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Tag: TV ad

  • Orient Electric rolls out new TV ad with MS Dhoni to promote its 50% energy saving i-Series fans

    Orient Electric rolls out new TV ad with MS Dhoni to promote its 50% energy saving i-Series fans

    MUMBAI: Orient Electric Limited, part of the diversified USD 2.4 billion CK Birla Group, has launched a new TVC campaign featuring long-standing brand ambassador MS Dhoni to introduce its new i-Series range of fans powered by ECM technology. Orient i-Series fans save 50% energy as compared to ordinary fans leading to significant reduction in electricity bills for consumers.

    In the TV commercial, MS Dhoni is at Orient Electric’s R&D lab where a research engineer is trying to explain the features of the new i-Series fan using a lot of technical jargons. Disinterested, MS Dhoni starts exploring other gadgets in the room and gets his jacket stuck in one of the wind tunnels. What catches MS Dhoni’s attention is when the research engineer says that these fans have “EC inverter technology”. A totally amazed Dhoni confirms whether it is the same EC technology which is present in latest refrigerators and ACs. The engineer confirms the same and pulls out his smartphone to show that the fan is IoT enabled as well, saves 50% energy and works silently and efficiently event at low voltages.

    Talking about the newly launched TVC, Anshuman Chakravarty, Head Brand & Corporate Communication, Orient Electric Limited said, “As a trusted brand, we consider it our responsibility to provide products and solutions which are good for our consumers and also for the environment. Given the fact the fans contribute significantly to the home utility bills, we are proud to introduce i-Series inverter fans which save 50% energy as compared to ordinary fans, thus helping consumers and the nation to not only save money but reduce carbon footprint too. The new TV commercial brings out the characteristic features of our i-Series fans by means of a waggish dialogue between MS Dhoni and a research engineer. I am sure that this TV spot will capture the audience attention and create a lot of excitement about Orient i-Series fans.”

    Mr. Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, Chief Creative Officer, Contract Advertising said, “Orient Electric is known for introducing innovative features in their fans. They have launched many firsts like the silent fan. However, we have never tried explaining the tech that goes behind making these fans. The challenge was to communicate Orient’s new iSeries technology by showcasing the R&D capabilities of Orient, but in a manner that is easy to understand and entertaining at the same time. MS Dhoni, who has been the face of Orient for almost a decade adds his incomparable charisma and charm to the campaign.”

  • TV festive ad spend to reach Rs 8000 cr; experts divided

    TV festive ad spend to reach Rs 8000 cr; experts divided

    MUMBAI: The festive months of October and November are welcome months not just for you and your family, but for most Indian brands as well. After all, they eagerly wait for this early window when consumers loosen up their purse strings and put their Diwali bonuses to good use, aka, shopping.

    Thus, it is almost a tradition in the marketing world to budget separately for the third financial quarter, and sometimes allot a majority share of their marcom budget to campaigns during this period. New trends emerge each year from consumer behaviour, which, in turn, decide how brands invest their advertising budgets. Unlike last few years, media experts have mixed opinions on what this year’s festive season means for the advertising industry as a whole.

    Many within the industry believe this Diwali isn’t lighting up as bright as they had wished. Brands aren’t spending ad dollars as enthusiastically as they had in the last few years. “The festive season itself has shortened this year. Instead of stretching out to November, this year Diwali is wrapping up by October, leaving a 15 to 20-day period for Diwali campaigns. Barring the bigger e-commerce players, we did not see many brands advertise before the 2nd week of October. Even when it comes to print, which usually commands the lion’s share of festive ad spends, there were very few jacket ads that were spotted,” pointed out Havas Media Group India CEO Anita Nayyar.

    This year’s most noticeable trend would be polarised points of view on how the e-commerce players are spending. According to several media reports, e-commerce players have cut down their media spends on television this year and are concentrating on print instead.

    “Compared to their spends last year, the spend on print has pretty much remained the same. They (the e-commerce players) have also had multiple sales promotions instead of just one major sale day and the print has dominated the promotion budget of these sales. When it comes to their spends on digital, most of them are performance related than pure innovation or advertising. It is directly tied to purchase,” observed a media planner requesting anonymity.

    The expert also correlated the category’s marketing spends strategy to the consolidation that has happened in the sector in the last one year, including major developments like Jabong being bought over by Flipkart’s Myntra.

    “In general, it wasn’t as great a year for e-commerce players as last year. The accountability is much higher on performance than it was in the previous few years. Most of their current spends are to make sure they have enough sales,” the planner adds.

    Nayyar too believes that e-commerce players have become very cautious of how they spend this year. “Not just in TV, but over all even throughout the year, e-commerce brands have toned down. Most of these companies are in their 5th and 6th year, and that is when returns have to show up.”

    What does that mean for the television industry? Have the ad revenues dropped because of this? “Not at all,” reassured another senior executive. According to him, “E-commerce spending on television has actually increased in the range of 60-65 per cent,” He acknowledges that ‘print pie is always the highest considering the tactical nature of festival communication with its local and regional role that it plays.”

    It could be because, “while the total number of players in the e-commerce have relatively reduced or opted out of spending increasingly on TV this year, the big players such as Amazon, Snapdeal, and Flipkart continue to spend a lot on TV,” shared Dentsu Aegis Network chairman Ashish Bhasin.

    With the festive season just around the corner, Droom, India’s pioneering online automobile transactional marketplace, is taking the celebrations up a few notches by allocating INR 10 crore to its marketing budget.

    Snapdeal earlier announced that it would spend Rs.200 crore on a 360-degree campaign spanning over 60 days in the run-up to the Diwali festival. eBay India marketing director Shivani Suri too recognises this period as the ‘most important time of the year, where they expect to do the most sales.” Online automobile marketplace Droom too had promised Rs 10 crore of its marketing budget to the season.

    According to Bhasin, the total festive season ad ex of the market across media is estimated to hit a whopping Rs 20,000 crore this year, which is a 10–12 per cent hike from last year. “Of this, Rs 8000 crore can come from television, is the estimate,” Bhasin shared.

    Another analyst who did not want to be named pegged this year’s TV ad-ex at Rs 3000 crore.

    When it came to analysing festive season advertising by categories, FMCG and automobile once again stole the show, especially when it comes to being the biggest spenders on the medium of television.

    “Automobile Category continues to spend the highest in festive season, followed by real estate. Then comes e-commerce. With similar contribution levels across categories, 30-50% increase in spends if you compare similar period of last year vs. vis-à-vis this year,” a planner shared.

    It should be noted that sales at the leading passenger vehicle makers, including Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra and Hero MotoCorp, had risen by 15 per cent this year to 253,007 units from 216,352 a year ago, as per an early September report.

    “Telecom is another important sector which has made its presence felt this festive season. With Jio’s launch acting as a catalyst for other competitors in the sectors to also up their marketing ante,” Bhasin added.

    Apart from the conventional players, categories such as electronic devices (read smartphones), home decor and accessories have also garnered could traction. As reported earlier in several leading dailies, Oppo and Vivo are spending close to Rs 80 to Rs 100 each on marketing this year, almost doubling their budget from last year. Other electronic segments aren’t far behind. As recently reported, Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic has raised its festive marketing budget in India to Rs 85 crore.

    Thus, while this year’s festive season may be short-lived for both, brands as well as consumers, celebration in India is definitely neither conservative nor curtailed.

  • TV festive ad spend to reach Rs 8000 cr; experts divided

    TV festive ad spend to reach Rs 8000 cr; experts divided

    MUMBAI: The festive months of October and November are welcome months not just for you and your family, but for most Indian brands as well. After all, they eagerly wait for this early window when consumers loosen up their purse strings and put their Diwali bonuses to good use, aka, shopping.

    Thus, it is almost a tradition in the marketing world to budget separately for the third financial quarter, and sometimes allot a majority share of their marcom budget to campaigns during this period. New trends emerge each year from consumer behaviour, which, in turn, decide how brands invest their advertising budgets. Unlike last few years, media experts have mixed opinions on what this year’s festive season means for the advertising industry as a whole.

    Many within the industry believe this Diwali isn’t lighting up as bright as they had wished. Brands aren’t spending ad dollars as enthusiastically as they had in the last few years. “The festive season itself has shortened this year. Instead of stretching out to November, this year Diwali is wrapping up by October, leaving a 15 to 20-day period for Diwali campaigns. Barring the bigger e-commerce players, we did not see many brands advertise before the 2nd week of October. Even when it comes to print, which usually commands the lion’s share of festive ad spends, there were very few jacket ads that were spotted,” pointed out Havas Media Group India CEO Anita Nayyar.

    This year’s most noticeable trend would be polarised points of view on how the e-commerce players are spending. According to several media reports, e-commerce players have cut down their media spends on television this year and are concentrating on print instead.

    “Compared to their spends last year, the spend on print has pretty much remained the same. They (the e-commerce players) have also had multiple sales promotions instead of just one major sale day and the print has dominated the promotion budget of these sales. When it comes to their spends on digital, most of them are performance related than pure innovation or advertising. It is directly tied to purchase,” observed a media planner requesting anonymity.

    The expert also correlated the category’s marketing spends strategy to the consolidation that has happened in the sector in the last one year, including major developments like Jabong being bought over by Flipkart’s Myntra.

    “In general, it wasn’t as great a year for e-commerce players as last year. The accountability is much higher on performance than it was in the previous few years. Most of their current spends are to make sure they have enough sales,” the planner adds.

    Nayyar too believes that e-commerce players have become very cautious of how they spend this year. “Not just in TV, but over all even throughout the year, e-commerce brands have toned down. Most of these companies are in their 5th and 6th year, and that is when returns have to show up.”

    What does that mean for the television industry? Have the ad revenues dropped because of this? “Not at all,” reassured another senior executive. According to him, “E-commerce spending on television has actually increased in the range of 60-65 per cent,” He acknowledges that ‘print pie is always the highest considering the tactical nature of festival communication with its local and regional role that it plays.”

    It could be because, “while the total number of players in the e-commerce have relatively reduced or opted out of spending increasingly on TV this year, the big players such as Amazon, Snapdeal, and Flipkart continue to spend a lot on TV,” shared Dentsu Aegis Network chairman Ashish Bhasin.

    With the festive season just around the corner, Droom, India’s pioneering online automobile transactional marketplace, is taking the celebrations up a few notches by allocating INR 10 crore to its marketing budget.

    Snapdeal earlier announced that it would spend Rs.200 crore on a 360-degree campaign spanning over 60 days in the run-up to the Diwali festival. eBay India marketing director Shivani Suri too recognises this period as the ‘most important time of the year, where they expect to do the most sales.” Online automobile marketplace Droom too had promised Rs 10 crore of its marketing budget to the season.

    According to Bhasin, the total festive season ad ex of the market across media is estimated to hit a whopping Rs 20,000 crore this year, which is a 10–12 per cent hike from last year. “Of this, Rs 8000 crore can come from television, is the estimate,” Bhasin shared.

    Another analyst who did not want to be named pegged this year’s TV ad-ex at Rs 3000 crore.

    When it came to analysing festive season advertising by categories, FMCG and automobile once again stole the show, especially when it comes to being the biggest spenders on the medium of television.

    “Automobile Category continues to spend the highest in festive season, followed by real estate. Then comes e-commerce. With similar contribution levels across categories, 30-50% increase in spends if you compare similar period of last year vs. vis-à-vis this year,” a planner shared.

    It should be noted that sales at the leading passenger vehicle makers, including Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Mahindra and Hero MotoCorp, had risen by 15 per cent this year to 253,007 units from 216,352 a year ago, as per an early September report.

    “Telecom is another important sector which has made its presence felt this festive season. With Jio’s launch acting as a catalyst for other competitors in the sectors to also up their marketing ante,” Bhasin added.

    Apart from the conventional players, categories such as electronic devices (read smartphones), home decor and accessories have also garnered could traction. As reported earlier in several leading dailies, Oppo and Vivo are spending close to Rs 80 to Rs 100 each on marketing this year, almost doubling their budget from last year. Other electronic segments aren’t far behind. As recently reported, Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic has raised its festive marketing budget in India to Rs 85 crore.

    Thus, while this year’s festive season may be short-lived for both, brands as well as consumers, celebration in India is definitely neither conservative nor curtailed.

  • Lower e-commerce spending slows down TV ad growth: Madison

    Lower e-commerce spending slows down TV ad growth: Madison

    MUMBAI: H1 2016 has not been a good time for the advertising industry – TV specially – according to leading Indian ad agency Madison Media.

    Against the projected 20 per cent TV ad growth for the full year, only 11 per cent growth has been achieved in H1 2016. This compares poorly with the gee-whiz 35 per cent growth rate achieved in H1 2015 over H1 2014 on the back of a substantial increase in e-commerce spends and the ICC World Cup.

    The drop in the TV ad growth rate is also the main reason why the total ad market growth in H1 2016 has only been 12.9 per cent, says Madison Media. This has led to a downgrade of the earlier projected growth rate for 2016 from 16.8 per cent to 13.2 per cent. The drop in value of advertising growth has been accompanied by a reduction in the volumes of adverts on most TV programming genres, with the exception of Hindi movie and Kannada channels.

    The Madison-Pitch report says that the TV industry attracted around Rs 10,198 crore in ad spending in H1 2016 as compared to Rs 9186 crore in H12015. FMCG advertisers splurged 16 per cent more in H1 2016 at Rs 5,346 crore (Rs 4,622 crore in H1 2015) but contributed 72 per cent to the growth rate of the industry. E-commerce as a category shaved spending by 37 per cent as it fell from Rs 629 crore in H1 2015 to Rs 394 crore in H1 2016.

    “The drop in growth rates in TV is led by a lower contribution of e-commerce which is a category known to pick and choose high priced inventory / impact programmes and substituted by FMCG users who resort to everyday advertising and seek high value for money,” explained Madison Media & OOH CEO Mr Vikram Sakhuja.

    Clothing fashion and jewelry ad spending also slipped into the negative zone with a 22 per cent plunge from Rs 308 crore in H1 2015 to Rs 241 crore in H1 2016.

    The telco internet and DTH segment, however, maintained its growth of last year with spends of Rs Rs 1198 crore (Rs 1068 crore in H1 2015),

    In a release sent out last week, Madison Media said it expects this trend to continue and if it does, the overall ad industry should be on course to hit a spend of Rs 50,000 crore by end 2016. However, the agency says it is culling down its TV growth rate number from 20 per cent to 11 per cent.

    Which Madison World chairman Sam Balsara says is not good news at all. “The drop in growth rate of TV advertising does not augur well for the economy as generally a spurt in ad spends leads to higher GDP growth.”

  • Lower e-commerce spending slows down TV ad growth: Madison

    Lower e-commerce spending slows down TV ad growth: Madison

    MUMBAI: H1 2016 has not been a good time for the advertising industry – TV specially – according to leading Indian ad agency Madison Media.

    Against the projected 20 per cent TV ad growth for the full year, only 11 per cent growth has been achieved in H1 2016. This compares poorly with the gee-whiz 35 per cent growth rate achieved in H1 2015 over H1 2014 on the back of a substantial increase in e-commerce spends and the ICC World Cup.

    The drop in the TV ad growth rate is also the main reason why the total ad market growth in H1 2016 has only been 12.9 per cent, says Madison Media. This has led to a downgrade of the earlier projected growth rate for 2016 from 16.8 per cent to 13.2 per cent. The drop in value of advertising growth has been accompanied by a reduction in the volumes of adverts on most TV programming genres, with the exception of Hindi movie and Kannada channels.

    The Madison-Pitch report says that the TV industry attracted around Rs 10,198 crore in ad spending in H1 2016 as compared to Rs 9186 crore in H12015. FMCG advertisers splurged 16 per cent more in H1 2016 at Rs 5,346 crore (Rs 4,622 crore in H1 2015) but contributed 72 per cent to the growth rate of the industry. E-commerce as a category shaved spending by 37 per cent as it fell from Rs 629 crore in H1 2015 to Rs 394 crore in H1 2016.

    “The drop in growth rates in TV is led by a lower contribution of e-commerce which is a category known to pick and choose high priced inventory / impact programmes and substituted by FMCG users who resort to everyday advertising and seek high value for money,” explained Madison Media & OOH CEO Mr Vikram Sakhuja.

    Clothing fashion and jewelry ad spending also slipped into the negative zone with a 22 per cent plunge from Rs 308 crore in H1 2015 to Rs 241 crore in H1 2016.

    The telco internet and DTH segment, however, maintained its growth of last year with spends of Rs Rs 1198 crore (Rs 1068 crore in H1 2015),

    In a release sent out last week, Madison Media said it expects this trend to continue and if it does, the overall ad industry should be on course to hit a spend of Rs 50,000 crore by end 2016. However, the agency says it is culling down its TV growth rate number from 20 per cent to 11 per cent.

    Which Madison World chairman Sam Balsara says is not good news at all. “The drop in growth rate of TV advertising does not augur well for the economy as generally a spurt in ad spends leads to higher GDP growth.”

  • Indian TV AD EX to grow at 12 .3 per cent in 2016: Carat report 2016

    Indian TV AD EX to grow at 12 .3 per cent in 2016: Carat report 2016

    MUMBAI:  Based on data  received from 59 markets across the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA, Carat’s latest global forecast highlights that advertising spends will reach  US$538  billion in 2016,  accounting for a +4.5 per cent year-on-year increase. The report also forecasts India growing begun on a positive note with a forecast growth rate  of +12.0 per cent in 2016. Carat’s first forecast for worldwide advertising expenditure in 2017 also predicts India’s ad spends will leapfrog to a growth of 13.9 per cent by 2017.

    Unlike growth in the other BRIC markets – Brazil, Russia and China – advertising expenditure in India would continue to accelerate in this year, supported  by the  India T20  Cricket World Cup and  the  state  elections. TV advertising revenues  are forecast  to grow by +12.3 per cent in 2016,  supported  by strong spending from e-commerce companies and FMCG brands.

    While TV is expected  to  remain  dominant for many  years  to  come,  advertisers  are increasingly  utilising online  video as  an  invaluable  complement. In spite of the much talked about digital marketing drive in the country, the overall   share of total digital advertising spends in India is still relatively low at 8.9 per cent (2016).

    Whereas the global ad spends on news paper  are declining  in markets like North America and Latin, India shows a  positive newspaper  advertising  spend    at +10.5 per cent in 2016,  primarily due  to investment  from e-commerce, automotive and a small contribution from government spending.  Retail advertisers also continue to spend on print.

    Carat’s first forecasts for 2017 predict continuing strong growth for the advertising market in India with an estimated increase  of +13.9 per cent and expected  favourable  economic  conditions in which advertisers vie for the consumers’  attention.

    The report makes it clear that while TV  will continue to dominate the lion share of advertising spends, digital is the real growth driver. Powered by the upsurge  of mobile (+37.9 per cent), online video (+34.7 per cent) and social media (+29.8 per cent) in 2016,  the strength  of digital is expected  to continue  to grow at double digit prediction levels of +15.0 per cent this year, and a further +13.6 per cent in 2017.  

    Overall, Carat predicts the upsurge  of digital to account for 27.0 per cent of advertising spends in 2016  and extend significantly to 29.3 per cent in 2017,  reaching  US$161  billion globally.

    Whilst digital is constantly closing the gap, TV continues to command the majority of market share with a steady 42 per cent. In 2015 ad spends is predicted to grow by +3.1 per cent this year as the Olympic Games and US elections are predicted to generate significant TV viewership across various markets.  In addition, Carat’s forecasts reconfirm the steady decline in Print* in 2016  and into 2017  with Newspapers declining by -5.4 per cent and Magazines  by -1.7 per cent in 2016  whilst highlighting positive year-on-year growth in 2016 for all other media, including Outdoor (+3.4 per cent),

    Radio (+2.2 per cent) and Cinema (+2.8 per cent), with the latter expected to grow further at +5.0 per cent in 2017.

  • Indian TV AD EX to grow at 12 .3 per cent in 2016: Carat report 2016

    Indian TV AD EX to grow at 12 .3 per cent in 2016: Carat report 2016

    MUMBAI:  Based on data  received from 59 markets across the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA, Carat’s latest global forecast highlights that advertising spends will reach  US$538  billion in 2016,  accounting for a +4.5 per cent year-on-year increase. The report also forecasts India growing begun on a positive note with a forecast growth rate  of +12.0 per cent in 2016. Carat’s first forecast for worldwide advertising expenditure in 2017 also predicts India’s ad spends will leapfrog to a growth of 13.9 per cent by 2017.

    Unlike growth in the other BRIC markets – Brazil, Russia and China – advertising expenditure in India would continue to accelerate in this year, supported  by the  India T20  Cricket World Cup and  the  state  elections. TV advertising revenues  are forecast  to grow by +12.3 per cent in 2016,  supported  by strong spending from e-commerce companies and FMCG brands.

    While TV is expected  to  remain  dominant for many  years  to  come,  advertisers  are increasingly  utilising online  video as  an  invaluable  complement. In spite of the much talked about digital marketing drive in the country, the overall   share of total digital advertising spends in India is still relatively low at 8.9 per cent (2016).

    Whereas the global ad spends on news paper  are declining  in markets like North America and Latin, India shows a  positive newspaper  advertising  spend    at +10.5 per cent in 2016,  primarily due  to investment  from e-commerce, automotive and a small contribution from government spending.  Retail advertisers also continue to spend on print.

    Carat’s first forecasts for 2017 predict continuing strong growth for the advertising market in India with an estimated increase  of +13.9 per cent and expected  favourable  economic  conditions in which advertisers vie for the consumers’  attention.

    The report makes it clear that while TV  will continue to dominate the lion share of advertising spends, digital is the real growth driver. Powered by the upsurge  of mobile (+37.9 per cent), online video (+34.7 per cent) and social media (+29.8 per cent) in 2016,  the strength  of digital is expected  to continue  to grow at double digit prediction levels of +15.0 per cent this year, and a further +13.6 per cent in 2017.  

    Overall, Carat predicts the upsurge  of digital to account for 27.0 per cent of advertising spends in 2016  and extend significantly to 29.3 per cent in 2017,  reaching  US$161  billion globally.

    Whilst digital is constantly closing the gap, TV continues to command the majority of market share with a steady 42 per cent. In 2015 ad spends is predicted to grow by +3.1 per cent this year as the Olympic Games and US elections are predicted to generate significant TV viewership across various markets.  In addition, Carat’s forecasts reconfirm the steady decline in Print* in 2016  and into 2017  with Newspapers declining by -5.4 per cent and Magazines  by -1.7 per cent in 2016  whilst highlighting positive year-on-year growth in 2016 for all other media, including Outdoor (+3.4 per cent),

    Radio (+2.2 per cent) and Cinema (+2.8 per cent), with the latter expected to grow further at +5.0 per cent in 2017.

  • Amagi expands TV ad network to international markets

    Amagi expands TV ad network to international markets

    Indian advertisers can reach more than 200 million viewers worldwide on B4U Network and Zee Bangla across to US, Europe, Asia, GCC, Canada, Africa and Australia.

     

    MUMBAI: Amagi has expanded its India ad network to key international markets like North America, Canada, Africa, Australia and Asia. Amagi will now offer an advertising platform to Indian advertisers with B4U Network and Zee Bangla in these international markets. The company’s move will now enable Indian advertisers to reach more than 200 million viewers on these channels.

     

    The company’s ad network will be extended to Zee Bangla and the entire B4U network including B4U Movies, B4U Music, B4U Plus and B4U Aflam. This opens up doors for several brands within India to expand their advertising footprint across the globe in markets of their choice. While this will instantly help in expanding the consumer base of Indian brands, television networks will also benefit from increased ad revenues.

     

    Amagi co-founder and head of global operations KA Srinivasan said, “Our endeavor is to serve as a global TV ad platform for brands within India, helping them to penetrate and capture international markets essential for business growth; and collaborating with widespread networks like B4U and Zee Bangla, who are our long-standing partners, allows us to do just that. Indian advertisers, who were earlier restricted to Indian audiences alone can now advertise worldwide and reap the benefits of global exposure. Amagi hopes to see more such partnerships with TV channels and continue to bring more Indian brands on board for international advertising.”

     

    Amagi’s global ad network allows advertisers to target audiences across regions, while optimising ad budgets and increasing their return on investments. Advertisers can buy ad spots through Amagi across its international network and target consumers across markets.

  • Trai caps TV ad breaks at 12 minutes per hour

    Trai caps TV ad breaks at 12 minutes per hour

    NEW DELHI: In a move that is set to upset the business models of the broadcasters, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has capped the duration of advertisements in television channels at 12 minutes per clock hour.

    “Any shortfall of ad duration in any clock hour cannot be carried over,” Trai said in its latest regulations on standards of quality of service for TV channels issued today.

    The minimum time gap between two consecutive advertisement breaks should not be less than 15 minutes. In the case of movies, this should be a minimum of 30 minutes.

    Sports broadcasters to feel the pinch

    The conditions shall not apply in case of ads during live broadcast of a sporting event.

    “The advertisements during live broadcast of a sporting event should be only during the breaks in the sporting action,” the broadcast sector regulator said. This is sure to upset sports broadcasters.

    No part-screen and drop-down ads

    There is another regulation that is sure to hurt news and sports broadcasters, while pleasing TV viewers. Trai has said part-screen and drop-down advertisements shall not be permitted and they have to be full screen.

    Broadcasters will also have to ensure that the audio level of ads cannot be higher than the audio level of the programme being telecast. Advertisers, thus, can’t try to use a higher sound level to grab the attention of the viewer.

    The advertisements in the clock hour will include all types of advertisements including advertisements promoting the channel(s) of the broadcaster.

    The “Standards of Quality of Service (Duration of Advertisements in Television Channels) Regulations 2012, issued today, will be effective from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.

    Trai‘s explanation

    In an explanatory memorandum, Trai has observed that the duration of advertisements, their placement within or in-between the programmes and their frequency of occurrence, is closely related to the quality of viewing experience of the consumers. The quality of viewing experience of the consumers is akin to the quality of service provided by the service providers to the consumers.

    The broadcast watchdog said: “Since the dawn of the television, advertisements have been used to promote a wide variety of goods and services. Advertisements provide for a significant portion of the revenue of the television industry. The broadcasters of the free to air channels rely solely on the advertisements as their source of revenue, while the pay channel broadcasters have twofold source of revenue in the form of advertisement and subscription revenues.”

    Trai said that the consumers are “presently fed with content feeds interlaced with the advertisements within and in-between the various programmes aired by the broadcasters in their channels as well as MSOs and local cable operators in their local/video channels. The majority of television advertisements consist of advertising spots, info-commercials and self-promotional campaign in various formats ranging in length from a few seconds to several minutes.”

    The present provisions concerning the duration and format of advertisements in the TV channels according to the Cable Television Networks Rules 1994, prescribe that no programme shall carry advertisements exceeding 12 minutes per hour, which may include up to 10 minutes per hour of commercial advertisements, and up to 2 minutes per hour of a channel’s self-promotional programmes. It is also provided that all advertisement should be clearly distinguishable from the programme and should not in any manner interfere with the programme viz., use of lower part of screen to carry captions, static or moving alongside the programme.

    Trai said there have been several complaints, mainly from the consumers raised at various forums regarding overplaying of advertisements, long duration of advertisements, overlaying of advertisements on the screen, increased audio level during advertisements etc. It has been said that the advertisement duration and formats are not in accordance with the provisions stated above. It has often been pointed out that the advertisements are played/repeated several times in between the programmes, which break the continuity of the programme and often done at crucial stages of a programme. In this context, there have been requests to at least restrict and regulate the duration, frequency and timings of the advertisements.

    The Regulations have been issued with the primary objective of striking a balance between giving a consumer a good TV viewing experience, and protecting the commercial interests of broadcasters and is based on the reactions to a consultation paper issued on 16 March 2012 titled “Issues related to Advertisements in TV channels”.

    In response to this consultation paper, 29 comments were received. Based on the comments and views of the stakeholders and analysis of various aspects, facts and available studies, the Authority has decided to issue separate regulations for the duration of advertisements carried in TV channels.

    The Memorandum notes that the broadcasters and their associations, and the advertisers and their associations are against any regulation as proposed by Trai. But the other stakeholders comprising mainly the consumers, consumer organisations and cable operators had supported the Trai proposal for the regulation of duration and format of advertisements in the TV channels.

    Trai said it had taken note of the charge that it was the wrong time to regulate the advertisements since the digitization has just started; that advertisements were part of a business model of the broadcasters and should not be seen as a burden to the consumers and were in fact helpful to the consumers; a system of self regulation by the industry body is a better and appropriate way to regulate the advertisements; and the reference to some Supreme Court judgments which had said the restriction on advertisement space in the newspapers would lead to reduction in its revenue which is in violation of Article 19(1)(a) and consumer interest cannot be the only relevant factor for framing a regulation.

    Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported the views of the various stakeholders. The broadcasters had opposed the move while consumers bodies were in support.

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  • Innovation the mantra in a time of increasing fragmentation

    Before embarking on a discussion about the marketing strategies used by Indian TV channels in 2007, it will be worthwhile to see what the picture could be in a few years.

    A recent report says that India will have 700 TV channels by the end of 2009. “Broadcasters will be forced to slash advertising rates and spend heavily on improving technology to ensure their channels are carried into homes, or face the prospect of being swallowed up by rivals,” the report adds.

    In fact, TV advertising was at its peak during the third quarter of 2007, with the food and beverages sector leading with 15 per cent share of overall TV advertising. The medium also saw a 33 per cent increase in volumes during January-September 2007, over the corresponding period the previous year.

    For sure, this predicted crossfire from newly launching TV channels has already brought about a number of changes in the marketing strategies of the channels. Generally speaking, these changes or trends may be summarized as follows:

    1. Increased fragmentation due to more channels.
    2. More money going into mobile marketing (SMS) stealing share from traditional media.
    3. Increased use of online social marketing strategies – Orkut, MySpace.

    SMS voting in TV shows is not a new phenomenon. Based on the premise that if a person can afford a mobile phone, s/he can surely be a potential voter, channels encourage viewers to remotely participate in the shows and support their favourite contestants.

    The numbers speak for themselves. 2005 was a record year when more than 350 million messages and phone calls were zapped on account of television. With the number of singing and dancing and acting competitions on TV channels increasing every month, and adding sms activity by the news channels, the number of messages sent this year is estimated to be in the region of 750 million.

    Speaking of new channels, it is in the dominant general entertainment genre, whose Hindi-language soaps and movies corner about 40 per cent of all TV ad revenues, where the most serious action is.

    One thing, therefore that is certain, is that the Indian television industry is no longer run by a few monopolies. Star India will face new launches from rival Zee Entertainment Enterprises as well as from NDTV, Viacom 18, INX Media and who knows who else.

    The Star Network has shown considerable ingenuity in their marketing initiatives. As Star Network marketing head Prem Kamath said, “In order to target a wider section of audience, we shifted focus to smaller towns and organized ground events. Since cricket has a unifying influence on the large bulk of Indian populace, we used cricket-centric programmes to attract a greater viewership and will build on our strengths next year.”

    Indeed, this year cricket has been among the more widely used means of attracting audiences for a number of channels. For example, INX News has roped in Sourav Ganguly as their brand ambassador. INX Media founder and CEO Indrani Mukerjea says, “Sourav is one of the most loved stars from India’s collective passion, cricket. We are proud that Sourav, too, has been keen to be associated with the INX Network.” INX News will be launching an English news channel NewsX in early 2008.

    In a recent interview, INX Media group director, brand and communications, Anthony Pettifer told indiantelevision.com that their marketing campaigns were chiefly aimed at “creating a buzz and a permanent platform as well as entertaining the target audience”. “Since we started from ground zero, we needed a logo and a motto to carve a niche in the mass market of Hindi GEC. Our original logo ‘9X,’ with the ‘X’ in eye-catching orange, has proved to be hugely successful, while our motto ‘9 times more entertainment’ is in complete accord with the logo. To dramatize our positioning, we made sure that our marketing initiatives incorporated two elements of Indian life – cricket and Bollywood. We strategically planned our channel’s launch with the release of Om Shanti Om and made use of cinema screens as a vehicle for communication. To be a leader from day one, we also organized innovative ground activities in retail malls across Mumbai and Delhi,” he added.

    There was of course Sony Entertainment Television (SET India), which had its spell of cricket action with its telecast of ICC Cricket World Cup in March. That India’s early exit skewered Sony’s plans was of course a beyond everyone’s control.

    Commenting on his channel’s marketing strategies, SET India executive vice-president, sales and revenue management Rohit Gupta says, “Our programming has been tailored to cater to a young target audience belonging to the 15-35 age group. This year, we have been successful in offering a unique content. Amber Dhara, for example, is a first-of-its-kind serial that tells the story of two conjoined sisters; no other TV channels have ever dared to deal with this theme. We are also committed to offering viewers a package of Hindi blockbusters on weekends.” To revive SAB TV’s flagging fortunes, the channel has introduced 10 new shows in the last two months. Moreover, the channel has organized a number of ground events to promote its hugely successful Indian Idol 2007. Asked about the channel’s innovations in the field of marketing, pat replied Gupta, “We pioneered the concept of client servicing in the TV industry.

    Zee TV is confident that newer marketing initiatives will take the channel even higher. Indeed, with ingenious marketing strategies, Zee’s newest scion Zee Next organised a number of innovative on-ground activities. “Our outdoor activities have been a great success. We plan to build on our strengths in accordance with the viewers’ response,” says Zee Next marketing head Tarun Mehra.

    However, media experts opine that newcomers like NDTV Imagine and INX Media are serious contenders as well, and needless to say, with the launch of Zee Next, Zee TV is faced with an unavoidable competition with itself.

    The road ahead may be exciting and promising for those who dare to compete in the Hindi GEC space, but it sure is going to get tougher and rougher than ever before. Marketing will be as much about innovating on the run as about using time tested strategies.