another example, he said an agency called Crayon Data was able to come up with tastegraphs that showed the purchasing and behavioural pattern of different audiences in well-segmented clusters.

     

    He further went on to add that the evolving Indian digital space sees 220 million Indians active on the digital front spending  almost 200 minutes a day online either checking mails or watching videos. “This implies that the new medium cannot be ignored,” he informed.

     

    According to Srinivas, news broadcasters need to keep in mind a few things for the future such as co creating socially responsible agendas with brands, invest more in digital, adopt new metrics such as consumer sentiment, social buzz, social impact, viewers’ profile and lastly getting into big data.

     

    In his closing remarks, he said that while the upcoming digital environment has caused a big disruption to some it will provide a huge opportunity to the news industry and sky is the limit.