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Tag: Media Agency

  • Zenithoptimedia wins creative duties of Faaso’s

    Zenithoptimedia wins creative duties of Faaso’s

    MUMBAI: ZenithOptimedia Mumbai has won the media mandate for Faaso’s following a multi-agency pitch. The mandate will cover all aspects of the company’s media planning & buying, and will also include digital and OOH duties as well. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Mumbai office.         

     

    Faaso’s co-founder and CMO Revant Bhate said, “We needed a partner in Mumbai who has a deep understanding of the consumer Internet space and it’s complex ever-evolving relationship with media touch points. ZenithOptimedia impressed us with their strategic framework and ability to execute with speed and accuracy.”

     

    ZenithOptimedia Group CEO Anupriya Acharya added, “This is a significant win for ZO in a sector that is fast growing and future facing. It is indeed a matter of pride for us to be partnering with Faaso’s.”

  • “Emerging categories are looking at digital as it is cost effective to reach the TG”: CVL

    “Emerging categories are looking at digital as it is cost effective to reach the TG”: CVL

    One of the most awaited report, which brings out the trends of advertising spends for the calendar year, was released by media agency GroupM on 2 February. Called ‘This Year, Next Year,’ the report highlights a marginal increase in the AdEx: from 12.5 per cent in 2014 to 12.6 per cent in 2015.

     

    Inaugurating the report, GroupM south Asia CEO CVL Srinivas said, “With achhe din at the centre, we are hoping that things will only go upwards from here.”

     

    The media agency has forecasted the nation’s advertising investment to reach an estimated Rs 48,977 crore in 2015. Digital, as per the report, will show maximum growth with 37 per cent in 2015, which had been growing at an average rate of 35 per cent over the last two years.

     

    With the whole industry looking very positive, Indiantelevision.com’s Seema Singh and Meghna Sharma caught up with Srinivas to get a few insights on the released report and the way forward.

     

    Excerpts:

     

     

    What is the highlight of ‘This Year Next Year’ findings?

     

    We have just released GroupM’s ‘This Year Next Year’ ad spent forecasting and GroupM is forecasting ad spent growth of 12.6 per cent this calendar year, which is January to December as compared to the previous year. We are in the same level as we were last year, which we estimated to grow at 12.5 per cent.

     

     

    General elections helped increase the ad spent last calendar year. Wouldn’t World Cup 2015, Indian Premiere League and Delhi elections help boost AdEx?

     

    To an extent, the World Cup 2015 and the other opportunities offset the fact that we don’t have the general elections this year. Because last year, minus the general elections, the total AdEx grew at over 10 per cent. So on a like-to-like basis, if we remove the general elections, then the AdEx is growing from 10 odd per cent to 12.6 per cent, and this is definitely a growth with the rest of the industry. But if you bring the general elections into play, looks like we are in the same zone.

     

    We see this year, once again, to be strong for e-commerce. While the base is still small, we expect them to increase their ad spent anywhere upwards of 50 per cent. We also see a good year for segments like auto and BFSI. Not only this, FMCG which is a very big contributor to the AdEx, while will be a bit under pressure, is expected to be steady on their ad spent.

     

     

    The report also highlights the growth of digital. How do you see Star India’s Video on Demand (VoD) platform hotStar and MSM’s Sony LIV adding to the medium?

     

    Digital has been growing, in fact by about 35 to 40 odd per cent year on year for the last many years and we forecast the ad spent growth by about 37 per cent for the current year and I think the reasons for that would be:

     

    1) Lot more penetration of smartphones and we are seeing better infrastructure and hopefully we will see better bandwidth in months and years to come, and therefore using smartphones to connect with consumers with lesser wastage is a trend that will only catch on from here.

     

    2) The other contributor to the digital ad spent will be digital video. The fact that as Indians we love consuming video on content and we are one of the highest consumers of video online, plus there are a lot of platforms opening up for video consumption, large broadcasters are launching their own platforms to disseminate content and hence more opportunities for advertisers on digital media.

     

    3) A lot of emerging categories are looking at digital, because it is very cost effective for them to reach out to the target audience.

     

    So all said and done, digital will see a strong growth.

     

    What about broadcasters who are launching new channels?

     

    TV, despite having a high base already and contributing to 44 per cent of the total AdEx, according to our estimate, will continue to grow at healthy double digits. Also this year, we have opportunities like the World Cup and various programming initiatives being taken by channels. We also have some increase in the supply that is available across newer channels. So overall, we see the medium to grow this year as well.

     

    The report shows a drop in OOH. What’s the reason for that?

     

    We have estimated that OOH will grow by four per cent this calendar year. I think these are estimates of what each medium will do. But the bigger story is that there is huge opportunity to grow across media.

     

    We are still a nation, which is under branded and we are still scratching the surface when it comes to smaller towns, geographies, which are regional and we need to get more and more of those brands and clients to advertise. I think, the more we do that, the more we can open up revenue opportunity for media players in this industry.

     

    The sky is the limit for all media – be it radio, OOH or print and hopefully 2016-2017 onwards, one would see the industry moving at higher growth rate when consumer sentiment improves and one actually sees off takes going up on the ground.

     

    You have also stressed on native advertising being the trend to watch out for. How can one implement this?

     

    It is one of the formats of advertising, which is gaining in popularity because of more consumption of content of digital media of smaller screens. So you cannot always use the same content or format of advertising for different screens and different modes of consumption. On smaller screens content is consumed on the go and is quick and easy. The consumption is very different and so there needs to be a different style of advertising.

     

    Native advertising has been born out of this change in consumption habits. It is one form of advertising and will not override all the other forms of advertising because you will still need the traditional storytelling and brand advertising, but it’s definitely a format which is here to stay and provides opportunities to brands to communicate and connect with its consumers.

     

    Last year, GroupM revised its report. Will you do that even this year? If yes, will it be upwards or downwards? Do you think ‘Achhe Din Aa Gaye Hai?’

     

    The way we do the study is that we put out the number at the start of the year basis all the analysis that we do through our intelligence and analytics team. We get a chance to review our numbers in the middle of the year, because by then we can get real data and numbers. So we are able to go back and test our hypothesis and take a call if we have to revise our numbers.

     

    Currently, it is very difficult to say if we will revise our numbers and if so, upwards or downwards, because it will all depend on the performance of the first five-six months. But if at all, we will need to revise the numbers, we will do it in July and not wait for the end of the year.

  • Starcom MediaVest Group India bolsters its senior team

    Starcom MediaVest Group India bolsters its senior team

    MUMBAI: Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) India has bolstered its senior leadership team with the hiring of two key executives.  Natasha Kapoor joins the agency as SMG Mumbai VP and Gautam Surath as strategic planning VP.

     

    In a newly created role, Kapoor will be responsible for client service, product delivery and growth for the Mumbai market. Kapoor has more than 15 years of media experience. Her last job was at Samsung India, where she handled investment, brand activation and strategy for its media procurement and process audit division. Prior to that, she was a media purchases director at Mediacom where she handled television buying for the Procter & Gamble team. She also has worked on the Unilever business at Fulcrum and Mindshare.

     

     “I believe SMG offers a unique opportunity in the market for staff and clients alike. Nowhere else in India can you find a world class Digital and Data and Analytics practice coupled with great media tools, systems and thinking resulting in a great all round product. It is a wonderfully challenging assignment and I am looking forward to it,” said Kapoor.

     

    Surath will be responsible for strategic planning, training and guiding the digital transition of SMG’s clients across its offices. He is an SMG veteran having worked for the company from 2003 in both India and China. For the past four years he has been at SMG China business director, where he was strategy lead on multiple categories of the Procter & Gamble business. His responsibilities included the development of tools and systems to improve productivity and focus on product development. Prior to his posting in China, he spent six years on the P&G planning AOR team in India.

     

     “Quite frankly, having started my career at Starcom and having worked here ever since, moving back to the India office from China was a bit of a no-brainer. Having seen the company evolve with evolving consumer trends, I have no doubt that our vision is the right one. Exposure to the global marketplace has only strengthened my belief in this regard. Exciting times in India and it’s great to be back home!” said Surath.

     

     “Natasha and Gautam bring key skillsets to complement and enhance our offering to clients in India and both Malli and I look forward to working with them,” said SMG India chairman Hanley King.

  • Carat predicts global ad spend growth at 5% in 2014 & 2015

    Carat predicts global ad spend growth at 5% in 2014 & 2015

    MUMBAI: Carat, a global media network, published its updated forecasts for worldwide advertising expenditure in 2014 and 2015, with market optimism demonstrated through strong global and regional forecasts.

    Based on data received from 59 markets across America, Asia Pacific and EMEA, Carat’s latest forecast shows overall global advertising revenues accelerating by +5.0 per cent in 2014, an increase on the +4.8 per cent predicted in March 2014, and reaffirming positivity for 2015 with year-on-year growth predicted at +5.0 per cent.

    From a regional perspective, Carat predicts further positive momentum in 2014 for North America and Western Europe, compared with figures announced in March 2014. The US continues to show strong on-going market growth, with levels of advertising spend in North America expected to exceed the pre-recession peak in 2007 for the first time by the end of 2014. Western Europe is predicted  to see a return to positive growth of +2.7 per cent after two consecutive years of declining advertising spend, driven by a strong UK advertising market forecast to grow by a robust +7.5 per cent, this year.

    Whilst forecasts show a slight decline in growth when compared with predictions from March 2014, Asia Pacific and Latin America are still both forecast  to outperform global predictions, with growth rates for 2014 of +5.4 per cent and 12.1 per cent respectively, and the only regions to see double digit growth in some markets.  Carat’s data also highlights that the outlook for 2015 continues to be encouraging with all key markets forecast to return to positive growth.

    In media, digital outperforms previous predictions for 2014 with year-on-year growth forecast at +16.1 per cent. Digital  will also increase its total share of spend, reaching 20.5 per cent in 2014 and 22.6 per cent next year, when it will outpace the combined Magazines and Newspaper global share for the first time. Whilst the steady decline in print is expected to continue, all other mediums are predicted to achieve year-on-year growths of approximately 3-5 per cent in 2014 and 2015.

    Dentsu Aegis Network CEO Jerry Buhlmann said, “Carat’s latest advertising forecast gives us increased optimism for the outlook of global and regional advertising spend. With the global recession further behind us and a healthy trend of 5 per cent year-on-year global ad growth, there is positive momentum building across the industry.”

    He added, “Whilst Digital continues to headline market trend discussions, the components within this dominant media now provide the interesting chapters, with the opportunities in mobile leading the debate. With changes and trends in consumer behaviour driving business opportunities, brands need to deliver innovative and integrated solutions to reap the rewards ahead.”

  • Max hunts for film buffs in media agencies

    Max hunts for film buffs in media agencies

    MUMBAI: Media agencies are busy scratching their heads as they prepare themselves for not some planning for a client, but to take up the challenge thrown by Sony Max’s ‘No Talkies.’

     

    This ‘Guess the Movie’ challenge will see media agencies, buyers and planners competing, while also showcasing their acting prowess.

     

    The event which will culminate in Mumbai on 19 September, seeks to find the filmy deewanas across three big markets – Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.

     

    Speaking about the differentiator this year, Sony Max VP marketing Vaishali Sharma says that the channel has stepped up the challenges and has made the competition more competitive. With the intention of creating a buzz for inviting registrations, the channel had pulled out all stops to amplify noise around the event.

     

    Online registrations for the event took place on its microsite notalkies.sonymax.tv, on 19 August with total of three deewanas forming one team. Registrations were open for 10 days with more than 150 teams registering this year.

     

    “We received an overwhelming response for our initiative last year and believe in going above and beyond movies to captivate our audiences,” opines Sharma.

     

    It received entries from media agencies such as Maxus, MEC, Mindshare, Motivator, Madison, Zenith Optimedia, OMD amongst others participating.

     

    This edition, all the participating teams will be slotted into different groups and they will have to compete against each other over a few exciting rounds of the games. The city round of the activity has already taken place in Bengaluru on 3 September followed by Delhi on 5 September. It will take place in Mumbai on 12 September. The finale will be based on the theme Bollywood.

     

    Maxux, Mumbai general manager Mangesh Korgaonkar believes that the initiative is in sync with the channel’s positioning. “It is great to see the channel bring back the competition as we thoroughly enjoyed the last season and are looking forward to our participation this year.”

     

    Agreeing with Kargaonkar, Mindshare principle partner Jignesh Ghelani says, “It is a kind initiative by Max as it is specially crafted for engaging with media agencies. It is a lot of fun as it provides us with an opportunity to let our hair down and celebrate our love for Bollywood.”

     

    In order to boost the agencies response for participation, the channel undertook a range of prebuzz promotions. These were: setting up popcorn stalls in media agencies and also distributing banarasi paans to generate sufficient buzz around its B2B marketing initiative.

     

    Last year the finale was hosted by the witty and charismatic VJ, actor and presenter Gaurav Kapoor. This year, the channel is yet to finalise the host for the event.

     

    Although Sharma refused to divulge any details on the prize money, last year it had honoured with Rs 25,000 cash voucher. “All I can say is that it is a generous voucher which will enable the winning team to make good purchases at an electronic store,” laughs Sharma.

  • Mindshare south Asia elevates Vinod Thadani

    Mindshare south Asia elevates Vinod Thadani

    MUMBAI: Mindshare, part of GroupM, has appointed Vinod Thadani as its chief digital officer – south Asia. In his new role, Thadani will be responsible for managing the agency’s full-service digital offerings for existing clients as well as bringing in new business to the agency.

     

    With over fifteen years of media experience, Thadani is responsible for setting up the largest mobile practice at GroupM in 2008 and winning media awards in the mobile category across all major award functions – IDMA, Emvies, DMA, IAMAI, Goa Fest, Campaign India, MMA, Yahoo Big Chair and Festival Of Media.

     

    Prior to moving to Mindshare south Asia, he was the chief executive officer of Madhouse India (a joint venture between WPP and Madhouse China) and played a crucial role in setting up India’s largest mobile advertising and marketing company. He worked closely with over 100 clients like Intel, Idea, VW, Panasonic, Titan, Britannia, Google, LIC, Siemens, ITC, Flipkart, Nestle, Make My Trip, Hungama.com and media conglomerates such as GroupM, OMG, Percept & Ignitee.

     

    Welcoming him to the team, Mindshare south Asia leader Ravi Rao said, “Vinod has always managed to stay ahead of the curve with his in-depth knowledge and continuous innovation. We are extremely glad to have him on board and are confident he will take Mindshare to greater avenues.”

     

    Thadani said, “With the eminent growth of over 40 per cent in digital advertising, the future of marketing lies in seamless integration of core traditional media with digital and mobile media. Mindshare boasts of an impressive client roster with some of the biggest brands in the world, and I look forward to working with each of them and the team on their digital mandates.”

     

    Thadani is also an empanelled member of the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and plays a pivotal role in the MMA’s South Asian operations. He has been a regular speaker and conference chair at several domestic and international industry events, giving his point of view and expert opinions in the role of mobile in the marketing value chain.