MxMIndia

Category: ETC

  • Asheesh Chatterjee, CFO, 92.7 Big FM is positive about Phase III of FM radio licensing and the new spectrum being freed

    Jaldi 5 with Asheesh Chatterjee: FM will grow five times

    Asheesh Chatterjee, CFO, 92.7 Big FM is positive about Phase III of FM radio licensing and the new spectrum being freed. MxM India caught up with him recently to talk about the FM industry, pre- and post-Phase III.

     

    01. With Phase III coming into play, do you think that the issues such as royalty, taxes etc that the FM industry has been struggling with, will be sorted?

    I am very optimistic. If you look at the efforts the government has taken towards digitization, the intent is to have a consensus and resolve the issues and make the industry grow. Most of these issues have been identified, and yes, there will be solutions. The phase III guideline itself solves many issues. We tend to look at the glass as half-empty, why not look at it as half-full? There were many things which have been addressed, and some which need to be addressed which I am confident will happen soon.

     

    02. Does the current RAM measure the listenership of FM radio appropriately?

    Ratings and measurement requires investment. So once you have strong players with a pan-India footprint, they will have the necessary revenues for the investments to make these measurements appropriate.

     

    Yes, today the measurement is restricted to the top markets, and this is set to expand. You do not need daily or weekly measurement to tell you that radio reaches where literacy has not reached yet or where, because of electricity problems, TV does not work. It is enjoyed as a passive medium, even while you are working. Radio does not really have a prime-time at all. So research will capture all this and much more. I am sure with phase III, and stronger players, there will be sweeps that will be done to bring out the statistics.

     

    03. Prashant Panday of Radio Mirchi recently said that FM radio will have strong competition from internet radio. Do you agree?

    Digital is one of the areas, which by no means implies that FM radio has little future. FM radio is itself going to grow five times from its current numbers. There is immense future in FM radio. And also, yes, digital radio with its uniqueness to be able to search, social networking, and customize, will offer another product. FM players who have the understanding of the audience, as well as content, will be able to monetize internet radio better than anybody else. However, if you are going to make it a paid service, there are not going to be many takers for it.

     

    04. Phase III: Challenge or opportunity for FM radio industry?

    I see only opportunity: to make good use of the spectrum that will be freed after the Phase III auction happens, and to execute on product innovation and product differentiation to make a profitable business model for all stakeholders, whether it is the advertisers who will look at this medium for its cost-effectiveness or listeners who will look at it as a passive medium for enrichment and entertainment, and us as radio operators who like to reward both investors and employees. It is going to be a work-work solution for everybody. The opportunity is right there at the section point and we need to execute it to the plan.

     

    05. Are advertisers taking this medium more seriously in their traditional media mix?

    Advertisers have always taken this medium seriously. Nobody buys you cheap, you sell cheap. The fractured spectrum that some us have had, because we are there in two towns in Gujarat, does not mean that no advertiser can do a Gujarat-plan with you. So those are the problems that will go away, and you will have the spectrum to reach the targeted region or TG. I think once that gets corrected, advertisers will start using FM as the primary medium.

     

    As told to Ananya Saha

     

  • Times Internet has launched its interest-based network, itimes.com which is live with over 5000 interests. We spoke to Archana Vohra, Vice President, Times Internet to get more details

    Jaldi 5 with Archana Vohra: itimes is philosophically different

    01. How will the property be marketed?

    We are excited about the launch and right now want to learn how our users are interacting with the new product. Once we get a better understanding we will think about how to grow the audience base.

     

    02. FB Groups/Yahoo Groups also offers same proposition. How do you plan to make it tick?

    The new Itimes.com is philosophically different from Facebook groups and Yahoo groups.

     

    03. Is it invitation-only?

    Itimes.com is a open interest network where anyone can create and share interests. It’s not invite or friends led hence relationships are based purely on content.

     

    04. How scalable is the property?

    From a business model perspective, the focus is engagement and not monetization currently. On the application side, we are scalable to manage large volumes of data and interactions.

     

    05. What are the challenges that this proposition might face in India?

    Right now we’re trying to build something that gives users a new way to engage with things they care about. So our real challenge is to see if we can develop an experience that makes that happen.

     

    As told to Ananya Saha

     

  • Mayank Shah, Group Product Manager, Parle Products tells MxMIndia about using digital as a core medium

    Jaldi 5 with Mayank Shah: ‘When you use digital, it becomes participative’

    Parle-G recently launched its recent campaign on the digital medium in two phases, Teaser and Launch Phase. In first phase the company released three teaser videos on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter on 30th December, 2012. Along with this they also ran a contest on Twitter with the hashtag #Ifiwereaparent.

     

    In the second phase, the new TVC “Roko Mat Toko Mat” was launched online and went on-air recently. The new concept revolves around “Aao Banaye Kal Ke Genius”. MxM India spoke to Mayank Shah, Group Product Manager, Parle Products for more insights into using digital as a core medium.

     

    01. Why did Parle G choose to employ digital so extensively?

    The importance of digital medium is increasing. However, if you look at the penetration and reach of digital media, it has not reached the level where FMCG brands can actually think about using it. Honestly, if I was doing a regular campaign I would not have thought of using this medium. We used it because this is not a regular campaign. It is more like a movement we are talking about. we are talking to parents and bringing a change in mindset is what we are talking about. The campaign is more participative or interactive rather than a one-way communication where brand talks to the consumer. When that is the idea, the medium becomes very important. Here we are talking about providing an interactive and participative platform to our consumer to come together to own a philosophy and a movement that is about allowing kids to do what they want, nurturing their creativity.

     

    This is why we have launched our campaign through digital.

     

    02. Has Parle G used digital medium before for its campaign for a participative and interactive communication?

    Not so extensively. It was huge but not as extensive as this campaign.

     

    03. Would you say that measuring effectiveness of digital is easier compared to other media?

    It is far easier to measure effectiveness of digital medium used than mass medium. Integral mass mediums, the only surrogate you can use are after-sales recall or those kind of things. However, when you use digital, it becomes participative. You do not only use digital to propagate your message but also asking consumer to interact with you. You can see how many people are coming in and talking to measure the success of the campaign.

     

    04. For this campaign, what will be the communication strategy?

    We have broken our campaign with digital. And then a 360-degree campaign including outdoors in 12 cities across India. As I said, we broke the campaign with digital since this is not a regular campaign. In fact to drive crowd towards digital, we used other media such as outdoor.

     

    a What is the pie that digital commands in this 360-degree campaign?

    It would be roughly around 10 percent.

     

    05. Would you focus on brining out digital campaigns more often to engage and interact?

    There is no doubt that the importance of digital is going to increase. However, it might take some time before we look at it as a standalone platform. Today, FMCG and mass-goods manufacturers look at digital as a good supportive medium rather than the principal medium. We launched our campaign on digital, and used it in the first phase as principal medium only because the campaign was participative in nature.

     

    As told to Ananya Saha

     

  • Alok Sanwal, the CEO and Editor at Jagran Prakashan Ltd, discusses the i-next journey and the way ahead

    Jaldi 5 with Alok Sanwal: There’s much acceptance of i-next now

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    Alok Sanwal, the CEO and Editor at Jagran Prakashan Ltd has been spearheading a publication that has been targeting youth in mini-metros. For i-next, the journey has been that of discovering a new niche all together with immense potential. Mr Sanwal discusses the journey taken and the way ahead.

     

    01. How do you see i-next positioned among number of titles and how has it evolved over the years?

    We are very specific in targeting our audience and have a demographically, geographically defined TG of 15-35 age group from mini metros lying in the upper middle socio-economic strata. This has somewhat ensured that there is only sporadic congruence of audience for i-next and other titles in the region. The narrowly defined TG of i-next gives it a chunk of unique and loyal readers. We are comfortably placed both in terms of numbers and revenues. Over the years, our biggest strength has been to know our limitations. As a compact daily, the space crunch is always there; coupled with the fact that it is still a very nascent brand, i-next’s unique, youthful imagery remains our key asset. Our evolution has been firmer, clearer and we are far more focused on our core brand promise and are now more in line with the changing youth sensibilities.

     

    02. It’s been doing well so far… so why the revamp?

    Firstly, a lot has changed around us in the past 5-6 years. When i-next was launched in 2006, the social networking scenario was not a hot cake. Orkut was an infant. My Space was there, but nobody really heard about it. But soon everyone was ‘Facebooked’ and ‘Twittered’. In 2009, we got a survey through IMRB for insights into launching a website for the newspaper and we realized that even in tier 2 metros the digital era was on. Besides social media networking, youth today use it for all sort of things like iTunes, mp3 players, games apps and product & services purchases. The digital era had stuck which is now in its prime. The changes had to be incorporated to address the digital dimension of youth. For example, a page specially dedicated to youth gadgets (‘tech it easy’) has been added to i-next.

     

    The second trigger was an urgent necessity for an extremely clean design with lot of white space. i-next now has a new aerodynamic logo, which reflects the dynamism and energy of youth and a new masthead. The paper design was digitally synchronized. The changed folio has picked up page links of web pages and tweets are shared in widget form. A lot of re-alignment of fonts was also done to make the Hindi English text integration more seamless.

     

    03. Going ahead, what should we expect from i-next in terms of content, circulation and marketing?

    We have always strived to achieve international standards of excellence across every department. Dailies like Le Monde and Gazetta inspire us to set new industry benchmarks. i-next has a very focussed content branding and all our subsequent product extensions will centre around the unique brand core that i next has. Content shall continue to be more interactive, more engaging. Our editorial colleagues are trained to be more of curators of the news rather than the editors, thus channelizing better, the depth and breadth of the news pool. In circulation, new initiatives will be taken, many of them industry first. New reader loyalty schemes shall be floated soon, working on our clearly defined TG. More emphasis shall be laid on brand positioning and bigger activations modules shall be worked out and at least 3-4 big ticket activations shall run throughout the year, some of which, in these markets, have already become more or less synonymous with i next.

     

    04. What has been the response of advertisers to the improved i-next?

    The response from advertisers has been extremely encouraging. Everybody likes it and clients are specifically asking for i-next from amongst all other group publications from Jagran. Last year too was very good and we have grown by 52 percent in advertising revenue in the cities having i-next editions. There is a much greater acceptance of the product now and for majority of local clients i-next is part of their core print media vehicles.

     

    05. Can you talk of two initiatives that did well for i-next last year and which you want to take forward this year?

    Basically we are in entertainment and information arena. Last year we had witnessed a very successful launch of inextlive.com, the digital arm of i-next through iktara, a unique online folk singing contest. The enthusiasm shown by the audience has encouraged us to come up with it season-2, slated for later this year. In education, we organized a mega engineering aptitude seminar in association with one of the leading technical universities of India. It was a major success for us both in terms of revenues, as well as brand positioning. We are already looking for more such initiatives in future.

     

  • Has Airtel reached saturation with its 'Tera Mera' campaign? Bharti Airtel Limited's Arun Sharma tells MxMIndia all about it

    Jaldi 5 with Arun Sharma: Friendship will never be boring

    While Airtel has been making the right noise with its ‘Jo Tera Hai, Woh Mera Hai’ campaign, is it moving towards saturation? Arun Sharma, Vice President Marketing, Head Media & Rural at Bharti Airtel Limited, speaks to MxMIndia about this and other issues.

     

    01. Is the ‘Jo Tera Hai, Wo Mera Hai’ not reaching a point of saturation, though it remains the clutter-breaking communication from Airtel?

    No, I do not think so. The whole campaign is only a few months old. The campaign is around the theme of friendship and there are different renditions of it. So when ‘Har friend zaroori hai’ campaign was ongoing, we actually cut it short even when it was early to do that. The ‘friendship’ theme will remain, but every year or so we will bring out new renditions so that there is no boredom.

     

    02. Digital’s role in the media pie for Airtel is increasing. How is it leading to innovation in advertising on this medium?

    Digital and creativity or innovation are synonymous for me. I do not see any difference. Digital, however, is not a linear medium; people have the control of skipping your ad at any point of time. Hence, creative is very inherent to this medium. The medium, with technology seeping in, allows you to do so many things, which is not the case with so many other media. Attention span here is less when compared to others such as outdoor or television.

     

    03. Digital ROI: Much appreciated yet criticized. What do you think?

    ROI is getting measured. We are in the eCommerce platform and can actually track our ROI to the last decimal. But it so happens that the more the data is re-routable, the more you want. More questions are raised when there is data. In terms of outdoor, there is no data but no questions are raised. I believe the problem is the part of the solution and vice versa.

     

    04. Which is showing more digital growth penetration: Rural or Urban?

    Rural.

     

    05. Going forward, what can be expected from Airtel on the digital platform?

    It’s too early to say. But whatever we do, it will be core to the brand idea and it will be available to those audiences. What we do has to be relevant to their language, to their needs and for the devices they have. For instance, in rural areas we cannot create communication on smartphones because there the device penetration is different.

     

    As told to Ananya Saha

     

  • LV Krishnan, CEO, TAM India, on digitization and its lessons for broadcasters and advertisers

    Jaldi 5 with L V Krishnan: Core viewers of genres is up

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Digitization is having multiple ramifications for all stakeholders: MSOs, LCOs, broadcasters and advertisers. On the sidelines of the ‘Digitization Begins’ conference convened by afaqs.com, MxMIndia spoke to LV Krishnan, CEO, TAM India to get upclose to the real picture after mandatory digitization was implemented in the three metros.

     

    01. What can broadcasters learn post DAS, given that the two metros (Delhi and Mumbai) have shown differential changes towards genre preference?

    There are two aspects to it. One, distribution is bringing order in the chaos post-DAS, where channels are getting in two metros. In a way, order that you now see will be much more systemised order and consist of core audience wanting to watch that genre than the trespass audience. This will go the long way in Phase II. The learning of Phase I is good enough to say what the next step should be. Step one is marketing: tell the consumers what the channel has and come and watch it. The second step would be much stronger content of engagement.

     

    02. So, do we have any surprises post-DAS?

    Overall, the core viewers of the genres have gone up. However, the overall reach of mass channels has gone down. Engagement levels have marginally increased with the genre and strong properties that are marketed are getting the audience. The core audience is still sticking to the preferred genre; it is the trespassing audience that are no longer accessing it. The broadcasters can create strong properties and communicate those properties to the audience so that the audience becomes loyal.

     

    03. How do you see the audience trend of Delhi and Mumbai replicating in other cities?

    Rollout of digitization will exhibit same phenomena in other markets as well. But the difference will be those markets already have strong penetration of digitization, eg MP and Gujarat. In metro markets, we see 50 percent penetration so such cities will see much smoother rollout of digitization than a Delhi or Mumbai.

     

    04. Many channels are claiming a spike in viewership. Have things shaken up much with digitization?

    These are the initial stages of digitization. The channels have worked hard to get their communication across to the audiences and have created better content and engagement.

     

    05. What is in it for the advertiser in the post-DAS scenario?

    They are getting targeted with audiences getting skewed to genres. Therefore, they can target their advertising more efficiently unlike the pre-DAS scenario. Secondly, geography is becoming clearer, especially for niche genre. Communication will be much easier in the digital era.

     

  • BCCC Chairperson Justice (Retd) AP Shah tells MxMIndia about the complaints that the broadcast authority receives, and what is being done about them

    Jaldi 5 with BCCC chief AP Shah: Unedited foreign programmes lead to more complaints

    By Ananya Saha

     

    The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council received 8,628 complaints and suggestions as of November 30, 2012. Should it be a cause for concern? Should the industry focus more on self-regulation? MxM India spoke to BCCC Chairperson Justice (Retd) AP Shah about the issue.

     

    1. What kind of role does BCCC play in the regulation of the broadcast medium?

    We have to strike a balance between preserving free speech and expression on the one hand, and on the other see that the guidelines and advisories are followed.

     

    2. What are the major complaints or suggestions that BCCC gets?

    Broadly 47 percent of complaints are on sex, vulgarity and nudity. Some 30-40 percent pertain to harm and violence. Others are related to religion or are general complaints. I think the complaints have increased due to increase in import of foreign programmes, which are telecast unedited.

     

    3. What is the advisory you issue on ‘unedited’ programmes?

    Some are asked to go off-air, or some episode is asked to be pulled. Or be put in night slot, which is the restricted slot of 11 pm to 5 am. Or we ask them to modify the content. The good thing is that when it comes to self-regulation, we have had 100 percent compliance from the channels.

     

    4. What about content on regional entertainment channels?

    Yes, there are concerns in regards to regional channels. We receive a large number of complaints from South but since we do not know the language it becomes a problem. We get complaints in language programmes such as Kannada, Telugu, Tamil; not so much in Malayalam though. We need to have a BCCC person in South India who understands the languages.

     

    5. Does MIB interfere with BCCC’s advisories?

    No. There are times when the ministry refers a complaint to us. But the ministry has not interfered with our work. We have fairly succeeded in implementing the guidelines.

     

  • Interbrand's Ashish Mishra tells MxMIndia about the agency's strategy for the Indian market and what one can expect from it in the near future

    Jaldi 5 with Ashish Mishra: ‘Great deal of confusion in brand consultancy sector’

    By Johnson Napier

     

    Having flagged off its operations in India, brand consultancy firm Interbrand will be aiming at living up to its global reputation of being the only integrated brand services offering that completes the loop of creating, managing and evaluating brands.

     

    Ashish Mishra, Managing Director, Interbrand India responds to queries by MxMIndia on the agency’s strategy for the Indian market and what one can expect from it in the near future.

     

    01. It’s been almost a year since Interbrand had announced its launch in India through acquisition of Water. You waited almost a year to kick off operations in India? Why the delay?

    Interbrand as world’s leading brand consultancy is very particular who represents the Brand Interbrand. Yes, like we advise our clients, unless we are sure of being completely aligned to the Brand internally, we do not encourage our representation. With an intent of migrating Water to Interbrand, we undertook the course of imbibing the Interbrand way. Of thinking, doing and behaving. The interesting part was that the unlearning turned out to be a bigger challenge than learning!

     

    a What does the Interbrand team in India look like?

    We have attempted to build our team as well as our clientele on the lines of ‘big & few’. So

     

    the lean team has very senior people from diverse backgrounds as­ Business & Brand Strategists, ex marketing heads from some of the top Indian corporates, arguably some of the best design talents in the market, architects, pop culture experts, financial analysts, etc. That’s how the Interbrand India team looks like.

     

    02. Though yours would be a pan-India approach, what would be the initial priority markets that Interbrand would be focusing on in India?

    We are geography neutral. Our business priority is around the nature of work. We would like us to do most upstream work in the area of Branding as we establish Interbrand in India. We are known for our strategic rigor and especially for the concept of Brand Value that we have pioneered in the world. We would like to do assignments that bring alive our positioning ­that of creating & managing brand value.

     

    a How have clients taken to your offerings in India? Would you be doling out services across categories in India?

    Interbrand has tremendous reputation in every market around the world. We were the first global brand consultancy and we are world’s leading brand consulting firm today as well. We are also uniquely placed as the only integrated brand services offering that completes the loop of creating, managing and evaluating brands. Our entire suite of brand services are on offer in India as well.

     

    03. While Mahindra is a global client, what would be your approach towards local clients who’re looking to go global in approach?

    One of the clear agendas we have set for ourselves is to partner the Best Indian Brands and help them become serious contenders for becoming Best Global Brands. Having done Brand Valuation for TATA, Re Branding, Valuation & Engagement for Godrej, we have a rich history already to build on around this agenda.

     

    04. In a market that’s stayed flat in a tough economic year, do you see clients increasingly opting for redesigning/branding exercises going forward?

    The tougher the market, the higher the relevance for Branding. Simply because, best brands enable strategic focus, synergy and efficiencies. Very clearly, good branding doesn’t just create long term brand value but immediate business value.

     

    05. How will you leverage intra-group expertise to for Interbrand’s growth in India? And what do you foresee for the brand consultancy sector in India?

    We are fortunate to have the benefit of all the Omnicom Group companies in India. DDB Mudra is a tremendous local network and is always a great option for the communication and implementation aspects during the expression part of branding value chain.

     

    It is still a nascent industry with great deal of confusion. Almost all agents and departments consider themselves to be brand custodians, while the true understanding of brand creation and management evades most. Marketing, advertising, marketing services, creative productions…almost everyone talks of brands on a superficial basis. I believe some good demonstrations of brand & business value creation will prove to be educative. We are on a growth path as an economy and globalization imperatives will be a key driver of branding in India. The tone once set would create both an aspiration as well as a competitive compulsion for the rest to emulate.

     

  • Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, Big 92.7 FM speaks to MxMIndia about the station's remarkable growth in Delhi and other markets

    Jaldi 5 with Ashwin Padmanabhan: Going retro for differentiation

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Over the past 12 months, 92.7 Big FM has seen a phenomenal growth in the Delhi market with the average share growing to 11.3 from an average share of about 6. Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head, Big 92.7 FM speaks to MxM India about the station’s remarkable growth in Delhi, and other markets.

     

    01. What has contributed to this growth?

     

    Late last year we did studies and research to understand the unique and mass position of Big FM in Delhi. And with this research we decided to go retro. We took a clear-cut and distinct positioning of a retro music station with ‘Hit The, Hit Rahenge’. Within eight weeks of changing our music positioning along with a new RJ line-up that was more mature and new local shows, we saw a trend of increasing listernership. So, sampling started happening. In the 52nd week, we started averaging to 11.2 points from the previous 6. It tipped in second week of 2013, when three FM stations in Delhi stopped airing for a week. It became a two-horse race between Fever and us. What is heartening for us, we tipped Fever, which has been leading in Delhi, in this week. Our share went upto 33 percent in that week.

     

    02. Is Delhi witnessing faster growth than other markets where Big 92.7 is present?

    We have grown across markets. As per the Q2 and Q3 IRS figures, we have seen significant growth and continue to be leaders in Hindi-speaking markets. We have actually grown further from last quarter to this quarter. In Bengaluru, we have been growing and are a strong No.2. We did see a dip about an year back, and we have clawed back since then. We have been a very strong No.2 in Kolkata but now, our big shows like Breakfast Show are consistently No.1 in Kolkata. In Hyderabad, we have traditionally been strong, so we are maintaining that. In Chennai, we are witnessing quarter-on-quarter growth. According to IRS and the last round of RAM that happened in Chennai, we came at No.3.

     

    We have seen overall growth happening across our markets.

     

    03. Has the growth resulted in higher ad revenues?

    The growth has resulted in the brand becoming more visible and audible, and top-of-mind for our potential advertisers. We are seeing a larger offtake from advertisers. A lot of this is also being driven from smaller markets where SMEs and large brands from Tier II markets are taking to our network in a big way. Many of them are actually using our network to launch their products.

     

    Have the ad rates increased?

    We have been looking at increasing. At this point in time, we have been able to maintain our ad rates. But we are surely looking at increasing yields 15-20 percent depending on the market.

     

    04. Do on-ground or off-air and on-ground marketing initiatives help an on-air brand?

    When we lauched and introduced Retro in Delhi, we initially just allowed the people to sample our station for good three months. Then we did our first campaign in Delhi – Mohabatien, which was to promote our 11am-2pm show. Then we did the concert with Kailash Kher. And then on, it has been primarily driven by content that we have been creating on-air. Our marketing has been from weekly street-level perspective when we have tried to reach our listeners and tried to acquire new listeners through street-level activations that we do on weekly basis.

     

    There has been a lot of consumer engagement on-ground. It has been sampling and activation-based marketing rather than marketing in the pure sense.

     

    05. What can we expect from 92.7 FM in the coming months?

    We have Retro positioning in four stations: Indore, Delhi, Bhopal and Surat. We are looking at engaging with consumer at 2-3 levels in this market. We are creating platform for consumers to come on and express themselves. In Indore and Bhopal, we have just finished this initiative called Big Hindustani.

     

    In Delhi, we are looking at series of concerts – Hit The, Hit Rahenge that we’ll do every quarter. It will be Retro music celebrated by today’s musicians and singers. We are also launching talent hunt across our network in March – Big Star Voice. The big gratification being – a chance to sing for a movie. There are going to be local activations that will happen in each of these markets, which will be driven by the positioning of our station in those markets.

     

    We invest, and will continue to invest in differentiated content.

     

    Is Big 92.7 FM looking at internet radio?

    At this point, obviously everyone is looking at internet radio. But we need more time in terms of clarity on music licensing policies on internet. Hopefully, when we get that clarity, we will surely look at it.

     

  • In the dizzying world of celebrity management, Mates CEO Darshana Bhalla laments the lack of data and research

    Jaldi 5 with Darshana Bhalla: Talent management needs recognition

    By A Correspondent

     

    Maintaining stardom for new-age celebrities is no longer confined to getting roles and films. The growth of advertising and alternative means have expanded the horizon from endorsements to appearances to event participation and many more. The emergence of media agencies, such as Mates, specialized in handling the 360-degree portfolio of celebrities, has added a corporate angle to this business. Darshana Bhalla, CEO, Mates, talks to MxM India about her agency and the industry.

     

    01. Is India an evolved market for your agency?

    India is not a very evolved market. The strategies are substitutable. However, if the agency and talent focus on developing strategies of building revenues for their talent, vis-a-vis transacting them, I think this can grow into a much bigger place.

     

    02. How has Mates been growing?

    Mates was established about eight years ago when Madison and Teamwork came together. Today we are seeing higher growth than industry numbers year-on-year.

     

    03. What makes your agency tick?

    We have better understanding of our clients, including advertisers and celebrities only because of the pedigree we come from. We are an advertising agency first, and everything else later. So it is in our DNA to understand the clients-need before we actually provide solutions to them. We provide solutions, and do not push our commercials.

     

    Five years down the line, we see ourselves being able to provide much larger value to our clients, which includes advertisers as well as our talent. We will be hopefully be able to create methodologies and research formats that will also aid the industry.

     

    04. Working with stars and celebrities: Is it as glamorous as it sounds?

    The glamour quotient with any individual who is working in this industry will last for a month. Post that it is not about glamour, it is always about value and service. As we talk, each one is representing a very vulnerable brand in the country – celebrities. Effort and thinking that goes behind each of them, overtakes the glamour preference that you have when you are entering the industry.

     

    05. What are your concerns about this industry?

    Mates is a mid-sized agency. Finding and managing talent is always a concern. I always feel that mould people into this. But I am hoping, with time to come we will have domain experts in this industry.

     

    Other than this, whether it is celebrity or film business, there are hardly any research methodologies and data or papers available to analyze the decision taken in this area. It’s time the advertising industry starts recognising that this is an important part of advertising. If you look at the top 100 brands, my assumption is that top 25-30 brands at any given point in time will have celebrities. If that’s the kind of momentum that this entire format of advertising to get brand ambassadors, then there should be recognition for it in industry forums. Currently, there is no recognition for it. There are no mentions or analysis related to this industry.

     

  • Amit Nair, Business Head, Zee Khana Khazana, outlines plans for the cookery show with a difference

    Jaldi 5 with Amit Nair: Khana Khazana should do well with digitization

    Indians love food. Yes, it is a fact and Khana Khazana is a proof of that. In the early 1990s what started as a show with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor as host and in 2010 turned into a full-fledged channel just certifies it. India’s first-ever food channel is all set for re-branding and give its viewers better and new shows to look forward to. MxMIndia’s MEGHNA SHARMA quizzed the channel’s business head, Amit Nair, to get a taste of channel’s strategy. 

     

    1.After the new and refreshed content, what can the audiences expect from the channel?

    The content strategy is very info-entertainment oriented. All our shows are very chatty, conversational and interactive unlike regular cookery shows. We are delighted to announce the start of four new shows on air all back by research and by understanding the pulse of women by interacting with them extensively. These our shows are Food Ka Mood, Bacha party, Breakfast express and Ab Har Koi Chef. Each of them have been designed with specific needs in mind. In the coming months we plan to launch a lot of new shows that will also target a broader TG. There will be more travel + food related to reality shows and will dish out more theme based or concept driven shows every quarter keeping our TG in mind.

     

    2. So how has been the ride so far?

    Khana Khazana has always been synonymous with great food experiences and has a unique place in the heart of homemakers and cooking enthusiasts. Hence, since our evolvement to a 24-hour food channel the response has been very heartening.

     

    3.Is there enough audience for a food channel in India? Where do you see the genre in the next few years?

    Food as an offering on television has been growing since the days of Khana Khazana. GECs had cookery shows, then we started having food shows within the regional space. Subsequently even news channels got into it and on the GEC front it evolved from instructional cooking to food reality. With dedicated food bands on lifestyle channels the time was ripe for a dedicated food channel and Zee was the first to do so. In mature television markets, there are 3 -4 dedicated food channels so we are very bullish about this genre. With digitization and greater monetization, specialized offerings like food are expected to do very well.

     

    4.But given the limited viewership, do niche channels like yours see enough advertisers?

    While our core target audience is female, we have seen enough and more men venturing into the kitchen to try out recipes that are different from the norm. So while we may have FMCG and durables as main advertisers there is a lot of interest from home and lifestyle related brands to advertise.

     

    5. With competition growing, what is the marketing strategy of the channel?

    We will be closely working with our DTH/cable partners to increase interactions with consumers. Focus predominantly will be on digital and activations and build close viewer connect.

     

  • Competition is as fierce as the matches on our TV screens, and it is an exciting time, Nimbus Sports' COO Sunil Manocha tells MxMIndia

    Jaldi 5 with Sunil Manocha: Aggressive expansion is the motto

    By Johnson Napier

     

    Sunil Manocha, who has been responsible for Sales, Business Development, Television Production, Rights Distribution and Sponsor Servicing at Nimbus Sports for over two decades, has taken charge as Chief Operating Officer. Mr Manocha replaces Yannick Colaco who has moved on to join NBA India as its MD.

     

    Post his elevation, Mr Manocha speaks to MxMIndia on what would be his priorities in his new position at the company and what viewers can look forward to from the network in 2013-14.

     

    01) What would the new role entail for you at Nimbus Sport?

    Nimbus Sport is looking at aggressive expansion across all key verticals including Event Management, Rights Distribution, Sponsorship Services and TV Production. The immediate focus of the role would include working closely with the team to drive this growth.

     

    02) The past few months have seen the emergence of competitive players in the space who are jostling to provide equally competitive services such as yours. What are your plans to resist competition?

    We are entering a new, exciting era in the sports business. Clients want turnkey solutions from partners who have proven international expertise, yet have an intimate understanding of the local market. Nimbus Sport has built these capabilities with a track record of success, and is a truly integrated sports management firm.

     

    03) What are some of the hot and emerging properties that you would be looking at in 2013?

    At this point in time, marquee events in our kitty are spread across sports, including cricket, golf and hockey. We have Asia Cup, the star-studded multi-nation ODI tournament for Asian cricket teams, lined up in early 2014. In addition, there is the Hero Indian Open, the premier golf championship on the Asian Tour, and World Series Hockey, the world’s first franchise-based hockey league. We have relationships with multiple stakeholders including global sports federations, rights holders, sponsors and broadcasters and are constantly exploring opportunities with them. Watch this space for more.

     

    04) Any immediate changes one could expect at Nimbus Sport – in terms of talent, strategy, etc?

    We will continue to build a strong pool of professional talent as we move ahead with our aggressive expansion plans across verticals. Golf Event Management will be a key focus area and we will soon be making announcements about our new acquisitions in this space.

     

    05) What is the growth you expect your division to throw up for 2013?

    We are looking at robust growth with all the planned activities over the next financial year.