MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • The full-service ad agency of the coming decades will sit once again at the client's high table of marketing and business strategists, writes Ashoke Agarrwal

    Full Circle to Full-Service?

     

     

    By Ashoke Agarrwal

     

    Ashoke AgarrwalTime was when advertising agencies were both right-brained and left-brained. One would walk through an agency office and encounter both the joie de vivre of the creative impulse and the commercial nous of the media buyer.

    And then, about two decades ago, agencies got lobotomised.

    Now we have creative agencies who primarily work on a retainer and media agencies who earn their keep the old-fashioned way – through media commissions.

    The reason behind this split was chiefly commercial. As competitive pressures in the consumer marketing world increased, the business model of fifteen per cent agency commission on ad spending that sustained the ancient glamorous advertising world collapsed. As a result, agency honchos needed to invent a new business model, and in their wisdom, they chose lobotomy.

    They created sweatshops called media agencies that could sustain themselves on ever-falling media commissions. At the same time, they hoped that the creative-only agencies they fashioned would retain the mystique and the fat profits.

    Two decades down the road, another upheaval is on the horizon.

    The increasing dominance of digital and performance advertising is shifting the advertising landscape.

    The 24×7 A-B testing world of digital and performance advertising blurs the lines between creative and media. The lightning-fast feedback loop calls for an agile, creative response. That is why most large media agencies have digital advertising divisions armed with creative people. Furthermore, many consumer marketers also need brand management to be part of the agile response loop. They, therefore, are opting to house the digital advertising wing in-house.

    The dynamics of mass media advertising are also changing. In the heydays of mass media, advertising campaigns used to be seasonal. In India, we used to have two advertising seasons – summer and winter. So every year, ad agencies would roll out a campaign at the beginning of a season and sit back and collect commissions. A key factor driving the longevity of advertising campaigns was sky-high production budgets for television commercials. Shooting a TV commercial involved prima donna directors with inflated egos and budgets.

    Today, advertising on what remains of mass media, is fast adapting to the fast-paced rhythms of digital advertising, with tactical considerations driving frequent shifts in mass-media advertising. Another factor driving the creative challenge is that brands are more proactive in launching new products, packaging and price variants. In addition, the emergence of CGI and changes in videography and post-production technology have crashed video production costs, further encouraging a more dynamic creative scenario in digital and mass media.

    Changes afoot in media research are likely to bring the tight performance feedback loop that digital currently offers to mass media. As of now, the measurement of mass media exists only in silos. However, fully-integrated platforms will likely emerge over the next few years. These platforms will integrate the measurement of all kinds of media – TV, press, connected TV, social media, digital, e-commerce, OOH, radio and cinema – and brand lift – awareness, consideration and purchase.

    Once the performance feedback loop of all media is tight, it will become natural for clients to seek an equally agile response loop necessitating a re-integration of the media and creative functions. The full-service agency would have come full circle.

    Over the medium term, we will also see the emergence of a new kind of full-service agency. Over the next decade, AI will result in a paradigm shift in marketing communication.

    I have written about this coming shift in two recent MxMIndia columns:

    :: The Way Forward, dated Dec 22, 2022

    :: AI, B2I, CI and Advertising, dated Nov 24, 2022

    The full-service advertising agency of the coming decades will house, besides creative and media, a cutting-edge AI technology function. And this new-age full-service advertising agency will bring advertising back full circle where it will, once again, sit at the client’s high table of marketing and business strategists.

     

  • We aren't taking names, but we were surprised to see this happening. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das a question for the March 2 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | One can see a broadcaster who hasn’t got digital rights of a sporting event deselling digital. One also hears of some print majors doing the same for digital. What’s your view? Are legacy players scared of advertisers deserting them?

    Bhaskar DasWe aren’t taking names, but we were surprised to see this happening. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das a question for the March 2 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

     

    Q. One can see a broadcaster who hasn’t got digital rights of a  sporting event deselling digital. One also hears of some print majors doing the same for digital. What’s your view on this practice? Are our legacy players scared of advertisers deserting them?

     

    A. In a hyper-competitive marketplace, competition-bashing is considered to be a normal practice. But media experts might consider the behaviour to be myopic and distracting. Fundamentally, advertisers are rational enough to decide what works for them to advance their marketing and business interests, irrespective of claims and counter-claims of the owners of various delivery formats. Those claims would not also stultify the growth of accelerated technology or evolution of consumer behaviour of various demographic cohorts. Hence, one needs to concentrate on their audience as access point and their engagement with their respective formats of delivery. In a platform agnostic/ omnichannel media planning and buying environment, a media company doesn’t lose business to a competitor, but to their inability to deliver an advertiser’s addressable market in a cost-effective manner. Getting paranoid is no solution or tomtoming the superiority of one medium over another cannot be a survival model in a complementary media environment.

     

  • Indian newsrooms never bothered with hiring fact-checkers anyway, unlike American newsrooms, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: Fact check, anyone?

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    Ranjona BanerjiAt the confluence of misinformation and reality, stands this quite amusing story about fugitive rape accused Nithyanand, a “godman” and his virtual country of Kailasa. Or apparently, the “United States of Kailasa”. Social media was full of photographs and videos of Kailasa’s “permanent ambassador” at the United Nations, Vijayapriya Nithyananda.

    Vijayapriya Nithyananda made a statement about how the “godman” was being persecuted by India and then took it back, saying they were all for India but some “anti-Hindu” elements were behind this persecution.

    https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/who-is-vijayapriya-nithyananda-the-kailasa-representative-at-un-going-viral-101677805873259.html

    The article above states that the UN human rights office clarified that the “United States of Kailasa” presented itself as an NGO and its comments were “irrelevant” and would not be included in its final report.

    This so-called country of Kailasa is supposed to be an island off the coast of Ecuador, where Nithyanand fled in 2019. You can now get an e-visa for Kailasa though earlier the “godman” had said that Indians were not welcome to his nation, for obvious reasons.

    Whether Nithyanand has in the meanwhile managed to teach lions and tigers how to speak Sanskrit or worked out the biology of aeroplanes remains a sad secret. Though his hilariously absurd videos remain all over the internet.

    The reason for mentioning this is that it is now well-nigh impossible to sift fact from fiction. When the videos and photographs of this permanent UN ambassador emerged, they seemed like a spoof or a joke. But then it turned out to be partially true. Nithyanand and his followers misrepresented themselves, but they were not totally dishonest, if you will. They did go to the UN, but not as what they said they were and for the reason they claimed.

    This makes the job of journalists even tougher. As it is, fact-checkers have stolen their thunder. Indian newsrooms never bothered with hiring fact-checkers anyway, unlike American newsrooms. I remember years ago, 1984 to be precise when I was at XIC, Bombay, the editor of Readers Digest gave us a guest lecture. He then offered us writing opportunities at his magazine, and promised  a payment of Rs 3000.

    Our eyes lit up with greed and then went out with disappointment. The story we submitted would be checked and re-checked. Our interviewees would be re-interviewed. From submission to publishing would take at least six months. We all gave up on greed. For context, my salary as a trainee copywriter at the time was Rs 500.

    Indian newsrooms used to have a semblance of checks on facts at least by subeditors, news editors and so on. After the advent of frenetic breathless 24 hours television we appear to have given up that ghost.

    It explains errors in newsrooms, in reporters getting taken in by “sources”, in how scamsters sound convincing and manage to produce “evidence” to convince even the most hard-bitten experienced journalists.

    The growth of the internet and of social media has only fuelled the confusion of fake versus real. We have already felt the dire consequences of a pro-government media. By the time self-aware AI gets into the act, what will be left of journalism I wonder?

     

    Ranjona Banerji is a senior journalist and commentator. She writes on MxMIndia on Tuesdays and Fridays. Her views here are personal

     

  • Now this isn't a regular A&M industry-centric question we ask. But it concerns all of us. Here's Dr Bhaskar Das in the March 3 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | According to TRAI’s annual report, India’s internet subscriber base dropping 50 lakh subscribers in FY 2021-22. The telecom industry’s overall base too went south y-o-y. Reason for worry?

    Bhaskar DasNow this isn’t a regular A&M industry-centric question we ask. But it concerns all of us. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the March 3 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

     

    Q. According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) annual report, the internet subscriber base in the country stood at 824.8 million, as of March 31, 2022. The number denotes a decline of nearly 0.5 million subscribers in FY22. As per the report, the telecom industry’s overall subscriber base decreased by 34.27 million y-o-y. Reason for worry?

     

    A. When a report on internet subscriber base indicates a decline, it may not be an indication of its directional permanency or even a reconfiguration through inter-category migration of media consumption. A one-off blip in the growth curve of digital medium can’t alter the trend of an inexorable reality..

     

  • The success of the Amazon Prime Video show marks the end of a lean period that started in mid-2022, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    Farzi: The Real Thing

     

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Shailesh KapoorIt’s not a major talking point yet, but the OTT Hindi fiction space may just have entered its second innings. Farzi, Amazon Prime Video’s recent launch, has amassed huge viewership numbers, and is almost certain to become the most-watched SVOD show in India across platforms by the end of next week, based on Ormax Media’s viewership estimates for OTT originals in India.

     

    The success of Farzi marks the end of a lean period that started in mid-2022. The first half of that year saw a good mix of launches: Panchayat S2 proved to be a worthy successor to the delightful first season; Rudra received mixed audience response, but went on to get huge viewership, thanks to Disney+Hotstar’s sizeable subscription base and Ajay Devgn’s star value; Rocket Boys received immense appreciation, and was Sony LIV’s tentpole property for the year; Gehraiyaan delivered some solid numbers in the first week despite mixed to negative audience feedback; starting off as a low-profile film, A Thursday went on to become the most-watched direct-to-OTT film of the year; Human, The Great Indian Murder, Gullak S3 and Mai were fairly successful as well, especially for shows of their scale.

     

    But then started a drought of sorts. The second half of 2022 just didn’t have enough firepower. Criminal Justice: Adhura Sach managed to build good viewership, perhaps aided by a staggered episode drop, but scored below the show’s previous (second) season on audience likeability. The same can be said for Delhi Crime S2, which lacked the relevance of the first season that focused on the landmark Nirbhaya case. Films like Monica, O My Darling and Darlings good positive reception, but the viewership levels were only moderate.

     

    The lull continued till the launch of Farzi on Feb 9 this year. The show recorded a peak ‘Buzz’ of 45% on Ormax Stream Track, the highest since The Family Man S2 in June 2021, incidentally another show by Raj-DK, the creators of Farzi.

     

    There were more than 150 SVOD originals that launched in Hindi in 2022. But clutter generally comes with its share of issues. In a year where the conversation moved back to theatrical content, the absence of truly marquee shows on streaming made one wonder if the honeymoon period that the streamers enjoyed, especially during the two pandemic year, is over.

     

    Farzi can be called the start of a new phase in the Indian OTT originals market. The category is more mature and stable now, and one hopes that, like theatrical, it finds its equivalent of an “event film”. Six-eight “event shows” in a year will keep the category running strong. Farzi is 2023’s first, and one hopes the next one is round the corner.

     

  • … for another two years

    Euronics renews Hrithik contract

    By Our Staff

     

    Euronics, a washroom automation accessory brand, has renewed its brand endorsement contract with Hrithik Roshan for another two years.

     

    Commenting on the renewal of this partnership, Abhishek Jain, Director, Euronics, said: “Hrithik Roshan embodies the brand’s core values of innovation, style and performance, and has been instrumental in building Euronics’s brand image over the years. Hrithik’s immense popularity and mass appeal have helped Euronics reach out to a wider audience and set a stronger foothold in the highly competitive Indian building material industry. This renewed partnership is a testament to the strong relationship between Euronics and Hrithik Roshan and is expected to drive continued success for the brand in the coming years.”

     

  • … to inspire billions to wash hands

    Tendulkar bats for Savlon

    By Our Staff

     

    Savlon Swasth India Mission unveiled former cricketing star Sachin Tendulkar as its ‘Hand Ambassador’.

     

    Conceptualized by Ogilvy India, the campaign features a series of films that take an unexpected route by featuring Sachin Tendulkar’s Hand as their chief protagonist – bringing the importance of hand hygiene to everyone’s notice and reminding people in his inimitable style, to remember to wash their hands.

     

    Said Sameer Satpathy, Divisional Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business, ITC Limited: “Washing hands with soap or handwash is a critical part of everyday hygiene, which helps us maintain overall health. This needs continuous emphasis and engagement to build a healthy habit for children in particular and society at large. Savlon Swasth India Mission has been at the forefront of enabling this behavioral change in hand hygiene.  We are very happy to have Sachin on board, who himself has been a strong advocate of this practice as the “Hand Ambassador” for Savlon Swasth India Mission”

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWPi84_oqaE

     

  • The awards presentation ceremony will be held in Mumbai on 5th.April 2023

    IAA Olive Crown jury announced

    By Our Staff

     

    The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) announced its jury to judge entries received for the Olive Crown Awards this year.

     

    Avinash Pandey
    Avinash Pandey

    Said Avinash Pandey, President, IAA India: “The Olive Crown Awards are in their 14th year now and have been widely acclaimed. It is befitting that these meaningful awards are judged by a stellar jury including Bobby Pawar, Chairman, Chief Creative Officer, Havas Group India; K V Sridhar, Global Chief Creative Officer Nihilent Hypercollective, Nihilent Ltd; Garima Khandelwal, Chief Creative Officer , Mullen Lintas; Raj Nair, CEO & Chief Creative Officer, Madison BMB & Carlton D’Silva, Co-Founder, Musemakers & House of Awe.”

     

    Janak Sarda

    Added Olive Crown Awards Chairperson Janak Sarda: “The fact that most of the distinguished jury members have judged these awards multiple times is a testimony to the value of the Olive Crowns. I am also very happy that we have received entries from all over India, as well as from Bangladesh, Nepal, Romania and Indonesia.”

     

    The awards presentation ceremony will be held in Mumbai on 5th.April 2023.

     

  • Departure of third-party cookies is likely to be a big challenge for Indian programmatic industry, writes Indrani Sen

    The Cookies are Dead. Long Live the Cookies!

     

     

    By Indrani Sen

     

    Indrani SenEver since Google announced its decision of withdrawal of third-party cookies, which were a driving force behind programmatic advertising and digital marketing, there has been lot of speculations in the digital industry about the future course of actions for digital media planning and marketing. For years, marketers have relied on third-party cookies for behavioural targeting, re-targeting and data-driven advertising and the decision of Google suddenly shook up the core of existing digital marketing strategies. Before Google, Apple’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), and Mozilla’s Firefox enabled them to stop the practice of collecting data through third-party cookies which did not raise such hue and cry. As Google holds 60% plus share of the worldwide browser market, it is not surprising that its decision had a widespread reaction. While no one could argue with the need for user privacy, many marketers as well as publishers panicked and scrambled for finding alternative digital marketing strategies for their brands. However, this is not the end of working with cookies as first-party cookies can be a very useful tool for marketers.

     

     

    While the third-party cookies will no longer be available, first party cookies will continue to exist. First-party cookies are set by the websites viewed by the users and are stored by the websites.  First-party cookies help the website owners to collect anonymous data about their users and improve user experiences. Consumers do not complain about these first party cookies as these help in improving their digital experiences leading to higher satisfaction. However, consumers object to invasion of their privacy by third-party cookies which are created and set by third parties other than the publisher or owner of the website which they are visiting and stored at the browser ends.

     

    These third-party cookies became ubiquitous on the internet for behavioural targeting, retargeting, audience extension, tracking and ad serving and at the same time they were the main bone of contention in the crusade for consumer privacy in the digital world. Google has argued that the removal of third-party cookies will not only create more privacy for consumers, but also will provide the marketers opportunities for better digital advertising. First-party cookies will help the advertisers to have a better and more direct relationship with their consumers which in the long run will reduce their dependency on distribution platforms like Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Consumer Relationship Management (CRM) which has been gaining importance over the last two decades, will play a key role in building direct contact with the consumers.  Data tie-ups between advertisers and digital publishers based on first-party cookies can be leveraged for marketing.

     

    Google had been working on developing alternative analytics platforms based on first-party cookies, etc. even before they made the announcement about removal of third-party cookies. Universal Analytics was built for a generation of online measurement that was anchored in the desktop web, independent sessions, and more easily observable data from third-party cookies. With elimination of third-party data this measurement methodology will become obsolete. In mid-October 2020 new version of Google Analytics GA4 was launched as the new default analytics property for Google for the replacement for Universal Analytics. Google has been urging all their users to move over to GA4 as soon as possible in order to build the necessary historical data before Universal Analytics stops processing new hits. As it stands now, all standard Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on July 1, 2023, and 360 Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits on July 1, 2024.

     

    GA4 collects both website and app data to better understand the customer journey; it uses event-based data instead of session-based data. It has been designed with privacy settings at its core, can track consumers across touchpoints and measure their engagements and conversations and has predictive capabilities.  GA4 offers behavioural and conversion modelling to improve ROI with data driven attribution, it can activate consumer insights. Apart from GA4, Google Chrome has also offered marketers the Privacy Sandbox technology for interest-based advertising which will target groups of people with common interests instead of individual consumers. This tool hides individuals “in the crowd” and uses on-device processing to keep a person’s web history private on the browser.

     

    However, elimination of third-party cookies will have certain effects on the publishers as the flow of targeted ads will stop. So, publishers will have to look for alternative ways for monetising traffic to their sites. In order to make up for the loss of ad revenue, publishers may try to introduce Paywalls which in turn may reduce the traffic to their sites as some of their regular customers may not opt for paid subscription.

     

    There will be growth of walled gardens of data collected through first-party cookies. Google and Meta already have their own first-party cookies and logged-in user data, Amazon is also likely to develop such database. Various video and audio streaming services such as Netflix and Spotify also have such first party data and can join the group of walled gardens opening new digital marketing opportunities.

     

    Departure of third-party cookies is likely to be a big challenge for Indian programmatic industry which has been thriving on start up ventures and consultancy outfits. The programmatic marketing and advertising will become more an expensive and difficult proposition. We can review how our programmatic industry is planning to cope up with the new challenges in another article. In conclusion we can only say ” The cookies are dead. Long live the cookies!”

     

  • As we said upfront, an unfair question. Let's read Dr Bhaskar Das in the March 6 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | An unfair question: are you watching WPL with as much earnestness as you would watch IPL. Please give reasons for your answer

    Bhaskar DasAs we said upfront, an unfair question. Let’s read Dr Bhaskar Das in the March 6 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

     

    Q. It’s an unfair question, we know. Are you watching WPL with as much earnestness as you would watch IPL. Please give reasons for your answer

     

    A. Your question isn’t unfair at all. In fact, it’s fair and I loved it. For your information, I have been watching the women’s T20 World Cup matches and saw how our players played so well with Pakistan and I felt the same level of excitement as the Men’s World Cup contest with Pakistan. We lost to Australia, unfortunately. But I was deeply impressed by the commitment of all the players. And I am confident that with the WPL, our bench strength of skilled players would go up significantly.

     

    But most importantly, WPL would create a new level of empowerment and confidence amongst women about economic and cultural freedom. In both these counts, women have been suppressed for ages. I am excited that WPL would be the harbinger of women’s liberation not only in India but would also be an example for the rest of the world to emulate.

     

  • All boarding schools have a monthly off wherein the parents or the local guardians can take their wards away over a weekend, and that’s when guilt commerce flourishes, notes Vikas Mehta

    Vikas Mehta: Move over e-commerce. Here comes guilt commerce

    With apologies to none at all

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaMany a moon ago, I learned about a new type of commerce. The ‘guilt commerce’. Living in Dehradun and having a daughter in a boarding school for a few months was a revelation.

     

    This year in January I revisited the phenomena. Wherever in Doon we went that weekend, the place was teeming with boarders and their parents. Stationery and gift shops, eating joints, malls, cinema, the cash registers were jingling everywhere and the businessmen couldn’t hide their glee.

     

    Let me explain. All boarding schools have a monthly off wherein the parents or the local guardians can take their wards away over a weekend. Typically, the student can go out on Friday evening or Saturday morning and be back at the boarding on Sunday evening or Monday morning, before school. So, lot of outside parents come to town on a particular weekend. They check into hotels or a friend’s or relative’s places and then they get into indulging their children. Shopping for school stuff, boarding house requirements are par for the course. And then comes ‘guilt shopping’. Dining at favourite restaurants, shopping for the odd indulgence, buying of goodies, watching cinema, ice creams…..

     

    For the students, it is a release. Not just from a structured and regimented life but in today’s day and age it also means access to technology. At the boarding schools, children have restricted and controlled access to the Web. Smartphones and social media are a no-go. So, god help a parent if they are not carrying the child’s smartphone or do not give them access to it. In fact, I do suspect that smartphones sales also pick up a bit on such days.

     

    Every time my daughter came home she had a simple wishlist… a few canvasses, colours, brushes and books. All which I agreed with. And then one day she asked for a loomkit. I had no clue what it was. She not only knew everything about it but also knew where to buy it. So, we proceeded to a gift shop type of a place and I was bowled over by the number and variety of boarders. I think I saw almost all types of school dress and designs. (Some schools allow children on a day pass in school dress). And while standing in a queue to pay I noticed some interesting buying behaviour and parent reactions.

     

    One young chap insisted he wanted the ‘Blood capsule.’ I had no clue what it was and neither had the poor mother. But remember the phrase ‘guilt shopping’? Well, the mother succumbed to it. Another mom was chiding her son for buying four pens as according to her he hates writing. At this my daughter, mumbled in my ears ‘ oh he must be buying it to play pen fight’. I was learning new things. And of course there was the usual. An 8-9-year0old insisting on the new Barbie, with a little help from the shopkeeper and getting away with it.

     

    I chatted with the shopkeeper when my turn came. While furiously punching his calculator he told me, ‘sir once in a month we face bonanza. And when festivals like rakhi or bhai dooj come along the schools are again lenient, and we have a windfall’. So, there were parents from Punjab in their Audis, from UP in their Fortuners, from Haryana in their Brezza and from Uttarakhand in their Dezires. All justifying their child’s stay at a boarding house with their wallets.

     

    And most of these parents and children have their favourite haunts. A stationery store, an electronic shop, a sweet store, a few restaurants. I learnt a few more interesting things. Some of these establishments are run by people who themselves are ex0hostelites from these schools. These places also therefore become reunion spots for parents. Mini alumni celebrations happen here.

     

    To understand the guilt complex, one has to just watch the number of children in rags selling inflated balloons to ball pens to these parents or mothers with toddlers holding out for some alms in and around the favourite haunts. It is a sad reflection of the society but the reality is that the street urchins and the destitutes also know how to exploit the phenomena.

     

    One of my grouses with business establishments in Doon has been that they open late, specially in winters. Don’t venture out till 11:30 am is the thumb rule. But because the schools allow the children to be off by 9 or 9:30 am, that one day many shops open early. Hotels have brunch menus and traffic is unusually heavy.

     

    Post the pandemic, not much has changed. Except that a new, swankier mall has opened. At the mall the food court didn’t have an inch of space. Fancy new deli and cafes have replaced the fast food options.At the ice cream parlour, the chocolates and caramels were running out of stock and at the stationery shops there was a run on the pens.

     

    We are local guardians for one child in a boarding school. The parents are in Rajasthan and if by any chance they cannot make it, they request us to take care of the child. The usual schedule includes mall, 2-3 different eating joints, stationery shop, gift shop and tonnes of time with smart phone.

     

    The sense of freedom means the children want to go for a drive. This brings a windfall for cab operators too.  Maybe Musoorie or Maldevta or Rishikesh. It’s not really the love for the outdoor or a wanderlust. It’s just that they do not want to be confined to the four walls of a hotel room or a home. That in fact was one of the biggest reasons that we withdrew our daughter from the boarding.

     

    Cities like Dehradun thrive on guilt commerce. And when I mean Dehradun, I also include boarding schools from Mussourie area. There is a tourist season and a guilt commerce season. Tourist season is for a few months but guilt commerce is a monthly phenomena. Dehradun’s economy is largely service driven. Schools, colleges, private hostels, dabba system for the students in private hostels, coaching institutes for defence exams, tourism etc. Guilt commerce, I suspect has a sizeable contribution too. Plus, it gives offline shopping a big boost too. Move over e commerce, guilt commerce is here to stay.

     

  • The company will be responsible for driving digital and social communications for the brand across all platforms

    Born hi bags digital mandate of CBRE

    By Our Staff

     

    BORN HI, an integrated digital marketing agency has been chosen by CBRE Group, Inc, the leading commercial real estate services and investment firm, to handle its digital marketing mandate.

     

    Said Raka Khashu, Head, Marketing & Communications – India, Middle East, South East Asia and North Africa, CBRE: “At CBRE, we aim to further strengthen our India-centric digital presence while conforming to CBRE global guidelines. We hope to drive innovative and disruptive campaigns for our brand with Born Hi.”

     

    Commenting on the partnership, Sandeep Sreekumar, Vice – President, Borni Hi, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with CBRE on this digital mandate. We believe that our expertise in digital marketing, combined with CBRE’s vast experience and reputation in the real estate industry, will enable us to create a powerful digital strategy that drives results and delivers value to CBRE’s customers and stakeholders.”