Mumbai: In a screen-centric world, audio advertising carves a unique niche by harnessing the power of sound. It weaves compelling stories, resonating with audiences in ways visuals cannot. From playful jingles to artful narration, audio ads paint brand narratives using a rich palette of sound, creating memorable moments in listeners’ minds.
Entering this realm, Pindrop Metro Tech stands out as Pindrop Media Group’s latest venture, a specially curated audio advertising platform for the Delhi/NCR region wherein advertisers will be able to target ‘captive audiences’ in the form of Delhi Metro’s passengers. As the second-gen leader at Pindrop Media Group, Dishant succeeded Shammi Narang, a renowned national media personality and current patron of Pindrop, inheriting a legacy established in 1998. A versatile filmmaker, content producer, and creative consultant, Dishant has significantly fueled Pindrop’s growth.
Delving deeper, Indian Television in conversation with Pindrop Metro Tech managing director Dishant Narang discussed about their inception, introduction of ‘audio ads/jingles’ in Delhi Metro, AI’s impact on the audio advertising industry.
Edited Excerpts:
On Pindrop Media’s evolution since 1998, and setting itself apart in the creative, marketing, and advertising industry
Pindrop’s journey over the past quarter-century has been remarkably dynamic. Established by Mr Shammi Narang, Pindrop began as an audio production hub and was heralded as Delhi’s first fully digital recording studio. This venture introduced a significant paradigm shift in the city’s production standards and quality benchmarks. Pindrop distinguished itself by providing services and expertise previously unseen in the city, setting new industry standards in the region.
Over the next few years, Pindrop extended the very same quality standards into other creative domains as well, most notably film making and branding solutions. Today, the Pindrop network comprises thousands of handpicked creative and marketing professionals and subject matter experts, each with their own specialisations and expertise. Additionally, our highly-experienced management teams ensure that the link between ‘client and creative’ remains smooth and streamlined, so that the final output is always of the highest standard!
After more than two decades of existence, Pindrop has solidly established itself as a well known name in the creative & advertising industry, and has also played a key role in setting industry benchmarks.
On Pindrop’s view of the current state and potential growth of the audio advertising industry in India
India’s audio advertising sector is undergoing a transformative change, fueled by the emergence of digital channels like music streaming apps and podcasts. Yet, traditional terrestrial radio continues to hold sway, especially in the country’s rural and semi-urban regions. This sector is on the brink of substantial expansion, spurred by creative and technological innovations such as ours. Such growth offers crucial chances for tailored and precise advertising, particularly through material that resonates with India’s rich cultural and linguistic diversity. In essence, the sector is at an optimistic crossroads, merging conventional influence with forward-thinking approaches.
On the trends that you foresee in the audio advertising landscape for 2024
In 2024, the realm of audio advertising is set to undergo substantial changes. Shifting focus from our current innovations in the Delhi / NCR market, various global developments are expected to emerge. These include the advent of voice-activated advertisements via smart devices, the customisation of ads through artificial intelligence, and the rise of programmatic audio advertising for more precise targeting. There will be a movement towards content that is more localised and advertising practices that are sustainable, catering to a wide range of consumer tastes. Podcasts are predicted to become a leading platform for integrated advertisements. Advanced analytics will provide more in-depth evaluations of ad performance, and immersive audio experiences enabled by sophisticated sound technologies will become more popular. Overall, 2024 promises to be a thrilling year for audio advertising, requiring us to adapt to its changing landscape.
On the inspiration behind the innovative ‘Audio ADs/Jingles’ in Delhi Metro, the challenges that were faced during its introduction, commuters’ response and Pindrop Metro Tech’s plan to balance impactful audio ads without interrupting commuters
At Pindrop, we hold the belief that innovation is not just an occasional milestone but a continual journey. Additionally, our prestigious partnership with DMRC as the exclusive provider of in-train and in-station audio content for the Delhi Metro since its launch has not just endured but flourished over two decades, proving resilient and fruitful. After more than 20 years of collaborative success, we decided it was time to take our partnership to the next level. Keeping these factors in mind, we devised a novel Audio Advertising platform for the Delhi/NCR region, designed to offer advertisers access to ‘captive audiences’. In an era marked by information overload and constant distractions, the quest for ‘engaged and captive audiences’ is paramount for advertisers, and that’s exactly what we aim to provide.
Ensuring passenger comfort has always been paramount in our planning process, aligning with DMRC’s core values. Our advertising slots are carefully ‘spaced-out’ to prevent cluttered messaging, enhancing passenger experience while offering advertisers more exclusive exposure for their brands. This approach not only ensures passenger comfort but also maximises brand recall and retention. We have proactively addressed any initial concerns from commuters, ensuring that our creatively innovative ads enhance rather than detract from the commuter experience.
On AI impacting the audio advertising industry
AI is set to revolutionise the audio advertising industry by enabling highly personalised and dynamic ad content creation, optimising ad placement through predictive analytics, and improving listener engagement with voice recognition and natural language processing technologies. This will allow advertisers to craft ads that are more relevant to individual listeners, thereby increasing the effectiveness of campaigns and enhancing the overall user experience. AI’s ability to analyse vast amounts of data in real-time will also help in identifying the best times and platforms for ad placements, ensuring that messages reach the most receptive audiences.
On ensuring diversity and inclusion in the selection of voice artists for various projects
We take pride in being recognised as one of India’s most established and premier repositories of voice talent. Our selection process is rigorously merit-based, ensuring that only the most skilled artists are included in our talent bank. Today, our voice-bank consists of thousands of meticulously selected artists across 55 plus languages, encompassing both Indian and international languages, making our collection exceptionally diverse. While the ultimate choice of artists for projects rests with our clients, who have the liberty to select from our extensive pool of talent, we also offer our expertise as creative consultants to assist in selecting the ideal artists aligned with their creative visions and budgets. This process, refined over the last twenty-five years, is designed to be thoroughly comprehensive yet straightforward, ensuring a seamless experience for both clients and artists.
On Pindrop Media navigating collaborations with global brands for seamless creative partnerships and could you share a memorable project where Pindrop’s audio solutions significantly impacted a brand’s marketing campaign
At Pindrop, we treat each collaboration with the utmost care and dedication. Our team, from every department, takes great pride in their work, ensuring seamless and highly satisfactory creative partnerships. We adhere to a ‘win-win’ approach in everything we do.
We’re proud to have worked with some of the world’s biggest brands across various sectors. However, I hold a special regard for our social impact projects. Our collaborations with WHO, UNICEF, and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (Govt of India) during the Covid pandemic are particularly meaningful to me. These projects were challenging to execute due to the restrictions posed by the pandemic, but the tangible impact they had on society makes them incredibly rewarding. For me, making a positive difference to someone’s life through our work is the ultimate achievement.
On future plans with respect to expansion and innovation
As we are just over two months into this venture, it’s premature to detail our expansion plans at this stage. While we certainly do have plans to extend our reach into other transportation sectors and regions, particularly given the extraordinary response from the advertising industry, our immediate focus remains on solidifying our success with Delhi Metro, we are committed to expanding our offering across all lines of the Delhi Metro Rail Corp (DMRC) in the shortest time possible.
