ITV

Tag: Hoardings

  • SC agrees to hear review pleas against its order relating to pictures of politicians on govt. ads

    SC agrees to hear review pleas against its order relating to pictures of politicians on govt. ads

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will hear on 14 September a batch of petitions filed by various states seeking a review of the decision of the apex court relating to photos of politicians on government advertisements.

     

    The Court had earlier given a direction on a public interest petition that only photographs of the Prime Minister, President and Chief Justice of India can be published in official media advertisements and not those of chief ministers. But the personal approval of these three authorities will be necessary before publication.

     

    Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Prafulla C. Pant which had passed the original directions on 13 May said the review petitions will be heard in open court.

     

    Prior to the order, the judges perused the petitions of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Assam in the chamber.

     

    The four states filed the review petitions challenging the 13 May direction as being discriminatory and erroneous since it has permitted the photograph of the Prime Minister but not the chief ministers who too are elected representatives of the people.

    The states pointed out that the expert panel had recommended display of photos of CMs/governors as well but the Court had restrained the states from displaying photos of CMs/governors.

     

    The petitions said: “There is nothing wrong if the publication issued by the government highlighting the achievements of the government contains photographs of the chief minister and the other ministers if they have made contribution to the achievements of the state government. The judgment is completely silent regarding the exclusion of the chief minister who is the head of the state government. If the photograph of the Prime Minister is permitted on the publication/advertisement then the photographs of the chief minister must have also been permitted by this court.”

     

    The May order had come on public interest litigations (PIL) filed by the NGOs Common Cause represented by counsel Meera Bhatia and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan pleading it to frame guidelines.

     

    Holding that taxpayers’ money cannot be spent to build “personality cults” of political leaders, the Court had restrained ruling parties from publishing photographs of political leaders or prominent persons in government-funded advertisements.

     

    The Court said such photos divert attention from the policies of the government, unnecessarily associate an individual with a government project, and pave the way for cultivating a “personality cult”.

     

    The observations of the Court were based on examination of the findings of a Committee led by Bangalore’s National Law University Director N.S. Madhava Menon set up in May last year which had submitted its report in October.

     

    The Committee was set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry pursuant to an order of 23 April last year. Other members were former Lok Sabha Secretary General T K Vishwanathan, and senior advocate Ranjit Kumar. Bimal Julka, Secretary in the Ministry, was the member Secretary of the Committee.  

  • Election tracker: Battling it, out-of-home

    Election tracker: Battling it, out-of-home

    MUMBAI: This general election may be the first among many, where media has been so extensively (and blatantly) used by political parties and their prime ministerial hopefuls.

     

    Far from fighting shy of marketing themselves, the main players – Congress and BJP – have spent nearly Rs 400 to Rs 500 crore each on publicity campaigns. An additional Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 crore will be spent on related activities such as banners, hoardings, organization of public meetings and transportation of key campaigners, among others. Not surprisingly, media agencies estimate around 2 to 2.5 per cent of overall advertisement spends this year to come from elections.

     

    One can switch a channel, turn a page or surf away, but hoardings are hard to ignore or even miss. And this is the reason why of the whole advertising budget, parties are spending approximately 10-15 per cent of the total budget i.e. close to Rs300-400 crore on OOH, if not less, as per industry sources.

     

    Possibly, with advertising rates on general entertainment channels (GECs) on television being prohibitive and posters having been banned in several cities of the country, outdoor remains the only viable option for election propaganda as it is cost-effective and has high reach as well. So you have hoardings of calling for a ‘Modi Sarkar’ or boating of ‘Bharat Nirman’ with NamO and RaGa staring down at you from the most non-descript locations in the country. What’s more, they have illumination for better visibility at night.

     

    With elections just round the corner, outdoor advertising has picked up significantly, mostly fuelled by political parties, which is quite unlike the usual scenario where outdoor advertising is more prominent during the second half of the year.

     

    Speaking of the growing appeal of OOH, Madison OOH Media Group CEO Arminio Ribeiro, says: “Given the flexibility of this medium in terms of narrow- and broad- casting and its localization and rapid awareness build-up benefits, outdoor has appealed to political parties to get their message across to the electorate through its multiple formats.”

     

    In order to get the best quality hoarding, tapping the most crowded route through buses or railway has certainly increased the competition. Everyone is trying to avail the benefit of this golden opportunity and those who have the diverse range of inventories are the main gainers.

     

    Sanjeev Gupta, managing director of Global Advertisers, which has been roped in for outdoor by both Congress and BJP, says, “With changing trends, political parties have also changed their approach and have become more professional. Therefore, our media plan included a mix of outdoor inventories to expand the reach of these campaigns and we expect to see more demand for outdoor in the coming months.”

     

    While Postercope Asia Pacific regional director, Haresh Nayak, says: “Tier II and Tier III markets have been the focus for the last year, continuing to grow this year as well, showing deep penetration in rural areas to create brand awareness.”

     

     Indeed, the FICCI-KPMG 2014 report finds that the OOH industry has grown by 5.5 per cent from CAGR (2007 to 2013), what with clients from real estate, telecom, media, auto, and now politics, driving it forward.

  • India TV getting serious about news?

    India TV getting serious about news?

    MUMBAI: Frequent allegations of sensationalist journalism notwithstanding, India TV has managed to stay at the top of its game, what with veterans like Rajat Sharma associated with the Hindi news channel.

     

    And now when the channel is in the middle of a refresh to let people know it has become serious about the news business, what better than ‘Brand Sharma’ to lend credibility to the exercise.

     

    As India TV MD and CEO Ritu Dhawan puts it: “Till recently, audiences were more interested in non-political and ‘popular’ content, so we were catering to that. Now with elections and various other news events, the flavour of hard news is back, so we have refreshed our programming completely. Today, the number of news stories on India TV is more than that on any other news channel. With Rajat Sharma leading the pack and Q W Naqvi at the helm of affairs, our viewers can be assured of the most accurate and responsible news reporting, which will further cement our leadership position in the Hindi news genre.”

     

    In fact, the channel’s reliance on Sharma’s popularity emanates from a position of knowledge wherein it actually commissioned research to find out how best it could highlight its repositioning. “One thing that came out very clearly is that ‘Brand Rajat Sharma’ riding on the credibility it brings in, will have a towering effect on ‘Brand India TV’. It further suggested that people may like to see that connect personified both in terms of communication and programming. And so, not only is the editor-in-chief back on prime time news with his daily analysis show, Aaj Ki Baat Rajat Sharma ke saath, he is also the face of the brand campaign,” reveals Dhawan.

     

    Indeed, as part of the revamp, India TV has embarked on an ambitious, six-week-long marketing campaign which leverages Sharma’s popularity with the audience. The first leg of the campaign will run for 21 days across Hindi speaking markets like Mumbai, Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Allahabad and Gorakhpur. Life-size images of Sharma will adorn hoardings and billboards across these cities as well as digital ports at arrival and departure terminals in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

     

    The banners focus on Sharma’s pensive expression along with the words, ‘You, me and India TV – let’s change the face of the nation’ and have been designed by Saints & Warriors, one of the three creative agencies that were short-listed for the job.

     

    “Three agencies made it to the final short-list for the job, basis what they had presented in response to the brief given. Eventually, Saints & Warriors was chosen for the assignment, basis further discussions with them. Their credentials, clarity of thought, and extended execution sampling helped us clearly decide in their favour,” informs Dhawan.

     

    Working on ad placement on news websites by geographically targeting them to suit audiences is Agency Ecosystem by Amar Ujala, which has a target to reach 35 million impressions through websites like Dainik Bhaskar and Amar Ujala. “We have tried to keep a close leash on expenditures. The first leg of 21 days of the campaign is to the tune of Rs 5.5 crore,” reveals Dhawan.

     

    It is learnt that the revamp is not only to tone down sensational news but also because of the increase in the number of news channels which has led to severe fragmentation of viewership. While India TV was launched at a time when its competitors could be counted on one’s fingers, it now has several competing channels swimming in the same pond. “With so many new and small channels taking up a large percentage of the market, it has become a highly competitive space so the brand refresh was done to mainly maintain our viewership,” a source from India TV tells this website.

     

    Whatever the reasons for the refresh, it’s just two days since the campaign has kicked off and people are getting used to the posters of Sharma in his signature pose with folded hands. What remains to be seen however is to what extent Sharma will help change people’s hitherto perception of India TV.

  • Music channels and internet drive new film awareness amongst youth: Ormax

    Music channels and internet drive new film awareness amongst youth: Ormax

    MUMBAI: According to The Ormax Bollywood Audience Report 2013 (TOBAR 2013), a syndicated industry study conducted by media insights firm Ormax Media, internet and music channel promos emerge as the strongest source of new film awareness amongst the youth, while print takes the lead amongst 30+ audiences.

    These are just some of the various interesting findings of TOBAR 2013. The report is based on research conducted by Ormax Media over six months across 44 cities in India, covering a total sample size of over 5,000 respondents across two stages. The report covers various aspects of Bollywood audience understanding, such as their consumption level, viewing behaviour, genre preferences, ticket price, media consumption, etc.

    The report also reveals that hoardings (including kiosks and street posters) are a wasteful investment for film producers, with no impact on creating buzz or interest in new films.

    Speaking about this finding, Ormax Media insights head – films Gautam Jain said: “A large amount of a film’s marketing budget is spent on buying outdoor space through hoardings. In the study, we found that internet and print emerge as far stronger media options for a film’s marketing compared to hoardings, which rank a poor number 11 out of 15 communication sources measured; however point-of-consumption outdoor, such as theatre posters and standees, scored very well.”

    The study claims to help producers understand the role of various communication sources, including music channels, news channels, reality shows, print ads, print articles, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, FM radio, etc.

    Ormax Media have been pioneers in film insights in Bollywood, with their flagship products Ormax Cinematix (film tracking and opening box-office forecast) and Ormax Moviescope (film pre-test). The Ormax Bollywood Audience Report 2013 is also available for subscription to studios, brands and media agencies.

  • Notching up visibility: News Nation

    Notching up visibility: News Nation

    MUMBAI: It’s already very crowded in the Hindi news genre, but this new entrant believes it can make a difference.

    Enter News Nation: the Hindi news channel launched in February, promoted by Newsnation Network, having Abhay Oswal as chairman and veteran journalist Shailesh Kumar as editor in chief.

    Targeted at an educated and sophisticated Hindi-speaking audience and offering insights into politics, crime, corruption, cricket and Bollywood, the channel is now preparing to announce its arrival on the Hindi news stage.

    While work on News Nation began one-and-a-half years ago, the marketing campaign only started taking shape three to four months back. According to sources, approximately Rs 10-12 crore have been spent on the entire promotional campaign.

     Of which, the TVC campaign branded ‘Khabrein Jo Banti Hai Aapki Power’ kicked-off on 18 September and will run till the end of this month on channels including Colors, Star Plus, Sony, Sab, Life OK, Sony Max, Star Gold, Movies OK, Times Now, CNN IBN, ET Now, CNBC TV 18, CNBC Awaaz, NGC, Discovery and Animal Planet. Both TVCs created by McCann Erickson sport a retro look and give the message that News Nation will keep audiences up-to-speed with ‘news they can use’.

    With HSM markets in the age group 15+ male across SEC A B and C as the channel’s target audience, advertisements have been placed in key spots during the day such as the popular show Comedy Nights with Kapil on Colors, the Lootera premiere on Sony, and the soon to premiere Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara also on Sony.

     

    Meanwhile, radio and outdoor campaigns are scheduled to begin mid-October, to run till the first week of November. Regular advertisements will run across prominent radio stations in Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Apart from these, contests will run either as contest on the TVC or as election-based.

    Across the HSM market, 10-11 cities will witness outdoor advertising from News Nation. Approximately 810 hoardings and bus shelters and transportation vehicles have been blocked to feature the channel’s ads. Trade sites are a priority on the digital front. A search engine optimisation will soon be conducted, allowing visibility to increase four-fold. The digital department, operated by a five-member team, aims to get more robust.

    The entire campaign is being handled by a marketing team comprising three of the 320 employees in the organisation which includes everyone in the head office in Noida and bureaus in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata as also the Hindi-speaking states. As of now, News Nation has no plans to enter the southern market.
    Now that there’s a newbie in an already cluttered Hindi news space, only time will tell if it creates a unique identity or blends into the crowd.