MUMBAI: Normally, viewership plays an important role for broadcasters because that is what tells them whether viewers liked them or not. But, viewership may not be the sole determining factor in creating a brand perception among people, if the recent announcement of the ‘most desired brands 2020’ by Trust Research Advisory (TRA) is an indication. The weekly data of BARC India ratings put Sony Entertainment Television (SET) at the fourth or fifth position. However, the channel has entered the TRA’s top 20 India’s most desired brand 2020 at fourth position.
TRA’s ‘most desired brands’ is a measure of the consumer’s perception of their expressed desire about brands they love. It lists those brands which have striven hard to woo their customers with a long-term relationship in their minds and hearts.
The TRA’s report says: “At fourth rank is Sony TV with a small 7 per cent DI (Desire Index) difference from its predecessor. Sony TV, a Hindi GEC, makes a dramatic entry with massive jump of 594 ranks over the previous report. One of the country’s earliest Hindi TV channels, Sony TV has stayed relevant to the audience by evoking with their entertainment offering and a differentiated palette to maintain freshness.”
TRA research director Sachin Bhosle said: "It is the first time that we have included 50 per cent housewives and 50 per cent working women in our women's sample. And we saw a great change in top brands. You have Sony TV entering the top 10, which was never the case earlier.”
Bhosle explained that the TRPs are made of tangible things that are measured. Brand trust or desirability is based on intangible sides of the brand. “It is how it communicates with the audience, the way it creates aspirational value, the way it has a rationale behind it, and what is the aspirational value it is trying to create. That's all what is probably more important."
Sony Entertainment Television Business Planning and Communication head Amit Raisinghani says: “We are pleased to see Sony Entertainment Television placed at fourth position amongst the Top brands in the recently released list of TRA’s most desired brands 2020. Perhaps, the clarity that we have with respect to the purpose of the brand and for whom the brand is meant for has helped us drive relevance, engagement and desire amongst our viewers. Our brand is a manifestation of our people, culture, relentless consumer focus and the premium that we put on creative talent. We hope to continue our relentless pursuit to delight our viewers with compelling content.”
“There is a brand perception in the market that comes from what is its brand value. In case of Sony, when the channel aired KBC and Indian Idol, they did well in the BARC data. Brand perception and viewership is different; one is the brand love and trust and the second is the viewership, i.e. from the rating perspective which is as per the kind of content the channel is playing. There is a lot that Sony as channel does from the audience’s responsibility perspective which also plays a big role in brand perception. Sony as a channel cares and connects itself to social responsibility and that itself plays from the brand perception’s perspective,” opines Havas Media Group CEO India and South East Asia Anita Nayyar.
Carat India executive VP Mayank Bhatnagar says: “Congratulations to Team Sony! It is great to see a TV channel brand scores the fourth position and gets featured in top 50. Viewers’ behaviour, habit and preference have evolved and this has resulted in a major shift in the way people consume content. Consumers today want to consume relatable and relevant content. Sony TV has got the mix right and it has helped them build a strong connect with urban viewers.”
Bhatnagar, however, believes that this will not help the channel in attracting more advertisements as the media planners will continue to evaluate channel performance on the basis of viewership data.
He says: “The Sony TV viewer profile is more skewed towards higher NCCS and urban. If we see the trends for the past few weeks, their viewership and ranking at All India and Urban market level has stayed consistent. The channel has built an unwavering trust through varied content. It's important to be consistent and innovative. This will help them further strengthen the brand and go from strength to strength.”
Joel Multimedia founder-CEO Varghese Thomas comments: “Sony TV is the favourite choice of many advertisers and agencies irrespective of the numbers being delivered by the channel. In a media plan, the channel really helps to build reach in a big way. It's dominance in the male-oriented programmes is also commendable. So, it really does not matter whether the channel has featured in the top ranking or not. Also, beyond numbers, the channel's intend to continuously invest in new shows tells us that they are serious about what has been offered to the television viewers across all genres. This announcement about the channel being featured on the fourth rank of TRA's most desired brands is a great achievement as far as the brand is concerned and will have a chance to attract more business.”
