MxMIndia

Category: BLOGS

  • infrastructure, piracy, and a fragmented industry are some of the challenges facing content owners in the digital space, says Jai Maroo

    The Anchor: 5 Challenges for film & entertainment industry in the digital space

    1. Lack of Infrastructure:

    One of the major challenges in digital space is lack of infrastructure and poor internet connectivity. The problem of bandwidth has been there for some time now. We need better streaming solutions and internet penetration inIndia. With 3G, and now 4G, coming on the scene, though the initial rollout has been slow, all plans are geared for boosting rollout and hence consumption of entertainment on digital platforms is expected to get a boost.

     

    2. Fragmentation in the Industry:

    We have a fragmented industry in terms of sheer number of platforms and business models. In present scenario, there is no clear leader except a handful of them who are making profit. But with more investors in the space, we are seeing both, better quality platforms and more sustainable rollouts, which are further fuelling the consumers’ digital consumption habit.

     

    3. Menace of Piracy:

    Piracy is another menace that the industry has been fighting against. Some of the players in digital space, like YouTube for example, have been taking some strong measures to ensure that the legitimate owner of the content gets fair share of the revenue. Additionally, content owners are increasingly partnering with platforms and finding win-win partnership models and working together to build the consumers’ habit of legal content consumption.

     

    4. Technological Challenge:

    Content owner face a lot of challenges to digitize and re-purpose the content. Technologies are getting redundant at a faster pace. It is a challenge for the content owners to cope up with the fast-growing technology and avail their content in compatible format for a particular platform. However, players are emerging with the scale to be able to handle this fragmented consumption and build better and more sustainable revenue streams, and bring all the efficiencies of scale. This also gives opportunities to bring in innovation in the presentation of the product.

     

    5. Need for better equipments

    Another hindrance is slow adoption of newer and better equipment/ end user device to access video content. But, the variety of gadgets available in the market at reasonable price points and loaded features are expected to address the problem.

     

    Jai Maroo is Director, Shemaroo Entertainment

     

  • During a cricket match if the player is found performing really badly, or is woefully out of form, the advertiser can switch to the commercial that doesn’t feature him.

    Anil Thakraney: Dual ad play during cricket matches?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I have always wondered what goes through the minds of viewers when they are subjected to commercials that feature cricketers during a live match coverage, when those boys are doing miserably on the field. For instance, ads featuring Sachin Tendulkar are constantly on air, even as there’s hectic talk of his immediate retirement from one day cricket.

     

    I don’t have research material to prove this, and maybe the time has come for a study on this subject, but I strongly suspect television viewers get mighty irritated, even repulsed, more so in the Indian context, where the average cricket fan is likely to be deliriously passionate about the game. As he gets busy swearing at the player, one can imagine the vocabulary when the commercial featuring the same player projecting him as a hero comes on the air. Clearly, this isn’t healthy for the brand in question, as the player negativity is sure to rub off on the former. And even if that sounds a bit extreme, annoyed viewers are highly likely to zap or mute such adverts. Which means not just money down the tube for the advertiser, there’s also danger of damage to brand imagery.

     

    And this is a risk advertisers knowing take when they hire sportspersons. As against movie stars, where the only risk is if the actor gets involved in an adverse publicity situation, like Saif Ali Khan did very recently. But that’s a rare occurrence, with cricketers it’s a constant gamble.

     

    Which then makes me think: Should marketers have a dual ad campaign on the ready during cricket tournaments? One campaign featuring the cricketer and the other based on a different creative route. So that during a cricket match if the player is found performing really badly, or is woefully out of form, the advertiser can switch to the commercial that doesn’t feature him.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xa7cYMD-Dc[/youtube]

    I wonder if broadcasters can technically make this happen without too many logistical issues. I actually think it shouldn’t be a problem.

     

    The only question which then remains is this: Does this justify additional spend on creative work? I think it does. Better to spend a bit more on cost of production than have the brand being sweared at during each commercial break.

     

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    PS: Fallon has re-created Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ for Cosmopolitan, a Las Vegas luxury resort and casino. Mostly in spoken words. Simple idea and very cool!

     

     

     

  • With the basics in place, young entrants to the ad world can go any place. BR Swarup gives the rundown.

    The Anchor: 5 must-haves for youngsters entering adland

    By BR Swarup

     

    Roundedness: Someone who knows what is happening around him and the world in which he lives. Someone who understands people – understandably, at a young age, most of this is acquired through books, music, cinema and a hundred other forms of expression. The more ’rounded’ you are, the more you understand, the more you connect, the better your ability to intuitively arrive at solutions.

     

    Curiosity: The insane need to know why things happen the way they do; why people think what they think and do what they do. Creative

     

    Thinking: The ability to see and explore things from a hundred different perspectives. In advertising, no matter which area you are working in, problem-solving skills are a prerequisite – and this does not happen without the ability to think creatively.

     

    Communication Skills: What you say matters as much as how you say and write it. The ability to talk the hind legs off a donkey might stand you in good stead in times of crisis.

     

    Team Spirit: If you are not a team player, chances are that you won’t make it – unless of course, you are God’s gift to advertising, that too from day one.

     

    BR Swarup is the Founding Director, Stark Group.

     

  • The ad works as nicely as all of the previous Vodafone pug commercials. The animal brings in a great deal of freshness and simplicity into the communication.

    Debrief: Vodafone’s pug returns. And shines.

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Ah, the cute pug makes a comeback for Vodafone. This time it’s being used to communicate instant connectivity. I had been wondering where the animal had disappeared to; there’s little doubt it makes Vodafone commercials that much more charming to watch.

     

    In the new TVC, a young lad (is he old enough to be flirting?) eyes a young gal in a park, and she seems to be giving him the glad eye as well (is she old enough to be flirting?). But because the gal is very shy and the guy a phattu, his puggie plays Cupid and brings them together. Instant connectivity achieved. Cool!

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRO8mV3BdGE[/youtube]

    Yup, the ad works as nicely as all of the previous Vodafone pug commercials. The animal brings in a great deal of freshness and simplicity into the communication. The only thing one wonders about is this: Is the pug losing just a little bit of its appeal?

     

    Has it been overdone? I suppose the advertiser must have commissioned a survey to suss that, and perhaps their findings were encouraging.

     

    However, it’s critical that the dog be used very, very sparingly. Else, just like it happened to Uncle SRK, excessive exposure will kill its appeal. Then the doggie will have to dress in drag to draw attention to itself.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 3.5. The pug works its magic. Once again.

  • Some of the presenters seem to have been inspired by our own award shows

    Anil Thakraney: The Oscar Bore-fest

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    A few random observations on THE most watched TV show on Mother Earth, the 2012 Academy Awards, which was telecast live on Star Movies.

     

    Our pride and joy, AR Rahman’s gig was a ‘blink and miss’. The maestro should take offence and refuse further participation. So should Mr and Mrs Anil Ambani, who were probably seated in the last row.

     

    Some of the presenters seem to have been inspired by the trashy stuff that goes on during desi award shows. The inane, idiotic, incessant chatter on stage. Which young SRK has become an expert at. While I am happy that India is impacting the world, events like the Oscars must ensure award presenters are barred from aping our unfunny jokers.

     

    But what they SHOULD have learnt from us, they haven’t. The Oscars was a bore- fest; much too long drawn out with too many categories being awarded, and with too much self back-slapping. I almost dozed off mid way through. Pity that the show which honours the world of entertainment must be so yawny. Sizzling dance performances from the Hollywood hotties would have broken the ennui. Penelope Cruz and Natalie Portman were in the house. Some ‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’ action from them would have been nice.

     

    Every single nominated individual was in the house (except Woody Allen, who’s apparently outgrown the Oscars). This means there was no awards leak. Compare this to Indian movie award events, where only the winners turn up. If we ever hope to reach anywhere close to where the Oscars is in terms of prestige, the first thing we need to do is plug the bloody leaks.

     

    Host Billy Crystal’s humour has all dried up with age. He looked liked a stoned, embalmed Egyptian mummy. Or, maybe he was ordered by the organizers not to cause the slightest offence. Poor man. Guess when it comes to fragile egos, Hollywood stars are no better than ours.

     

    However, one must say what did save the show a little bit, which was otherwise headed for disaster, was Angelina Jolie showing off her long shapely right leg. Total paisa vasool.

     

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    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhAg0COnqds[/youtube]

    PS: Outside the Oscars auditorium, Sacha Baron Cohen dropped Kim Jong IL’s ‘ashes’ on the anchor. The notorious comedian, who was banned from appearance on the stage, made a surprise entry on the red carpet and created a scene. Good fun. He should have been on the stage. He was sorely missed.

     

  • If organisations proactively think about how they should keep their employees engaged over a period of time, attraction rates go up and attrition rates fall, says Rohit Ohri

    5 things that agencies must do to attract top talent

    By Rohit Ohri

    The advertising industry is guilty of ‘criminal neglect’ in its approach to recruiting talent. For an industry that sells original thinking, this is surely creative suicide.

     

    The good news is that no matter what the size of the company, attracting and retaining talent has more to do with one’s commitment to building a sustainable organisation, rather than how much one pays.

     

    My core belief on talent management revolves around proactive engagement. If organisations proactively think about how they should keep their employees engaged over a period of time, attraction rates go up and attrition rates fall.

     

    That said, here are five things advertising agencies must do to attract the best talent: I call it the REACH principle.

     

    1. Reach wallets

    It’s true that it takes more than just money. But it does take money. Beating the market is neither an attractive nor a sustainable practice when it comes to compensation.

     

    Many companies ignore this truth and apply a famine and feast mentality when it comes to compensating creative talent. First under-paying, when the company has the leverage and then over-paying later, in order to attract or keep that talent from being snapped up by eager competition. This breeds suspicion and kills loyalty.

     

    Instead, be relentlessly pro-active in maintaining market parity at every position, with bonuses and incentives for extraordinary results. This creates an environment in which financial resentment is not a motivation for your talent to look for new opportunities.

     

    Desperate competitors may still over-pay. But when talent feels valued, the premium required to convince them to leave gives you an immediate competitive advantage.

     

    2. Reach clarity

    Clearly articulate your vision and then build around it. As a species, we are united by our instinct to create. We want to make things… especially, a difference.

     

    Google’s success is driven by a simple premise – to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. A goal that attracts informs and unifies some of the most original thinking of the last ten years.

     

    Define the change your company wants to make in the world. No matter how local. Nothing attracts like a clearly defined vision of a better future. Being made to feel that one plays a significant role in helping the company achieve its goals enhances performance and builds loyalty.

     

    3. Reach goals

    Measuring progress is one of the keys to harnessing creativity. A study in the Harvard Business Review showed that a sense of progress is the attribute which people value most in their day. Progress can only be measured on a continuum that has a beginning and an end.

     

    Defining the difference you want your business to make provides the latter. The former comes from individual reviews – a subject worthy of its own post. Annual reminders of how far the organization has come are also imperative.

     

    Celebrating the company’s anniversary with a retrospective comparison of where you were a year ago and now stand, is simple and powerful. It helps to reiterate goals and review the course…

     

    4. Reach out

    Be Open. Be Honest. Transparency is the most over-worked word in the English language at the moment. However, this does not make it less essential to attracting and retaining great people. Don’t build walls around you…break barriers and allow others to do too. If you want your people to respect your view points, respect their’s too.

     

    5. Reach hearts

    Say Thank You. The artist in all of us needs to be recognized. So does the human being. And yet most companies are slow to praise. Or even to thank. Thanking your people as often as possible is a small acknowledgement that you take neither their talent nor their choice for granted. Respect their choice to stay with you and chances are that they won’t go anywhere else in a hurry.

     

    These steps require investment – of time – and a little money. Practice them collectively and your company will be irresistible – and invaluable…

     

    Rohit Ohri is the Executive Chairman at Dentsu India Group

     

  • A N Chorrea list why every March is unforgettable and the one this year more so

    5 reasons why March is an unforgettable month

    By A N Chorrea

     

    It’s March 1. In the good old days on Radio Ceylon or Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, we would hear the song ‘Din Hai Suhana Aaj Pehli Tareekh Hai’. I am not much of a radio person now (especially after Radio One turned Hindi and knocked out all its star RJs), but I think I do see an ad with that playing somewhere.

     

    So here are my five reasons why March is an unforgettable month.

     

    1. It’s 30 days and some hours for the year-end. Targets aren’t complete this year. The newspapers say the market’s looking up. But where the sugar are the monies?

    2. It’s the month, when the appraisal process starts in most organisations… chances are it’s already done in the boss’s mind

    3. It’s the month where one needs to make all the tax-saving investments… but where’s the money in the bank?

    4. It’s the month where the kids have their exams. And even if your kids are too small or big or you have none, there are several all around.

    5. It’s the month this year where the Union Budget is going to be announced which is a huge distraction for many big spenders… there are just 31 days in the month and we are losing a few thanks to the holidays (and, yes, Holi too!) and now the Budget too.

     

     

    Here’s wishing you a happy March. Enjoy

     

  • A car wash centre that overhauls the entire car? It's neither interesting nor funny. In fact, it suggests to you that the makeover is totally superficial. And the editing is so sloppy, everything simply flies by.

    Debrief: Mahindra Xylo: Er, what just happened?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The ‘happy feet’ gaadi Xylo has had a makeover of some sort. But because the communication is all muddled, one isn’t sure what really has changed. Is it a fresh coat of paint? Or new doors? Or perhaps they’ve upgraded the floor mats?

     

    The TVC is completely bizarre. Atul Kasbekar, the ace photographer, is back with his leggy models. This time as they drive around in the Xylo, a bird drops crap on the wind screen, leaving our leggy models pretty aghast. The chivalrous Kasbekar takes the dirty Xylo to an automated car wash (do we have those in India?). The magical car wash doesn’t just clean the Xylo, it ‘redoes’ the entire car. It changes the doors, provides a new shade and perhaps overhauls the engine too. Wow! The very impressed leggy models then fondle the car’s exteriors, though I am sure Kasbekar would have wished they did that to his interiors. (Okay, just kidding!)

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ8YMz33h0U[/youtube]

    It’s a disaster, really. A car wash centre that overhauls the entire car? It’s neither interesting nor funny. In fact, it suggests to you that the makeover is totally superficial. And the editing is so sloppy, everything simply flies by, nothing registers, you can’t really tell what exactly has changed out here. Gets worse. The confusion is further compounded as the leggy models and Mr Kasbekar fight for your attention. In the end, you are left with nothing. To be honest, after many exposures I didn’t know what hit me.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1. A good lesson on how to screw up communication.

     

  • Efficiency in cost, customization and communication to a cross-section of demographics are just some reasons why radio activations are necessary, feels Ashit Kukian

    5 reasons why activation is a must-have extn on radio

    By Ashit Kukian

     

    #1 360-degree:

    No campaign is complete without engaging with the potential consumer. Radio activations are an efficient way to blend ATL/BTL communications through a common medium and, therefore, a proposition that is must-do.

     

    #2 Efficiency in cost:

    It is not as much about the investment, but what the investment is getting for you. If the critical differentiator is the cost, there are vendors who can operate at significantly less investment. However, the sheer reach of Radio, when coupled with an exciting on-ground activation, would get massive attention and therefore give an efficient cost per contact.

     

    #3 Customization:

    Radio offers customized brand solutions that can easily be adapted, scaled and executed. The amount of customization offered is far superior to that of any other medium. The cross-section of touchpoints that a brand can have makes radio activations attractive.

     

    #4 Whoever, wherever:

    Radio talks to a diverse set of listeners and can communicate to a cross section of demographics of people. This, in turn, enables almost any brand to engage with their target group.

     

    #5 Better acceptance of brands:

    The passion quotient of interaction of consumer with brands is higher on radio as the medium connects with its listeners at a far more emotional level than other mediums.

     

    Ashit Kukian is the Chief Operating Officer of Radio City.

  • In Freaking News, which will now appear every Tuesday and Friday, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    Freaking News: Mamata Banerjee, media’s favourite whipping girl

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    This was an unexpected find: I had assumed (and from past experience) that the Hindustan Times would be strongest in local coverage amongst the national dailies in the national capital, given that New Delhi is (or was) its stronghold. But while HT does score on nitty-gritty local happenings, its biggest rival, The Times of India, is still going strong as far as blanket coverage of all news is concerned.

     

    This should be troubling for Hindustan Times because although it has the advantages of first choice as far as old-timers are concerned and its long history with the capital, its rival appears to be hitting where it hurts the most – with content. TOI and HT have been running neck and neck in Delhi for years, with both claiming ownership of the city at different times but conventional wisdom usually gave HT the edge. Now, I wonder.

     

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    James Murdoch has had to step down from the chairmanship of News International UK and is now being called a “shadow man with no role in the empire” (Sydney Morning Herald). This is of course the outcome of the phone-hacking scandal involving not just the defunct News of the World but other titles in the Murdoch stable of newspapers. Whether Junior’s moving aside is going to change company policy is another matter. Just as paid news and Medianet and its variations remain giant ogres for the Indian media to deal with, the dodgy practices of News Corp’s newspapers and journalists are the core problems. Removing James may not therefore be enough. As we have seen over the past year, the connections between the Murdoch empire and subsequent governments in the UK run deep and the favour system appears to have corrupted everyone, even the once highly-admired Scotland Yard.

     

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    The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal finds itself under greater media scrutiny with every passing day. The tendency of the chief minister to blame every event on the previous Left government and turn every criticism into a conspiracy theory has only made matters worse. Perhaps she needs some better media advisers and spin doctors? Right now, she’s the media’s favourite whipping boy (girl) and unfortunately for her, she, her ministers and her party only make matters worse every time they open their mouths!

     

  • All those affected have tried to pick up the pieces, and are attempting to re-build their lives. As far as the process of criminal justice goes, that's already in the courts. Which is why I failed to understand the media's desperation to re-live 2002.

    Anil Thakraney: Media ODed on the Gujarat riots

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The whole of this week the media has been going ballistic on the 10th anniversary of the Gujarat riots. Almost as if each media brand competed with another on who can paint a gorier picture. As a result, a whole lot of skeletons tumbled out of ‘secular’ India’s cupboard and many unhealed wounds got exposed all over again. We have to wonder if this carpet coverage of the riots was such a good idea after all.

     

    I suppose the greatest human tragedy of all time must be the one that happened after the nation’s partition. A million people died and many more were displaced. But because there was no media madness at the time, that catastrophe has been pretty much wiped off from our collective memory. In fact, even the Bombay riots of 1992/93 don’t get much attention any more, again because there was no media madness at the time. This has allowed people to get on with their lives. As a generation changes, the Mumbai riots will also be a closed chapter.

     

    But the Gujarat riots happened in full glare of the media, so there is plenty of pictorial and written matter to fall back on. And this is where I think our media needed to exercise restraint. Because while the intentions may have been noble, nothing good can come from re-exposing deep injuries.

     

    So we re-lived the rapes, the burnings, the lootings, the killings… we were given a ball-by-ball replay and not just highlights, to use a cricketing metaphor. For the sake of the nation, I sincerely hope that the negative emotions didn’t get re-ignited all over again. All those affected have tried to pick up the pieces, and are attempting to re-build their lives. As far as the process of criminal justice goes, that’s already in the courts. Which is why I failed to understand the media’s desperation to re-live 2002.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDpwoRlPiKk[/youtube]

    Bottom-line: The Indian media, particularly the news channels, learnt some hard lessons post the 26/11 goof ups, on how terror attacks need to be covered. It’s time some amount of introspection is also done on how anniversaries of riots and terror need to be remembered.

     

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    PS: Yes, not all stars appear on the screen. A touching and extraordinary idea from Diet Coke. This is one international commercial that can so easily be replicated for Bollywood. What are they waiting for?

     

     

     

  • Newspapers, magazines and TV channels accepting money to write good things about political candidates changes the goal posts.

    Anil Thakraney: News for sale

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Very recently, a publisher friend called to seek advice. And his question threw me off-balance. Because not only was the query alarming, I frankly had no ready answers. So I copped out, and left it all to his judgment. The question: “A few assembly election candidates have approached us, asking for favourable coverage. They are offering large sums of money in return. What should I do?”

     

    Since I knew that this particular friend was bleeding and needed some funding desperately, I simply replied with: “Man, it’s really up to you. If you are here to uphold the high standards of journalism, ask them to go fly a kite. But if you rationalize the situation in your mind, and conclude that if you refuse the offer and your rivals would lap it up, then you will be the only loser. In which case, go for it!”

     

    Quite honestly, I have no idea what the publisher eventually did. But speaking from a larger perspective, it’s becoming increasingly clear that paid news is here, and it’s here to stay. There was a time when elections would excite only the political class, as that would mean big moolah gains for the winners. These days, along with them, a section of the media feels ecstatic. For the same reasons.

     

    Corruption in the media isn’t really new. In the past, some journalists would accept alarm clocks and booze bottles from financial companies, and then write sweet words about their public issues. Now, of course, you can get your private party pics flashed in the Page 3 pages if you are ready to pick up the tab. We’ve learnt to live with these malpractices. But newspapers, magazines and TV channels accepting money to write good things about political candidates changes the goal posts. It’s clearly harmful to the nation’s future.

     

    So is there a way out of this mess? I am afraid not. During the 2009 general elections, a few cheating media brands got exposed. Maybe we’ll hear of more culprits after the recent assembly elections in some parts ofIndia. But soon everything will be forgotten. And it will be business as usual.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjYxE2VD7VE[/youtube]

    Yes, it pays to be in the media biz in modern times. If you won’t get support from advertisers, you can always tap into alternative revenue sources.

     

    Jai Hind!

     

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    PS: The context of the Fiat 500 Abarth ad is different, but this commercial is the kind of stuff Tata Nano ought to have done. A car you can take inside your home. Super positioning for a little gaadi. So much better than pitching it as the broke bugger’s vehicle.