Happy recently bagged the Maiya’s foods account. Maiya’s, based inBangalore, is a processed foods initiative owned Sadananda Maiya – the powerhouse behind the now Norwegian-owned MTR Enterprise. Mr Maiya’s reputation in the Indian food sector and his knowledge of food sciences precedes him.
Taking forth the founder’s passion for preserving traditional Indian recipes and the need to make them available to suit today’s living conditions, Maiya’s plans to launch ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook packaged foods spanning a variety of 100 snacks and dishes in the country.
“While we are about preserving traditional foods, we are also about innovation in the way we make sure that it stays in all its purity after being packaged. In that way, we are a cross between the past and the future. We chose Happy because we wanted a young agency would could understand and communicate the same,” said Mr Maiya.
“It’s great to be working with Mr Maiya again. Some of us at Happy have had the opportunity to work with him in our previous jobs. He is a very inspiring person and an unconventional thinker himself. It’s an honour to be chosen to launch his own personal brand,” said Kartik Iyer, CEO, Happy.
“I am a self-confessed foodie. And it’s our first food category account at Happy. Time to get the right kind to juices flowing,” quipped Praveen Das, Chief Creative Officer, Happy.
Happy has also been chosen as the creative partner for the lingerie brand, Amante. The MAS Holdings Group based in Sri Lanka, which is among the preferred manufacturers for the best lingerie brands in the world, owns the Amante brand.
Amante has been in India for the last 4 years and has steadily seen growth since their entry into the Indian market.
“Happy Creative Services have been appointed as our advertising agency because we believe they have the ability to inject unshakable awareness and loyalty for Amante into the Indian fine lingerie consumer’s mind, benefitting both,” said John Chiramel, CEO, Amante.
“We were awarded the Amante business on the basis of our experience in the fashion-apparel space, our flair for media-agnostic innovative thinking and our expertise in building brands ground-up. That’s what makes this win extra special for us,” said Siddhartha Roy, COO of Happy.
Both businesses were won without a formal pitch process.
In today’s competitive scenario “Who you know” is as important as “What you know”. Meeting people and making positive connections can benefit you in different phases of your professional life, as you climb up the ladder. Networking and meeting people in different areas of expertise can help you when you need information on something or may even land you into job in the future.
Professional networking sites enable you to:
1) Control your online identity
2) Educate yourself about the current market scenario which is of utmost importance, besides your qualification
3) Gather a good understanding about the market as it is important to inculcate or polish the skills required
4)Â It lets you collect information about your prospective employers and build the right industry contacts
5) It helps you understand the practical aspects of a profession and prepare your behaviour and mind for the forthcoming challenges
6) Let’s you have an opportunity to interact with the professionals in the market
7) Encourages you to broaden your horizons, think beyond your limits and explore more career opportunities to understand where your skills could be best utilized
8)Â Increases your online visibility and makes you easily searchable.
Burson-Marsteller, the global public relations and communications firm, released “Twiplomacy” – the first-ever global study of world leaders on Twitter. The study shows that almost two-thirds of world leaders have a Twitter account. However, whilst the social network offers direct interaction between users, almost half of world leaders don’t follow any of their peers.
“Twiplomacy” is the first research of its kind, aimed at identifying to what extent world leaders use Twitter. Burson-Marsteller analyzed 264 government accounts in 125 countries.
Data used was taken in July 2012 from the accounts of 264 heads of state and government and their institutions in 125 countries world-wide looking at over 30 variables using Twitonomy. Burson-Marsteller used Doesfollow to analyze Twitter relations between world leaders and MyFirstTweet to identify the first tweet of each world leader.
The findings indicate that over a quarter (76) of all world leaders and governments are following Barack Obama. However @BarackObama mutually follows only Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg and Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev but hasn’t established mutual Twitter relations with other world leaders. European Union president Herman van Rompuy (@euHvR) is the best connected world leader, mutually following 11 other peers. Australian prime minister @JuliaGillard is the second best connected leader.
Russian President Putin, Rwandan President Kagame, Singapore Prime Minister Lee, Dutch Prime Minister Rutte and 35 other accounts do not follow any other Twitter user; effectively cutting themselves out of the conversation.
On the other hand Ugandan Prime Minister Mbabazi and Rwandan President Kagame are the most conversational world leaders on Twitter with 96 per cent and 93 per cent of their tweets being @replies.
“This study illustrates how Twitter is closing the communication gap between us and our world leaders. On the one hand, it allows heads of state and government to broadcast their daily activities and government news to an ever growing audience. On the other hand it allows citizens direct access to their leaders. Consequently, it is now, more than ever, critical for these leaders to get it right on the social network”, said Jeremy Galbraith, CEO of Burson-Marsteller Europe, Middle East and Africa.
The study found that politicians often discover Twitter during election campaigns but once elected, these accounts tend to go silent, such as the accounts of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff @DilmaBR and French president Francois Hollande @FHollande who have abandoned their followers since taking office. There are 120 personal accounts, however only 30 world leaders tweet personally and then only occasionally.
“16 of the G20 leaders have are actively using Twitter for public diplomacy, but it is sad to see that the heads of state and government in China, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Italy still do not have joined the Twitterverse”, said Matthias Lufkens, Burson-Marsteller’s Digital Practice Leader in Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Twitter is also used by small nations to put them on the world map and tweet eye-to-eye with their peers. The president of the Dominican Republic unilaterally follows 71 other world leaders. The president of Portugaland the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobagoboth unilaterally follow over 50 other peers in the hope that they will return the favour and the young Republic of South Sudan hopes to gain international Twitter recognition by following 16 peers.
Twitter is most popular in North and South America with 80 per cent of governments active. Barack Obama is the most followed world leader with 17,115,077 followers, globally in 5th place just behind Britney Spears. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is in second place with 3,152,608 followers, followed by the White House, Queen Rania of Jordan and10 Downing Street, all having over two million followers.
Other key findings include
Out of the 264 accounts of heads of state and government, 90 have never ever sent a retweet and 99 have never sent @reply
US President Barack Obama was the first world leader to sign up to Twitter on March 5, 2007 followed the same month by @EPN, the account now used by Mexico’s president-elect Enrique Pena Nieto.
Most popular tweet: “Same-sex couples should be able to get married.” – President Obama”, retweeted 62,047 times on May 9, 2012
World leaders tweet in 43 different languages. English is used by 34 per cent followed by Spanish (15 per cent). However Spanish and Latin American leaders tweet three times as much as their English counterparts
Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), the multi-media advertising agency of the Government of India, in its Annual Report 2011-2012 stated that out of the total value of advertisements released by DAVP, 15 per cent goes to small newspapers, 35 per cent to medium newspapers and 50 per cent goes to big category of newspapers. DAVP also has an audio visual wing which undertakes various advertising or publicity campaigns through various other multimedia vehicles like the television, radio, out of home and now even the internet and mobile.
In what could be a shot in the arm for the digital industry, DAVP has been conducting pilot projects on websites and through SMSes. According to DAVP’s Annual Report 2011- 2012, 33 of India’s top websites were empanelled for releasing advertisements. In addition to this, more than 110 advertisements via SMSes were also sent.
Rajan Anandan
According to Mr Rajan Anandan, VP and Managing Director, Google India: “This is a welcome development for the entire digital advertising industry. With over 120 million Internet users in the country, digital is already the third largest advertising medium in terms of revenue in the country. It’s too early to talk about the impact, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction as the overall marketing/advertising approach is making a shift to being more accountable and measurable.”
In fact on July 26, The Sectoral Innovation Council by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting submitted a list of recommendations to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Ms Ambika Soni. One of these recommendations stated: ‘New Media should be utilised for media campaigns by the government’. In addition to this, it also recommended that ‘E-mode transactions should be a priority for the functions of DAVP, RNI, CBFC and licensing activities of the Government for ensuring transparency’.
Arpan Chatterjee
Mr Arpan Chatterjee, online media professional and consultant with webdunia.com noted: “This is a logical extension by DAVP to focus on digital media, which is generating a critical mass in the country. It is to be noted that DAVP started digitization of its own system of issuing release order and payments to media companies over a year back and the fact that it is now looking at digital media more seriously was only a matter of time. DAVP’s move to enter the digital media will only add to the importance of the digital medium, but how it uses the medium is something one has to wait and watch. DAVP ads can also help create certain guidelines for internet advertising in India, which currently is self-regulated.”
Even before these recommendations were made by the Sectoral Council, the IAMAI (Internet & Mobile Association of India) is said to have lobbied hard to bring a shift in the government’s approach towards digital media. The IAMAI is also said to have played a key role in getting the mobile SMS aggregators empanelled.
Dr Subho Ray
Dr Subho Ray, President – Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) explained: “Today with 100 million internet users and growing every day, digital is the most cost effective way to reach out to youth and, through them, their parents. The engagement with internet and mobile of the youth is very deep and the relevance of the message too gets transmitted on this medium. Young urban voters aged between 18 and 35 are a major constituency today for all political parties. And the internet, whether through mobile or PC, has surfaced as the best medium to reach this group.”
DAVP recently revamped its website with an aim to make it user-friendly, it has also adopted digitization by issuing release orders and payments to media companies online. In fact the Ministry of Tourism is said to have been one of the early adapters and a large advertiser online. While these developments also show the government’s willingness to use digital, nevertheless what remains to be seen is how effectively the medium is used by the government in the long run.
Mr Gyan Gupta, CEO, Dainik Bhaskar Digital Division pointed out that although these are good recommendations and a welcome step, it all depends on how much DAVP is willing to spend on digital. Just like any other medium, digital too needs a sizable ad spend: “DAVP has started this process last year and the trial is still on. Although this is a fantastic move, the question really boils down to how much is the government willing to spend on digital? What will be the ad spend from DAVP on digital? Digital today has become the third largest medium with increasing reach – it has become a medium which cannot be ignored. But, if the government is not willing to spend a sizeable amount or if each publisher does not get a decent money or ad revenue then it is not worth it, it will be irrelevant.”
Mr Gupta too had a set of recommendations for the DAVP, which is said to have had a consensus among the other local language publishers: “First, they have to look at the categorization of the website very clearly and second, DAVP must also ensure that enough volume of advertisement is pumped into digital.”
Now that more and more people are gaining access to the internet and spending more time online, not just in urban but also in rural India, perhaps the government has realized that it is a medium it can no longer ignore. With the 2014 general elections fast approaching, the government is expected to increase its advertising spends in order to showcase its achievements and with the Council’s recommendations to use digital, the government could well use digital extensively to reach out to the youth.
Mr Upen Rai, Director, Times Internet Ltd, observed: “By bringing digital publishers into the DAVP fold, the signals are very clear from I&B ministry that it is digital all the way. With e-filing of taxes and other e-govt frays including Passport Kendras, it was a matter of time! Next stop would ideally be its relevance to general elections, yes this time around social, and digital will play a large part… Watch out for this space…”
The 2009 Lok Sabha elections or general elections saw political parties advertising online and the next general elections could well see political parties further increasing their spends online.
BG Mahesh
Mr BG Mahesh, Founder and MD, Oneindia.in said: “Considering the contribution of Government ads in Print and TV channels, if the similar importance is given to the digital medium, it will be a very good sign for the Digital industry. It will not only fuel the higher growth rate for the digital industry, but will also provide the government a better connect with youth of country who spend a lot of time on Internet. Furthermore, if DAVP also extend the digital spends to mobile internet, the reach would be much broader as today phones with internet connections, or smart phone, start from as low as Rs5,000 and their dependence on electricity is very less as compare to desktop/laptops.”
So, how would the youth of today react to government advertisements? Will it have any positive impact on them? Ms Chhaya Balachandran Aiyer, CEO and MD, BCWebWise said: “Awareness will increase, and we can pave the way for a betterIndia. We will see more open forums, debates and discussions. There are perils of uncensored content, at the same time, and this is something India needs today.”
Chhaya Balachandran Aiyer
So, while the industry has welcomed the Sectoral Innovation Council’s recommendation that the Government must utilise the new age media for its media campaigns, there is a cautious optimism among industry players as far as ad spends in the medium is concerned.
Mr Anurag Gupta, MD, DGM India stated: “Government spending should be seen in the same light as spending by any brand. A marketer spends his monies where the users are, and if users are online then the best way to reach them is by advertising online! Any online media consumer whether it is youth or the older people will react to online advertising by the Government in pretty much the same manner as they would seeing the same ad in print or on TV.”
Anurag Gupta
Nonetheless if the government approves of these recommendations and does increase its digital ad spends, it would be a major boost for the entire digital industry particularly for increasing the digital advertising revenue. Currently, DAVP ad spends seem majorly skewed towards print and, to an extent, even television. However as the government increasingly uses the new age medium, what kind of implications digital advertising may have on DAVP ad spends only remains to be seen.
Metro Shoes has come up with a unique initiative to give an enhanced experience to its customers – that of getting their shoes delivered to their doorsteps. The service, in a nutshell, is that if the customer does not get his/her size and if it’s available in any other store across India, then Metro will procure it and send it to the customer’s home with no delivery charge for a hassle-free shopping experience.
Talking about the initiative, Lavina Rodrigues Pinto, Marketing Manager, Metro Shoes, said: “At Metro Shoes, we believe in making a customer, and not a sale. The idea of initiating this unique service was to enhance the ‘customer delight’ by giving him/her what they needed without them having to worry about logistical and delivery hassles.”
Ms Pinto added: “Being in the business of selling shoes for more than eight decades, we have fine-tuned and learnt from our customers; hence the service was started to provide them the much needed comfortable experience. With the growing number of brands in the market and lesser time spent by customers on singular labels, we have tried to think one step ahead in terms of loyalty marketing and creating patrons.”
On their expansion plans, Ms Pinto shared that Metro Shoes aims to be Rs1,000 crore company by 2015. There is also plan to open 43 new outlets in 2012-13 with an investment of Rs44 crores. The expansion is also aimed at Tier II markets which have great potential. Currently Metro Shoes covers 20 states inIndiaand are also the largest fashion footwear brand in the country. The plan is also to add more standalone accessories stores and value format stores like MSL (More shoes for Less) in the coming years.
The company also launched their e-commerce portal eight years back. Ms Pinto said: “The response has been very encouraging and we are seeing a growing category of shoppers inIndiawho prefer the click to walk.”
She added: “At Metro Shoes, we have a philosophy of combining traditional ethos with contemporary means. To enhance customer experience, we have a well integrated loyalty programme. We also have a growing market of NRIs and wedding shoppers for whom we customize shoes and match the trousseau or attire. Another interesting feature is our product mix – we customize our mix regionally. For example, stores in Kerala have more flats where asChandigarhsees more of heels’ sales.Bangalorehas more colours, whereas Kolkata prefers earthy tones! With the launch of our e-commerce portal, it has helped us break geographic barriers and we have seen a healthy growth in this arena too.”
Hardly had the news of the acquisition of English news channel NewsX by ITV Media Group and Hindi news channel Live India by Prosperity Agro filterd in, there were murmurs on whether it was vital for the government to impose entry barriers for the news media. ITV of course has been in the news for around five years and Live India already had a sizeable stake by a property developer HDIL.
As part of MxM Mondays, we spoke to a cross-section of news media practitioners to offer their views on the issue.
This issue of media ownership has been debated on in the past, and more so recently, because of the entry of corporate groups into the news media. Earlier this year we saw two big corporates enter the media domain, when Reliance Industries bought a stake in Raghav Behl-led Network18 and Aditya Birla Group invested in the Aroon Purie-led Living Media India.
While big business owning media is not a new phenomenon, there are numerous instance of politicians owning and controlling sections of the media, especially in Southern India.
Hence the question arises: Is it a cause for worry when people with non-media interests start owning the mass news media?
Here are a cross-section of views from captains of the industry (in alphabetical order of their last names):
Tariq Ansari, Chairman and Managing Director, Next Mediaworks Ltd
Tariq Ansari
The worry is not around who owns the media but whether they act in a way that is consistent with journalistic standards of integrity and fair play. We seem to have forgotten simple journalistic conventions like a declaration of interest from the owner of the publication/channel on stories in which there is a substantial commercial interest.
Media, much like steel or fertilisers or communications, will eventually belong to those who have the means and desire to invest in it. The point about it being the preserve of a few is inexplicable. Nobody is stopping anyone from raising the capital to start a newspaper/magazine/TV station/radio station/website. We live in a free country. Anyone who has the ability to own media should be able to do so, without limitation. Clearly my preference would be that criminals or those with clear vested interest should not own media, but I am not sure if the law of the land can prevent this from happening.
Vinod Mehta
Vinod Mehta, Former Editor-in-Chief, Outlook magazine
I am worried. Media diversity is very important for freedom of the press. I don’t want Media in the hands of a few owners. It should be open to all.
And here’s what MxMIndia’s regular columnists say:
Ranjona Banerji, senior journalist, columnist and Contributing Editor, MxMIndia
Media ownership is a worry to the extent that journalists are not able to withstand corporate pressure. For instance, the Birlas started Hindustan Times and the Tatas has a stake in The Statesman (to name just two) and the battle between marketing and editorial is as old as the profession. The problem comes when senior editors capitulate and reader interest is surrendered or sacrificed. I would turn the spotlight back on journalists: are we fighting the good fight?
Many years back when I asked a leading industrialist why he was keen on starting a news channel he replied with the famed Deewar dialogue (some alcohol in the system did the trick): Aaj mere paas buildingey hai, gaadi hai, bank balance hai, but even then these guys owning newspapers and channels are ruling the world. We were in the late 1990s, and journalists and news media owners were indeed much sought after. That may have waned over the years, but the desire to own news media stays. What hasn’t changed is that the intent of owning the news media goes far beyond returns on investments.
When the British ruled India, it was the desire to mobilize public opinion that led to several national leaders and even businessmen to embrace news. Post-Independence, with the birth of a new economy, it was a mix of nationalistic sentiment and also to use it as an ally in a tightly controlled business environment. The ’60s and ’70s saw the media taking off with magazines like the Illustrated Weekly of India, later India Today and several others in regional languages. The imposition of the Emergency got people to realize the importance of the news media as the liberalization of the economy and and the airwaves ensured that there is no looking back.
Being a democracy, there are no entry barriers to the media. And rightly so. However, when a few years back a few real estate and assorted players jumped into news television there were representations to the information and broadcasting ministry that there ought to be tighter controls.
The current murmurs are being heard because NewsX has been acquired by businessman Kartikeya Sharma. ITV, his media company, also runs the newspaper Aaj Samaj and regional and Hindi news network India News. And the reason for the concern: it was feared that being the brother of Manu Sharma who has been convicted in the Jessica Lallmurder case, he could misuse his position to influence the executive and the judiciary. Well, the Supreme Court upheld its sentence of life imprisonment in 2010, so evidently he didn’t achieve much. To be fair to Sharma, a senior editorial and business executive who has worked with him, told me that he saw no interference on content, especially on the Manu Sharma front.
Clearly, the money power of rich businessmen and politicians cannot bring in readers or viewers, as the case may be or make a success of the media enterprise. In the late’80s, the Ambanis acquired Commerce Weekly and converted it into a business daily. They also acquired The Sunday Observer that was once edited by Vinod Mehta and was exceedingly popular.  The Ambani indulgence in the media failed despite hiring top journalists and publishing executives. They could only use the papers to fight a few minor battles, and even those without much success.
Mehta worked and fell out with industrialists Vijaypat Singhani and L M Thapar as both found news too hot to handle and counter-productive to their primary businesses (and revenues). One had assumed he would meet the same fate when Rajan Raheja, a then-emerging industrialist with some interests in real estate, set up the Outlook magazine group. Mehta has led many battles with the mighty and powerful in his magazine and both Raheja and Mehta have survived each other.
Save the Outlook example which is a good indicator of business interests and independent journalism co-existing, clearly big money is not enough to drive consumption of news media. My worry though lies elsewhere:
1. Lack of transparency in the ownership of media.
2. Creation of a monopolistic scenario with business groups investing in multiple and similar vehicles
3. Level playing field for competition in case of vertical and/or horizontal cross-ownership, and
4. Diversification of media companies into entities beyond news
1 & 2. Transparency requirements in media ownership are critical. When the government announced recently that a certain conglomerate doesn’t not have interests in the media, is it really the case, or is that what is on paper and hence deemed correct? While doubts have been raised about how the acquisition of a sizeable chunk of Network 18 via an independent trust would impact the editorial independence of the group, the real worry is the rumoured interests of the group in other media ventures too.
Could we have a situation that a genre of channels or newspapers or the media entities in particular region of the country be owned – directly or indirectly – by one group? How do we tackle a monopolistic scenario such as this?
3. The PR head of a radio station in Delhi once complained that she could never hope to get her press release into the two main English dailies in the city because both had their own FM stations. So, while the most inane event from the group’s radio station gets covered, the lady’s FM frequency never got a mention even for a big activity. So rampant is this blacking out of a rival group’s activities that it’s now considered standard practice. In many countries there are strict rules for horizontal and vertical cross-ownership. While the TRAI has suggested restrictions in vertical ownership (a TV channel can’t fully own a DTH or cable platform etc), horizontal ownership is fine (so a TV channel can also run a newspaper, radio station etc).
4. The last of my worry areas can be a bigger concern, and, if misused, even graver than big business or a political party getting into the media. Many news media groups have invested in sectors outside of news and doubts have been expressed if there is any connect between the relationships with governments via the news media and the winning of such contracts.
Even though the government at the Centre is weak, and we can be sure it will flex its muscles often enough in the run-up to various elections until 2014, I don’t see any immediate solution to the problem. But what can play a deterrent for those who abuse the media will be public opinion via social media.
Sevanti Ninan, Editor, thehoot.org and Columnist, Mint
Sevanti Ninan
Yes, it is a cause for worry when people with vested interests start owning the mass media because political ownership of the media is increasing, and there are no transparency requirements on media ownership.
Readers and viewers are unable to discern ownership-related biases. There is also a renewed trend of corporate investment in media increasing. Media companies are supposed to file ownership details with the registrar of companies, but one, it is not properly done, and two it is very difficult for lay people to access the correct and latest data.
On the issue of media being a preserve of only a certain groups, even now it is fairly widely owned.
Maheshwar Peri, Chairman, Pathfinder Publishing India Pvt ltd
Maheshwar Peri
In my opinion there is no cause for worry. I think, increasingly, the cause for worry comes from a few industrialists who’ve gotten into media. But if you go back to the flag bearers of Indian journalism in the 1980s, Indian Express was owned by RNG, an industrial group. So, to say that ownership by industrialists would hurt media is a slightly wrong way of looking at it.
There is definitely a cause for worry when people get into media for reasons other than running it as a professional empire. If you look at some of the politicians who’ve come into media or political parties that are launching their own channels, that’s a cause for worry because they have a reason to dish out news which suit their needs and opinions.
So there is a problem when people in public office get into media, but it’s not so much of a problem if industrialists or venture capitalists or any others moneybag get into it because they want to make it a commercially viable operation. And they know they can make it commercially viable only when the reader/viewer respects them. In case of politicians, they are not interested in making it commercially viable; they just want to ensure that their point of view finds a space in the public domain.
I think unless a reader or consumer respects you, you won’t be able to sell beyond a point. So all of us, whether or not owned by corporates, are always trying to ensure that we give unbiased and credible information so that the reader continues to respect us as well as the advertiser continues to invest in us.
And what makes one think that they have a better opinion about media than a fruit vendor? I don’t think there can be a classification of who has a better opinion about certain things in this country – we are a democracy. So the worse thing is to say that ‘these’ kind of people can get into media and ‘those’ kind cannot.
Tarun Tejpal, Editor-in-Chief, Tehelka magazine
Tarun Tejpal
To some extent, there is cause to worry about media ownership. We have to air, discuss and examine issues of monopolies, cross media ownerships, and of cross business ownerships. And to try and build in some structural safeguards that both help ensure the financial viability of honest, robust media, and deter media owners from using their media instruments for unfair advantage in their other businesses.
Theoretically, it (media) should be open to all. But we must build in safeguards that minimize the misuse of public discourse and public instruments of media. This is not easy, but a discussion must start on this issue at all levels.
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Senior Journalist
Paranjoy Guha Thakurta
The growing corporatization of the Indian media is manifest in the manner in which large industrial conglomerates are acquiring direct and indirect interest in media groups. There is also a growing convergence between creators/producers of media content and those who distribute/disseminate the content.
In India’s unique ‘mediascape’, it is often contended that the proliferation of publications, radio stations, television channels, and internet websites is a sure-fire guarantor for plurality, diversity, and consumer choice. There were over 82,000 publications registered with the Registrar of Newspapers. There are over 250 FM radio stations in the country. Despite these impressive numbers of publications, radio stations and television channels, the mass media in India is possibly dominated by less than a hundred large groups or conglomerates, which exercise considerable influence on what is read, heard, and watched.
One example will illustrate this contention. Delhi is the only urban area in the world with 16 English daily newspapers; the top three publications, the Times of India, the Hindustan Times, and the Economic Times, would account for over three-fourths of the total market for all English dailies.
However, what is unacceptable is media barons using news outlets as tools to further their business interests. In this country, as in the world over, large media corporations are clearly playing a bigger role in the political economy that they report on. Though a free media is fundamental to the existence of a liberal democracy, concerns about the accountability and transparency of media companies remain. For instance, the RIL deal has enabled Network 18, Eenadu, and the merged group to expand its offerings to benefit its stakeholders and its advertising target audiences. What remains to be seen is whether clear boundaries can be etched between the boardroom and the newsroom.
There’s absolutely no doubt about the fact that if it’s truly going to be a responsive media, then the media should reflect the views, the interests, the aspirations of a larger section of population as possible. The problem with much of our media is that they are too busy trying to ‘reach’ consumers to potential advertisers than providing information to citizens.
Next Week:
Why do we all like to damn TAM?
The Sectoral Innovation Council recommendations last week said that there was need for an alternative to TAM, short for the media research company formed by a jv of two international research biggies: Nielsen and Kantar. This is a view that has been expressed several times over the years.
One of the main peeves against TAM is the number of Peoplemeter boxes present to collect data. Can 8000+ boxes effectively poll a populace of 1.2 billion, is what many broadcasters keep asking in public. In private though, not many are ready to pay up by increasing their subscription fee to enable the installation of more boxes across the country.
Also, what’s happening to BARC, the joint industry body that was to provide an alternative?
MxMIndia will speak to a cross-section of the industry to get answers. Meanwhile, if you have a view, email it to us at editor@mxmindia.com with the subject ‘MxM Mondays #2’
To be honest, I couldn’t bring myself to keep awake all night to watch the London Olympics opener. One, because I really am not a huge fan of the games. Stuff like long jump, high jump, pole vault, rowing, archery, and so on bores me enormously. Second, I was simply being my lazy old self. But the opening ceremony I did want to view, especially after all the orgasming on Twitter. And the internet videos came to my rescue as usual.
Yes, the opening ceremony was spectacular. I don’t know what Beijing had done, and knowing the way the Chinese operate, it must have been all about tech prowess. The Brit event was more about drama and emotion. Which is why asking Danny Boyle to put the opening ceremony together was a smart idea. He used the opportunity to do what he does best: tell stories. The show took us through the passage of time. The industrial revolution, James Bond, Paul McCartney, Rowan Atkinson, and a whole lot of other symbols that have defined Britain over the centuries. Plus the stunning fireworks and the dazzling lights.
Thehigh point, of course, was the Queen being parachuted into the park. I thought this was a master stroke, and only Boyle could have pulled it off. The stunt wasn’t just totally unexpected, it told you two things: One, that Britain is changing, that while they value their history and culture, they also understand the word ‘cool’. And in that one single act, they brought the old and the new Britain together. Clever thinking. Only a movie director or an advertising creative director could have come up with this audacious idea.
All in all, a super show.Britain should be proud of itself. This is going to be a tough act to follow. I have just one regret: Millions and millions of pounds were blown away in one single evening. And to think it’s the Games that really matter at the Olympics. Imagine the things that could have been done with all that dosh. An entire underground train network in Mumbai. Thousands and thousands of flyovers. Anyway, let’s not go down that road, there’s no end to my carping.
Let’s just hope, after all this mega shor sharaba, our folks return with at least one medal.
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PS: Surely the best London Olympics ad. From Durex. Perfect. This is what is called seamlessly attaching your brand to a global event. With no chance of needless ‘spill over’. 🙂
Believe me, it really helps. While in bigger agencies, people spend more time in excruciatingly painful meetings, churning out bigger strategies and smallest of ideas, you can sneak your way through by working on insights and simplicity.
2. More is less!
Remember it is never about how many pieces of work you bring to the table. And how many bucks you spend. Rather it is about coming up with a single piece of work that can do wonders for a brand, and of course for you too.
3. All it takes is an idea!
People will only remember you for your last work. So it does not matter whether you are small or big. Come up with ideas that excite the hell out of people. A great work will never get unnoticed. The same way, a bad piece of work will never get unnoticed, especially when coming from the bigger agencies. Isn’t it a win-win situation for tiny little us!
4. Love your clients!
As if they are the most important people in your life. Never forget that they have taken a great risk in you. They have given you an opportunity to prove your mettle. Don’t break their trust. Thrill them with great work. Take our instance; we share a great camaraderie with our client. We have enough and more freedom to work ingeniously. And together we believe in creating work that works. It is absolutely no surprise seeing our clients grow multifold. And that’s the reason we are winning international awards on our regular brand work, year after year. We always take our clients to each and every award show, and let them receive the awards. For us, looking at their faces glowing with pride is actually far bigger than the award itself.
5. Let’s win!
For us, it is nothing but Guerrilla warfare. When you are small you work as a tribe. A strong combative unit. You are not afraid to lose. You are like Spartans taking on the might of big. Lead from the front. Take your team forward, and the glory shall be yours. People love to support the underdogs. Nobody expects anything from you. When bigger agencies win, their folks celebrate. And when we win, the world celebrates. Enjoy being small yet lethal, and let your work score BIG.
Viral Pandya is Chief Creative Officer at Out of the Box.
1. Use of econometric modelling to measure advertising impact on sales
Econometrics can be used to reveal the effects of diminishing returns, ad memory decay and optimisation of media strategies.
2. Measurement of magazines’ social media engagement and building overall engagement indices
How can social media provide competitive advantage in an undifferentiated market? How tone and themes of conversation can help guide social media strategy? How does social media engagement compare with more traditional measures of engagement?
3. Research into branded content and do’s and don’ts about how to create great advertorials
Advertorials, whether in print or web, are valued, appealing, well-read if strategised well.
4. Usage and attitude towards iPads and how users experience advertising and content on the device
How is the consumer engagement with digital devices? How does an iPad user use the device? How many apps do they download? Free apps vs paid apps and usage and attitude towards them.
5. How tablet in-app advertising works
Learnings to increase the marketing efficiency of in-app ads on tablets.
Mitrajit Bhattacharya is President and Publisher, Chitralekha and Vice-President, Association of Indian Magazines
Ahmedabad is the commercial and the political capital of Gujarat. As per internal research and readers feedback, it was evident to the Dainik Bhaskar Group that the readers in Ahmedabad are deeply interested in the political and bureaucratic activities of state. Power corridors of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar were of prime interest to the readers.
Keeping this interest in mind, Divya Bhaskar launched a special page – Rajkaaj -in its main issue in Ahmedabad to address this heightened reader need for political news.
Mr Saras Sethi, State CEO Gujarat said: ‘Divya Bhaskar has always been a newspaper that has remained above the curve; and we use reader’s feedback and formal research for keeping a tab on the changing environment. RAJKAAJ aimed at providing focused political news is a perfect example of this philosophy. We understand that this will further strengthen the strong reader connect that Divya Bhaskar enjoys with its readers and will help then remaining updated on the political and bureaucratic scenario and the power struggle or equations.”
Divya Bhaskar, the Gujarati newspaper from Dainik Bhaskar group with 11.44 lakh readers (IRS Q1 2012) is the only Gujarati newspaper with more than a million readers in a city.
Stemade Biotech, a pioneer in dental stem cell banking in the Asian region has appointed LinOpinion – the Lowe Lintas public relations division, which bagged the account after a competitive pitch against two other agencies. LinOpinion is mandated to educate publics on the concept of dental stem cell banking and increase media visibility for Stemade.
With an aim to gain repute in the era of regenerative medicine, Stemade endeavours to be the largest dental stem cell bank inIndia, offering services of the highest standards.
Commenting on the reason for picking LinOpinion, Shailesh Gadre, Managing Director, Stemade said: “LinOpinion has an excellent body of work in the healthcare space. I think they were able to immerse themselves completely into the category, and consumers, which led to a thorough understanding of our business and our brief. Considering that we wanted to change our communication strategy from one that was tactical, to one that is insightful and strategic, we believe that LinOpinion is the best fit. Our ultimate aim is to heighten awareness of dental stem cell banking acrossIndiato save lives.”
Kavita Lakhani, President, LinOpinion said: “We are very pleased to work with Stemade who are leaders in the category. Dental stem cell-based therapy indeed seems to have potential to change the traditionally weak Indian medical system. Our challenge is to create awareness of dental stem cell banking and its benefits. LinOpinion will employ a fully integrated multi-media approach to deliver messages and drive conversations with diverse audiences – consumers, healthcare practitioners and regulators. We will also articulate Stemade’s advocacy programs ranging from innovation to education.”
One of LinOpinion’s greatest competitive advantages is a comprehensive understanding of building and protecting healthcare brands through its work with hospitals, insurers, healthcare professionals, policy makers and other key influencers. The agency’s experience includes campaigns for the Government of Maharashtra – Avert Society (AIDS awareness), Healthspring Community Medical Centres, Allergan, Botox, Centre for Obesity and Diabetes, GSK – Smoking Cessation Therapy, Pfizer-Viagra, Manipal Hospitals, Johnson and Johnson, Johns Hopkins University, National Leprosy Education Program, OncQuest and Rotary’s pulse polio vaccination drive.
By Yogesh Bansal
Media ownership is a worry to the extent that journalists are not able to withstand corporate pressure. For instance, the Birlas started Hindustan Times and the Tatas has a stake in The Statesman (to name just two) and the battle between marketing and editorial is as old as the profession. The problem comes when senior editors capitulate and reader interest is surrendered or sacrificed. I would turn the spotlight back on journalists: are we fighting the good fight?
Many years back when I asked a leading industrialist why he was keen on starting a news channel he replied with the famed Deewar dialogue (some alcohol in the system did the trick): Aaj mere paas buildingey hai, gaadi hai, bank balance hai, but even then these guys owning newspapers and channels are ruling the world. We were in the late 1990s, and journalists and news media owners were indeed much sought after. That may have waned over the years, but the desire to own news media stays. What hasn’t changed is that the intent of owning the news media goes far beyond returns on investments.
By Anil Thakraney
By Mitrajit Bhattacharya
By D Ramakrishna