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Tag: Radio Mirchi

  • Radio Mirchi brings on board Starcom as media partner

    MUMBAI: Radio Mirchi has appointed Starcom Worldwide as its media mandate, replacing incumbent agency Madison.

    Starcom‘s Mumbai office will handle the account. Work on the mandate has already begun.

    Radio Mirchi national head of marketing G G Jayanta said, “We are pleased to appoint Starcom since we needed a partner who is future focussed and can help us navigate the new media landscape. Their in-house research and tools are very impressive and they have already demonstrated how they could leverage their arsenal to benefit our business. Their whole approach was very refreshing and their media product and philosophy are pretty solid. We look forward to a long and rewarding association with Team Starcom.”

    SMG CEO India Malli CR said, “We are thrilled to win the Radio Mirchi account. Given the developments in this sector, we look forward to exciting times. We have planned some specific research and insights projects using our proprietary tools and optimisers.”

    Over the past year, SMG has won accounts like Aircel, Dabur, Axis Bank, Zee Learning, Supermax and Sterling Holidays. The agency has been aggressively strengthening its media product in India.

  • Sunil Kumar calls it a day at DDB Mudra Digital

    MUMBAI: DDB Mudra Digital media head Sunil Kumar has decided to move on from the agency and has put in his papers.

    After spending almost two years at DDB Mudra Digital, Kumar is currently serving his notice period.

    Kumar’s profile at the agency included media planning and strategisng. He joined DDB Mudra Digital in August, 2010.

    A media professional with more than 15 years of experience across print, radio and internet, Kumar was earlier employed with marketing agency EBS Worldwide as business head from November 2008 to January 2010. He was instrumental in setting up the digital arm of the business.

    At the start of his career, Kumar has worked with companies like Mediaturf Worldwide and The Hindu. He was involved in devising national sales packages, MIS and national activations for the radio station during his stint with Radio Mirchi in has capacity as senior manager.

  • Radio Mirchi marketing head Sriram Kilambi quits

    Radio Mirchi marketing head Sriram Kilambi quits

    MUMBAI: After a six-year stint, Radio Mirchi marketing head Sriram Kilambi has put in his papers at the radio station.

    Kilambi is currently serving his notice period. His last day in the organisation is 31 March.

    “Yes, Kilambi has resigned,” Radio Mirchi CEO Prashant Panday told Indiantelevision.com.

    Kilambi will be replaced by Radio Mirchi regional marketing head-South GG Jayanta.

    Kilambi had joined Entertainment Network India (ENIL) as
    vice-president and cluster head- east. He was promoted as marketing head in May 2011.

    He has spent more than 12 years across FMCG and media sectors in various roles like sales, marketing, and customer management. Prior to joining ENIL, he has also worked with Coca-Cola India.

  • Health ministry launches music video campaign against tobacco consumption

    Health ministry launches music video campaign against tobacco consumption

    MUMBAI: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s (MoHFW) tobacco control campaign has launched a music video ‘Life Se Panga mat Le Yaar‘.

    The track of the campaign has been sung by singer Shaan, who was announced as the tobacco control ambassador of India in May 2011. It is targeted towards youth and adolescents all over the country and sends a strong message that life without tobacco is “a life worth living”.

    The campaign is being aired on radio stations like Radio Mirchi, Radio City, Big FM and Red FM across India since 28 January 2012. On 1 February, the music video was unveiled on MTV, Sab, UTV Bindass and 9XM. The track runs for 2.3 minutes.

    National level mass media public awareness campaigns are important component of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP). As per the ‘WHO report on Global Tobacco Epidemic 2011’, India is one of the few countries to have a dedicated budget for the tobacco control mass media campaign.

    As per estimates, in India nearly 1 million people die every year due to diseases related to tobacco use. If current trends continue tobacco will account for 13 per cent of all deaths in India by 2020. As per Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) report, nearly 50 per cent of cancers among males, 25 per cent among females about 80–90 per cent of all the oral cancers are associated with tobacco use.

    Available evidence suggests that 40 per cent of all TB deaths, majority of cardio vascular diseases and lung disorders are directly attributable to tobacco consumption. Tobacco has also been identified as a risk factor for Non-communicable disease (NCD) and it accounts for one in six deaths resulting from NCD‘s.

    As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey-India (GATS -2010) conducted in the age group 15 and above, over 35 per cent of the population in India consume tobacco in some form or other, with 47 per cent male and 20.8 per cent female consuming some form of tobacco. In absolute numbers there are 275 million users of tobacco in India. Thus, India is second only to china, which has over 300 million smokers, who are mostly males.

    Further as per the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS 2009), 14.6 per cent of the youth in the age group of 13-15 years consume tobacco in some form or other. There are also studies indicating that 5500 youth in India start tobacco use every day.

  • 2007: Radio powers ahead-Radio Mirchi CEO Prashant Panday

    2007: Radio powers ahead-Radio Mirchi CEO Prashant Panday

    Its an amazing feeling when you sit back at the end of the year and think of what ACTUALLY happened during the year and in most cases, the stories are of incrementalism. In the case of radio fortunately, there’s a much more substantial story to write home about!

     

    For starters, radio spread out across the country. From just about 15 cities covered by private FM on 1 January, 2007, we have more than 50 towns boasting of private FM across the country today. This is on account of the roll-outs of the new stations that were auctioned under phase II of the radio reforms in Jan 2006. Its been a long wait, but finally, the radio networks have arrived! And there is a medium today that challenges the national coverage that satellite TV hitherto offered exclusively.

     

    Then there is the fairly robust growth of radio advertising revenues to write about. I would only call it “fairly robust” and not “terrific” (an adjective I am prone to use every now and then!) simply because while the growth has been in excess of 50 per cent for the second year running, the fact is that on the small base that radio had/has, a century would have been nicer! Nevertheless, two years of good growth, and its clear no advertiser/agency planner worth his basic MBA degree is asking questions like “Radio? What’s that?” or “But you charge more than even MTV”!!

     

    Yes, radio rates have indeed gone past MTV’s. In fact very substantially. Today the larger radio players (City, Mirchi) charge more for Mumbai or Delhi individually than MTV charges nationally. But are the prices commensurate with what they deliver? No way and that’s what makes the story for 2008 (You will realise I am already preparing the piece for next year’s story!). In terms of the importance of the medium, radio is inching closer and closer to TV. For eg., Mirchi alone gives more reach (and now the diary (RAM – though only 17per cent accurate) shows that it delivers more GRPs too!) than most TV channels. And the advertiser realises that and has started to pay us accordingly. Today, the average price for the Mirchi network is of the order of Rs 12,000 per 10 seconds with premium schedules going upwards of Rs 15,000. Same question again: Commensurate with what we deliver? No way!

     

    Its interesting how radio truly has reflected the growth in the Indian economy itself. The largest segments of advertisers on radio are media and entertainment, telecom, retail, auto and of course the all-time-favorite FMCG (but with declining importance).

     

    Here-in also lies the prognosis for 2008. Radio is bound to grow – When businesses are spreading their wings into the mini-metros and smaller towns, the primary medium for communications is indeed radio! As brands seek more touch-points for their brands at local levels, the ONLY medium really is radio (adding strength to an activation exercise). When advertisers need consumers to respond to their products, they will have no where to go but radio. When IPOs market themselves, and target certain key but dispersed markets (Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Calcutta, Mumbai), the only real medium to hammer home the reminders is radio. 2008 surely looks like a good year for radio!

     

    In summary, the year 2007 reflects the coming of age of radio. The romance has started. The first date has happened. Now the real action should be unfolding. Hopefully, this will a happy story and not a Balaji tearjerker!!

  • Radio listenership growth slowing down in metros

    The message is loud and clear: growth of radio listenership in the two metros of Mumbai and Kolkata is slowing down. Even Delhi is seeing single-digit growth.

    Mumbai has seen a marginal 0.7 per cent quarter-on-quarter rise at 5 million while Kolkata grew 1.14 per cent at 4.24 million.

    Delhi beat this trend with listenership jumping 8.1 per cent to stand at 6.23 million.

    This is the latest findings of the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) commissioned Indian Listenership Track (ILT).

    The MRUC listenership data takes into account the age group above 12 years. The field work was conducted between 17 February and 28 April, 2007, covering a sample size of 4500 in each metro. The research firm uses the day-after-recall (DAR) method.

    What is particularly disturbing is that listenership is tending to stagnate in the advertisement-rich market of Mumbai. FM radio operators promote their stations heavily in the Mumbai market.

    Radio Mirchi Deputy CEO Prashant Panday contributes the overall slowdown to the absence of differentiated content. “The listeners can not differentiate one radio channel from the other. There is need for us to provide them with a varied programme mix. Niche radio station is required to widen the listenership base.”

    Agrees Red FM COO Abraham Thomas, “Segmentation of content is the only solution for speeding up listenership growth.”

    AC Nielson director client service ND Badrinath, however, attributes the slow growth to no adequate efforts from radio broadcasters to ‘shake up.’ He explains ‘shaking up’ as aggressive marketing and brand promotion. This is despite new players entering into the marketplace, he adds.

    How the players stack up?

    In Mumbai and Delhi, the big gainers are Radio City 91.1 FM and Radio One 94.3 FM. While Radio City has seen a 19 per cent quarter-on-quarter rise of listeners in Mumbai and 3.6 per cent in Delhi, Radio One’s listenership has gone up 23.8 per cent and 10.7 per cent in these two metros. Both these broadcasters have no operations in Kolkata.

    “Despite having no marketing actvities, our growth is relatively stronger. After the shift of Radio One’s frequency, there was a huge set back in our listenership. But we have come back,” says Radio One VP programming and brand Vishnu Athreya.

    Radio Mirchi, however, stays at the top. In Delhi it has 3.65 million listeners. Red FM lags behind at 2.11 million while Radio City is at 1.66 million.

    The gap is narrower in Mumbai with Radio Mirchi having 1.97 million listeners followed by Radio City at 1.85 million.

    Radio Mirchi, however, has lost a good amount of listenership in Mumbai and Kolkata. The number of Radio Mirchi listerners in Mumbai declined from 2.23 million to 1.97 million (11.73 per cent fall). In Kolkata, Radio Mirchi lost 16.94 per cent from 2.53 million to 2.10 million listeners. But in Delhi it has achieved a growth of 4.5 per cent.

    Admits Panday, “We have recognised the decline, but we never look at a single city data. We are the largest network and with the widest coverage. One reason for the dip could have been because we overplayed on cricket during the World Cup. Nobody was really interested after India’s exit. Listeners basically want music from FM stations.”

    Big 92.7 FM, a late entrant, has something to cheer about in Mumbai with a quarter-on-quarter growth of 31.1 per cent (1.22 million). But the disturbing trend is in Delhi and Kolkata where it has slipped by 8.2 per cent and 14.5 per cent respectively, according to the ILT data. Delhi, in fact, is one market where it has still to make a major impact with 0.6 million listeners.

    Big FM COO Tarun Katial dismisses such conclusions, “I am not aware of any such data. We do not subscribe to MRUC. I am waiting for the RAM ratings from TAM Media Research which will use the diary method. Only then we will get a clear picture.”

    A big gainer in the Delhi market has been Red 93.5 FM which has seen a 17.5 per cent rise. While in Mumbai it has gone up 8 per cent (1.56 million), it has shed 1.4 per cent in Kolkata.

    Industry observers, however, feel that this may be a temporary setback. Listenership can expand in the three metros with heavy marketing, they say.

    And many, like Katial, are waiting for the diary radio measurement system before they come to any hasty conclusions. Till then, they would like to believe that they are growing radio listenership in the three metros.

  • “The adoption of multiple frequencies will mark the next inflation point in radio” : Naveen Chandra- Radio Mirchi SVP & National sales head Naveen Chandra

    “The adoption of multiple frequencies will mark the next inflation point in radio” : Naveen Chandra- Radio Mirchi SVP & National sales head Naveen Chandra

    The media industry has recently been eyeing the advantages that radio is promising to offer, but when it comes to the monies, advertisers are still apprehensive to bet big on the medium. As the radio industry in India evolves progressively from mass to niche, the industry is setting its targets to rake in the moolah. However, obstacles are inevitable and the biggest threat is of under valuation in proportion to its reach and accessibility.

    In a free flowing conversation, Radio Mirchi SVP and National sales head Naveen Chandra shares his views on the scope of the medium in India, which he believes will be fuelled following the Government’s sanction of a multiple frequency approach adopted by a single radio operator. He tells Indiantelevision.com’s Renelle Snelleksz that this will mark “the next inflection point in radio.” Geared to take on the big guns of print and television, this radio player has set high standards for itself and demands a premium as it moves into the radio era.

    Excerpts:

    Could you shed some light on Radio Mirchi’s sales and media strategy?
    As a market leader we have been pioneering efforts to look at things very differently. As a medium, radio is very unique because it can be both National and local at the same time. There is no parallel to this, for instance television is national by nature, and although regional television does come close, it is still very fragmented and exits in certain pockets. In terms of a National network, even print does not have editions across the country and is more regionalized. Thus we are a medium that’s does not have limitations of geography, which places us very uniquely to conduct a national or local campaign.

    The second thing about radio is that if you look at Tam data radio lures advertisers from across different product categories. While there are some categories that will use print or niche channels like FMCG, the auto, telecom and banking sectors will not advertise on GEC’s. Radio in this respect is an all encompassing medium as it offers a solution to a wide spectrum of categories that advertise on different genres of print and TV.

    Which are the biggest categories as revenue drivers on Radio Mirchi? How do they stack up percentage wise?
    Banking and finance contribute to 11 -12 per cent, media and entertainment 10 – 11 per cent, telecom 9 per cent, retail and real estate 8 – 10 per cent, automobiles 7 – 8 per cent and durables (which on an annual basis is cyclical).

    Which are the new entrants that are flocking to radio?
    We recently conducted an IPO marketing seminar with merchant bankers to get them to look at the medium positively as it can provide returns due its large reach, which exceeds a Star Plus or Times Of India. Besides radio can also provide a lot of on-ground and BTL brand building activities that attract audiences to consumer the product.

    How do you justify the fact that radio exceeds the reach of Star Plus or TOI?
    If you look at five minutes of continuous viewing on any television channel, you will notice that it is lower than the reach of radio. Using one simple metric – to consume television you need cable connectivity, to consume print you need literacy but to consume radio you nothing but to enjoy good music. Therefore radio by definition, reaches 99 per cent of the population and the reach will always be larger than any other medium.

    What is the current reach for the station nationally?
    Currently, 1.7 crore people tune into Radio Mirchi daily across 10 stations that include the four key metros Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, as well as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Indore, Jaipur. Stations in Patna, Jalandhar and Goa have recently been added.

    What are your plans to increase your network across the country?
    We are looking to launch another 20 stations across the country within the next six months.

    What’s the revenue growth that Radio Mirchi has seen over this fiscal?
    We have seen good growth over this year, however I will not be able to share exact numbers until our annual report is out.

    But we have marked about 50 – 60 per cent revenue growth on radio.

    What is the current revenue generating model that radio operates on and how does it compare with television and print advertising rates?
    For radio we follow ILT research that helps us to operate on a cost per reach (in thousands) model, so while our rates are high, our cost per thousand is very low. Typically print and TV operate on the on cost per thousand (CPT) approach but at about Rs 1300 – 1400 depending on the channel.

    Our rate is Rs 70 per thousand people, which is very low in comparison to television and print. But as a means of comparison, one ad in print is equivalent to about 30 ads on radio, so in that sense it is much lower.
    ‘The reach of radio exceeds a Star Plus or Times Of India‘

    What’s the ad growth curve that the station has seen over this year?
    With our focus towards a lot more on corporate driven advertising, if you look at the ad growth we have seen good growth over the last four to five years. Additionally, the ad durations have come down significantly from about 45 seconds to about 15 seconds on an average because the advertising environment has become more promotional led than as branding activities.

    In terms of spot rates, what is the margin between Radio Mirchi rates and your closest competitor?
    In Mumbai, our rate would be Rs 1,800 for 10 seconds, while other stations would range between Rs 400 – 1000 for the same.

    What is the current market size for radio in India?
    It presently stands at about Rs 500 – 600 crores.

    Could you highlight key benefits of radio as a medium?
    Radio is very linear medium, for instance in New York there are 89 radio stations but the average number of stations a person listens to is 1.7, which is under two. Essentially, this indicates a high loyalty towards radio stations as programs are seamless and it’s not like every hour there is different show. The characteristic of radio is such that it is very personal and intense and therefore is consumed as a medium of ‘one,’ it’s a mass as well as a personal medium. While for television, every half hour there is differentiated content which forces the viewer to keep shifting in and out of channels. Similarly, a Friends fan will watch the show on which ever channel it beams, so even if cricket had to shift to something like B4U, then everyone would flock there even if they have never seen the channel before.

    Therefore, for radio the research we conduct points to many unduplicated audiences that are loyal to one station alone. Thus, many unduplicated audiences will continue to be present but will not be reached even if one operator were to buy out a set five to seven stations.

    However, acquisitions will increase your presence across the country, so are you looking to buy out other stations?
    Well, we don’t know that yet. But in a sense the next inflection point in radio will be multiple frequencies.

    With India experiencing a boom in radio, what are the key differentiators for Radio Mirchi in this cluttered environment?
    Our key differentiator would be our programming and jocks which are very contemporary. Through a lot of analysis and research we cater to the needs of listeners. We often tie up with Bollywood to premiere music on our station.

    Radio has a lot of elements that a listener can identify with like for instance a radio jock. Also, every radio station has a particular ‘stationality.’
    In more mature markets, often clients only advertise on stations that are a natural extension of their brand and its values? How far away is India on that evolutionary scale?
    Let me give an example – There was a time when Warner Brothers would advertise on Go 92.5FM because it was English and niche, but today advertisers such as these are seeing the benefits of a mass radio stations as well.

    With television further fragmenting into ‘niche’ specific channel offerings, how long before radio also branches out into the realm of niche stations? Given that Go 92.5 FM grew quickly extinct and resorted to mass appeal, what barriers would radio encounter before it adopts a niche approach?
    Once the Government approves of a multiple frequency model, where a single radio operator will have different frequencies, it is then that radio will experiment and take the route of niche stations. But this will not take shape unless all the radio stations that are scheduled to launch this year roll out there plans.

    What do you see as the way forward for the radio industry in India?
    Currently, radio only occupies two per cent of an advertiser’s ad pie expenditure and that is dispensable. As a medium I feel our rate structure is under priced, the average cost for a radio campaign is about Rs 60, 00,000 across eight to nine markets. The challenge is to increase this by three times.
  • Radio Mirchi, Gillette present gully cricket

    Radio Mirchi, Gillette present gully cricket

    MUMBAI: On ground activity around cricket is set to increase as brands go all out to cash in on the cricket World Cup frenzy. Radio Mirchi and Gillette Vector Plus decided to do things differently when they came together to provide a platform for local talent to be recognized in Gully Gully Mein Cricket Ka Jashn.

    The gully cricket tournament saw hundreds of entries with the final 8 teams battling it out for a cash purse of ten thousand rupees for each team member. The matches will be played at Azad Maidan starting on 3 March 3. The finals of the tournament will be held on 10 March. All matches will be played in true gully cricket fashion.

    Radio Mirchi vice-president and station director Hitesh Sharma said, “Radio Mirchi has always strived to connect with listeners through out-of-the-box content and on-ground promotions. Gully Gully mein Cricket ja Jashn is yet another way through which we not only connect with out listeners, but also recognize the immense talent in the city.”

    Gillette brand manager Sumeet Narang said “We understand the passion Indian men have for the game of Cricket. It is to celebrate this Cricket spirit that Gillette is launching the New Vector Plus Winner pack and Announcing the nationwide Galli Cricket tournament!” 

    Cricketer Irfan Pathan who is also endorses Gillette Vector Plus said, “I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all my fans to join me in spirit this Cricket Season by participating in the Gillette Vector Plus Galli Cricket Tournament. While my eyes are set on the World Cup trophy, I wish luck to all my fans to bring home their very own Vector Plus Galli Cricket trophy, and truly experience the winning spirit.” 

    Played with typical gully cricket rules, each team would consist of six players plus one substitute. The 10 over match will have each side bat for 5 overs. Each member of the team is required to bowl one over in the match.

    Mirchi will also have a range of ‘expert’ commentators such as Manjeev Kumar, Sendulkar, Mr. Piddhu who will help Radio Mirchi RJ’s in commentary during the matches. The station aims bring to its listeners a flavour of street cricket.

  • Radio Mirchi in film placement for Honeymoon Travels

    Radio Mirchi in film placement for Honeymoon Travels

    MUMBAI: In its latest on ground activity for a film, Radio Mirchi brought the star couples of the soon to be released film Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd face to face with eight couples who participated in a Mirchi contest where they narrated their most hilarious honeymoon experiences.

    The stars and the eight couples travelled on the ‘honeymoon travels bus’ from Hilton Towers to Salt Water Grill in Mumbai.

    Radio Mirchi also features in the film along with RJ Harsh who plays a radio jockey called Sunny Singh in the film who hosts a show called ‘Pyar Ke Lamhe’. RJ Harsh hosts the morning show on Mirchi called Hello Mumbai.

    The director of the film Reema Kagti revealed, “We need a narrator or a sutradhar for the film. A voice that could discuss individual characters, reveal secrets about them and their past in the movie. I first heard Harsh’s voice while I was stuck in a never-ending traffic jam on the streets of Mumbai. At that time I was searching for a voice to dub for the character of the RJ. His voice was perfect for the part and I immediately decided to use him as the sutradhar and the voice on the radio show called ‘Pyaar ke Lamhe’ in the movie.”

    Speaking at the event producer of Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd Ritesh Sidhwani said, “In the competitive environment that we operate in, we are constantly seeking novel ways to promote our movies. We have to take the movie to the audiences and we were convinced that the best way to reach them is through Radio Mirchi and taking our stars to their listeners. We came up with this wonderful idea to utilize one of our key characters and our set – the star bus to drive around the streets of Mumbai.”

    Radio Mirchi station director and vice president Mumbai Hitesh Sharma said, “Radio Mirchi has always strived to connect with listeners through out-of-the-box content and on-ground promotions. Radio Mirchi has been the exclusive radio partner for several other blockbuster movies in the past. We have become the preferred choice for producers as our content is innovative and we have the widest reach.”

    Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd is a film about six couples, a guide, a driver and a handyman riding in a bus from Bombay to Goa. Woven into the hectic four day honeymoon schedule is the radio show – “Pyaar Ke Lamhe”.

    Radio Mirchi is the exclusive radio partner for the film which stars Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani, Kay Kay Menon, Raima Sen, Minnisha Lamba, Karan Khanna and Sandhya Mridul and director Reema Kagti accompanied by producers Farhaan Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani and Zoya Akhtar.

  • Radio Mirchi launches ‘Bade Log Badi Baatein’

    Radio Mirchi launches ‘Bade Log Badi Baatein’

    Mumbai: Following the interview with President Abdul Kalam on Republic day, Radio Mirchi will now air a special series of interviews on their show ‘Bade Log Badi Baatein’. The show has been created as a national property to be aired across all its network FM stations.

    Personalities such as Sri Sri Ravishankar, Amitabh Bachchan, Sunil Gavaskar, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle amongst others will be heard on the show.

    ‘Bade Log Badi Baatein’ will feature important personalities who have achieved the best in their fields in the last 50 – 60 years. These famous faces would get up close & personal with their fans through the radio station, share-interesting anecdotes from their lives, their philosophy and outlook in general towards things and situations; and more importantly, details related to how India has changed since their childhood.

    The show will be aired on Radio Mirchi every Monday from 9 to 10 am across Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Indore, Ahmedabad and Pune.

    Radio Mirchi has already featured interviews with the former Chief Justice of India Y K Sabharwal and spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar.