MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Longstanding Chief Operating Officer of Multi Screen Media, N P Singh, has been appointed CEO

    N P Singh is CEO, MSM [updated]

    NP Singh

    By A Correspondent [updated]

    Longstanding Chief Operating Officer of Multi-Screen Media, N P Singh, has been appointed CEO. He moves in to the position held by Man Jit Singh until now.

    An official confirmation on the appointment has now come in. The news was first flashed on MxMIndia earlier today (Jan 3). An announcement to this effect has als0 been made to this effect in the MSM office.

    So here’s the news: Multi-Screen Media Private Limited (MSM), formerly known as SET India Private Limited, has announced that Mr NP Singh, Chief Operating Officer, would take on the mantle of Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. Mr Man Jit Singh, the current Chief Executive Officer of MSM, would return to being the Non-executive Chairman of MSM but would relocate to Los Angeles to assume other responsibilities. In his new role, Mr NP Singh will report to Andy Kaplan, President Worldwide Networks, Sony Pictures Television.

    It may be remembered that Mr Man Jit Singh held the position of non-executive chairman even before he took on the position of interim CEO first and later CEO after the exit of Kunal Dasgupta as CEO. In fact at that time – 2009 to be precise, there were strong rumours that Mr NP Singh would be made CEO given that operationally he had been running the network.

    The flagship channel of the group – Sony Entertainment Television – has a tough run with ratings in the recent past.  In fact from among the various Hindi general entertainment channels, it is ranked sixth. In the last week of 2013 (Week 52), as per unverified TAM ratings, its viewership was 272 million whereas that of Star Plus was 606 million viewers and that of of Colors was 527 million. The channel has had a problem on the distribution front too over a period of time. However, it must be said that Sab, also from the MSM bouquet, has had an excellent run over the years and in Week 52, it’s the #4 Hindi GEC, edging past Life OK.

    Various other channels in the MSM network have also been doing better than before. Sony Pix has had a good run in the last few months and sports channel Sony Six has also been active on tie-ups.

    A Cost Account and a Delhi School of Economics graduate, Mr NP Singh has been with MSM since 15 years and has earlier worked with Spice Telecom, Modicorp, Modi Xerox and Hindustan Copper.

    Here are quotes from the Messrs Man Jit and NP Singh and Mr Kaplan:

    Man Jit Singh said “NP and I have worked closely together as equal partners these last five years and the success of the company is largely due to his efforts. The time has come for him to lead the company to the next level and I fully expect the innovations he brings as CEO will ensure we have years of success ahead. As the Non-executive Chairman of MSM, I look forward to supporting NP and will continue to remain involved with the Indian television industry.”

    Andy Kaplan also expressed strong support for the move. “We have full confidence in NP being able to lead MSM and continue the success of the last five years. NP has been involved in all the decisions that lead to the success of our business and this is a well-deserved recognition of his untiring efforts and of the faith we have in his decision making. I wish him all success in his new role as CEO of MSM. I would also like to thank Man Jit for the huge contribution he has made in growing our business in India and setting it on the path of sustainable future growth.”

    NP Singh commented: “I am delighted by the confidence Man Jit, Andy and the Board have expressed in my abilities to lead MSM. It’s been a wonderful experience and a pleasure working with Man Jit last five years. While much work has been done there is clearly a long road to go before we can fully achieve our vision. I am certain that with our top quality Management Team and our dedicated employees we will achieve new heights of success in near future. I am excited in taking up the new role and look forward to making MSM the most profitable network in the business”

    Meanwhile, it is learnt, that at least one or two more announcements are expected from the MSM stable next week.

     

     

  • He joins DDB Mudra West from McCann where he was ECD. He will report to Sonal Dabral

    McCann’s Rahul Mathew joins DDB Mudra West as Creative Head

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rahul Mathew

    DDB Mudra West has roped in Rahul Mathew as Creative Head. He will lead the agency’s creative output for clients including Future Group, Volkswagen, Johnson & Johnson, Kalpataru, Hindustan Unilever, Union Bank, Marico, Emirates, Gulf Oil, Godrej, Lavasa, Arvind, Adani Group, CenturyPly and Raj Petro among others. Mr Mathew will partner Rajiv Sabnis, President, DDB Mudra Group, West and will work closely with Sonal Dabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra Group, who he will be reporting in to.

     

    Mr Mathew joins DDB Mudra from McCann Erickson where he was Executive Creative Director. With over 15 years of experience, Rahul has worked with Ogilvy, JWT, Leo Burnett, Y&R (in Kuala Lumpur and India).

     

    Commenting on his new role, Mr Mathew said, “Few agencies, the world over, can boast of a creative culture the likes of DDB. And to be appointed a custodian of such a celebrated culture is both exciting and frightening.  But with the talented bunch at the agency, Sonal and I hope to make DDB Mudra West one of the brightest stars in the DDB constellation.”

     

    On the appointment, Sonal Dabral, Chairman & CCO, DDB Mudra Group, said, “I’m very excited to welcome Rahul to the DDB Mudra Group family. I’ve known Rahul for a while now and have followed his career across countries and agencies, seeing him build brands and win multiple awards along the way. A new age creative thinker equally adept at traditional and non traditional media,Rahul is just the talent to lead the creative teams in DDB Mudra West.”

     

    Added Rajiv Sabnis, President, DDB Mudra Group, West: “With Rahul coming on board, our ability to provide creative business solutions to our clients gets a strong fillip.”

     

     

     

  • West Bengal government recognises Star India CEO Uday Shankar for Special Contribution to Bengali Television

    Uday Shankar receives W Bengal govt award

    By A Correspondent

     

    Uday Shankar

    Star India today received the 2014 West Bengal Tele Academy Award for significant contribution to Bengali television through entertainment that’s progressive and sensitive.

     

    Uday Shankar, CEO of Star India, was conferred the award by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The award recognizes Star’s special contribution to Bengali television through Star Jalsha and Star Ananda (currently known as ABP Ananda and part of the Ananda Bazar Patrika group).

     

    “As a group, we are delighted to receive the West Bengal Tele Academy Award, as it clearly shows the society has embraced our focus on quality content,” Mr. Shankar said on receiving the award.  “I really believe socially sensitive content is the way forward for the future of a healthy society. The plaudits go to the entire team.”

     

  • The media agency business will see vibrant growth this year, predict captains of the media planning and buying business

    Sunny times in 2014, say media agency bosses

     

    By Pritha Mitra Dasgupta

     

    Most media agencies predict a good year for the entire media sector in 2014 with television, radio, digital and out of home continuing to grow and print making a revival. The industry also expects media groups to continue consolidating across different formats this calendar, transforming the entire media buying business.

     

    Ashish Bhasin

    Ashish Bhasin, India chairman and South East Asia CEO at Aegis Group, said digital, out-of-home (OOH), rural and below-the-line (BTL) media will play a much bigger role this calendar. BTL refers to non-mass media promotions such as direct mail campaigns, telemarketing and trade shows. “There will be a clear shift from ATL (above-the-line) to BTL in client spends – a trend that has already started,” he said. “Print will hold its own, though focus may shift towards regional print,” he added.

     

    In 2014, media planners estimate television will grow by 15-18 per cent, print by 8-10 per cent, and digital media by 30 per cent. In 2013, the media sector is estimated to have grown 7-8 per cent. CVL Srinivas, CEO at GroupM South Asia, pointed out that India is one of the few markets where print continues to be a dominant medium, garnering nearly 40 per cent of the total advertising spend. “Media buyers will look for long-term deals that secure inventory at a certain price coupled with shorter-term opportunistic buys. Content will emerge as a new currency on TV,” he said. Mr Srinivas said clients will increasingly opt for integrated media solutions spanning digital and offline against the current majority practice of treating digital as a standalone medium.

     

    Boosting this trend will be the consolidation drive of media groups. Mr Bhasin of Aegis said more and more media owners will consolidate in print, TV, OOH, cinema and in radio, putting pressure on smaller and weaker players. “Media buying will… transform into weaving messaging into content the consumer loves, across formats,” he said.

     

    The general elections are expected to provide the biggest impetus to media industry, with print emerging the biggest benefactor. “The general elections will definitely be a huge boost to the advertising industry in 2014.

     

    Nandini Dias

    Expectations are that between television, print and radio there will be an additional advertising money of approximately Rs 1,000 crore,” Nandini Dias, CEO at Lodestar Universal, said. Print medium is expected to consume at least 65 per cent of this money. “Since print is more segmented and has more depth, there are various kinds of ads which are put out on print,” a senior media planner said. “There are poll results, classifieds, information of candidates, ads on party manifestos and so on. So print garners the bulk of the advertising election spends,” he said.

     

    The person said television is mostly used for umbrella campaigns and the medium captures about 25 per cent of the total advertising spends. And radio is about 10 per cent. According to industry estimates, Congress is expected to spend Rs 500 crore, BJP Rs 300 crore, and all the other parties together Rs 200-300 crore.

     

    The newly introduced cap on television ads – a channel can air a maximum of 12 minutes of ads for every one hour of broadcasting – too is expected to help print media. Some media planners are, meanwhile, sceptical about the industry’s prospects in 2014. Debraj Tripathy, MD at Mediacom India, said he expected 2014 to be a more difficult year than 2013, as overall economic condition has not improved.

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    “It may get little better around the elections. But the second half of the year will be really challenging.” Gautam Kiyawat, CEO at Madison Media Group, said: “The first half of 2014 will continue to be soft as marketers are conserving money for the first quarter.”

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2013, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Sony Pictures Entertainment has appointed former MSM CEO Man Jit Singh as President of its home entertainment business. He will continue as non-exec chairman of MSM in India

    Man Jit Singh is king at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

    By A Correspondent

     

    We were told that another announcement was coming on Monday. And we thought it could possibly concern the elevation of someone to the position of COO, now that NP Singh has been elevated.

     

    But that hasn’t happened, not yet. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that Man Jit Singh has been named President of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE), reporting to Michael Lynton, CEO, Sony Entertainment, Inc and Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

     

    Man Jit Singh

    Mr Man Jit Singh, who was previously Chief Executive Officer, Multi Screen Media Pvt. Ltd. (MSM), the operating company that manages Sony Pictures Television’s TV networks in India, will continue as Non-Executive Chairman at MSM while transitioning from his role in the television division to his new role in Home Entertainment.

     

    As reported earlier, Mr NP Singh, formerly Chief Operating Officer at MSM, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, managing Sony Pictures Television’s Indian TV networks. Mr NP Singh will report to Andy Kaplan, President, Worldwide Networks, Sony Pictures Television.

     

    “Man Jit is a savvy global executive with a long track record of success at Sony Pictures, having built our Indian TV channels into high-performance, high-margin businesses. I am confident in his vision for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and his ability to provide strong leadership for the division as the marketplace continues to evolve,” said Mr Lynton.

     

    At SPHE, Mr Man Jit Singh will continue the studio’s focus on reducing overhead costs, while growing high-margin businesses, according to a communiqué.

     

    Man Jit Singh has a strong background in technology, entertainment, and consumer products, with over 20 years of experience in global operations. He has worked in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Since 2009, he has overseen Sony Pictures Television’s Networks business in India where he was previously Chairman of the Board of Directors of MSM. He spent much of his early career in general management consulting, and he held senior positions at firms including Sibson & Co., LLP in Los Angeles, The Cast Group AG in Zurich, Switzerland and Los Angeles, and Cresap in Los Angeles. Man Jit began his career at Nestle India.

     

  • The record on Open's editorial top deck has been mixed with exits of key editors soon after its launch

    Manu Joseph quits Open, successor not yet named

    By A Correspondent

     

    The magazine meant to be a contemporary, not-necessarily-political newsmagazine, but the record on its editorial top deck has been mixed, one could even say troubled.

     

    While there have been rave reviews for Open’s content and packaging, there have been several controversies related to its editorial staffing since a little after it launched.

     

    First was the exit of CP Surendran, now editor-in-chief at dna. When he quit, he was quoted as saying: “I’m looking for a very good job at a sane place if one exists”. Later, in July 2010, Sandipan Deb had a controversial exit. A few months back there was Political Editor Hartosh Singh Bal’s sacking that made news and now comes the news of Manu Joseph quitting as Editor.

     

    He announced it on his Facebook page with the following post: “I have quit Open. Will continue as interim editor until a new editor is appointed or the end of March, whichever is sooner. Third novel, come to me fast.”

     

    Open magazine is part of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka group. There have been rumours that the group is also in discussions with People magazine, which was until recently published by Outlook group, to revive the India edition.

    Mr Bal, btw,  has written a comment on the resignation on Firstpost.com. It’s titled Manu Joseph’s resignation: The perils of editorial surrender.

  • The second edition of our Annual issue is being readied. Pearls of wisdom from over a hundred industry captains. Insightful, unputdownable and worth the wait

    Get, set, go for the MxMIndia Annual 2

     

    Dear Readers:

     

    Indulge us this opportunity for a repeat of our special announcement.

     

    The MxMIndia Second Annual is getting readied as you read this.

     

    Over a hundred captains of industry have already contributed to the Annual. Some more are expected to come in as we close.

     

    The release of our second Annual has been delayed by a month, and we apologise for the same. But we can assure you that it will be worth the wait.

     

    Given that it is the Second Annual and marks the completion of two years of MxMIndia.com, the theme of the issue is ‘Hum Do, Humaare Do’

     

    It’s about the Man, the Woman, the young adult and the child. It is about how these consumers are changing, and how media and marketers should interact with them. And have been interacting with them.

     

    The issue is scheduled later this month.

     

    If you wish to participate in the issue by way of contributing editorially or by way of advertising, please contact: Ritu Midha or Rishi Vora for editorial (ritum@mxmindia.com and rishiv@mxmindia.in respectively) and Ramesh for Sales (Ramesh@mxmindia.in respectively). Or yours truly.

     

    Meanwhile, please await the Annual. It’s going to be fun, insightful and unputdownable.

     

    Sincerely,

    Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Editor-in-Chief and CEO, MxMIndia

     

    Pradyumanm [at] MxMIndia.com

    Telephone: 98338 76278

     

  • MouthShut.com's plea challenging IT Rules 2011 is to come up for hearing in the Supreme Court

    MouthShut’s plea on IT Rules 2011 to come up for hearing in SC

    By A Correspondent

     

    The writ petition filed before the Supreme Court by Mouthshut.com, India’s online community for consumer reviews, challenging the Information Technology Rules, 2011 is to come up for hearing on January 13, 2014. The plea seeks to declare the IT Rules as violation of Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution of India which guarantee freedom of expression. Mouthshut.com will be represented by senior counsel, Harish Salve.

     

    It may be recalled that Mouthshut.com had approached the Supreme Court with a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India, to rescind India’s Information Technology Rules 2011 that “jeopardises the freedom of expression”. The appeal declares the IT Rules to be offensive under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India. “We are pleading with the highest court in the land to protect the rights of Indian citizens and consumers that are granted by the Constitution of India,” said Faisal Farooqui, Founder & CEO, MouthShut.com.

     

    Mouthshut.com says it has stuck to its own policy of taking down content only under legal coercion. But the IT rules stating that ‘any affected person’ can simply send an email to request the removal of any content within 36 hours or they can lose their ‘safe harbour’ protection as an ‘intermediary, pay damages, legal fee and court time’. Web-based organisations need to have a difference between free expression and making feasible services.

     

    Mr Farooqui further added, “We have been threatened with hundreds of legal notices, cybercrime complaints and defamation cases. At other times, officers from various police stations call our office, demanding deletion of various reviews or face dire consequences under the IT rules.”

     

    “It is a privilege to be a citizen of a democracy like India, where an ordinary citizen can appeal to a powerful court. Laws are meant to ensure the well-being of the nation – its people and institutions. Despite good intentions, IT Rules fall short of doing that. This law has the potential to weaken or, worse, entirely corrode the robust protection that the constitution of India offers to the freedom of speech,” he continued

     

     

     

  • Ormax Media's FBO forecast model claims 100% accuracy in Dec 2013

    Bull’s Eye for Ormax’s ‘First Day Box Office’ forecast tool

    By A Correspondent

     

    Media insights firm Ormax Media has achieved 100% accuracy in its first-day box-office forecast of new Hindi films in December 2013, as per a communiqué. The proprietary forecast model FBO (First-Day Box Office) had forecast the opening day domestic box office collections of all the films released in December 2013 and the first week of January 2014.

     

    FBO is a part of Ormax Media’s film awareness tracking product Ormax Cinematix, which has been used by various studios in the film industry since 2010 to track their marketing campaigns and take corrective action towards achieving a higher opening at the box office. The FBO Model was included in Ormax Cinematix from September 2012. It defines accuracy as ‘within 10% or within Rs 50 lakh of actual box-office collection’.

     

    Shailesh Kapoor

    Speaking on the achievement, Shailesh Kapoor, CEO – Ormax Media, said: “We have put in significant effort in making the FBO Model more accurate over the last six months. Ormax Cinematix now covers 29 markets, instead of 19 covered earlier. We have also created robust benchmarks for various extraneous factors that can affect the opening of a film and have incorporated them in the model, such as impact of festivals, holidays, cricket matches, cold wave and examinations. These efforts have borne fruit and we have got every single film right since the release of R… Rajkumar in the first week of December.”

     

    The FBO forecast for Dhoom 3 was Rs. 32.5 crore, within 5% of the actual collections of Rs. 30.9 crore. Other significant forecasts in this period have been R… Rajkumar (FBO 8.3 cr, Actual 8.8 cr), Jackpot (FBO 1.0 cr, Actual 1.0 cr) and Sholay 3D (FBO 1.2 cr, Actual 1.25 cr).

     

    Added Mr Kapoor: “Eight studios are annual subscribers to Ormax Cinematix and FBO, and many other films use the product for individual film releases. The industry has supported the product wholeheartedly for almost four years now. Their constant feedback has helped us make improvements in the product and the FBO Model, resulting in high accuracy levels. While no forecast model can guarantee 100% accuracy, we are confident of maintaining very high accuracy levels on FBO in the months to come.”

  • The sports channel has bagged the rights for the Australian Open for five years

    Sony Six pushes Star Sports out of Aus Open rights

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Star Sports network which was established with much fanfare in November saw the rights for the Australian Open being taken away by Sony Six, the sports channel from the MSM stable. The rights for the Asian grand slam are for five years and are also the channels first entry into broadcast of a tennis major.

     

    On his first major announcement after taking charge as CEO of MSM, NP Singh said: “Over the years, the Australian Open has established itself as one of the most revered competitions in the hearts of Asian sports fans. With the strong equity that the sport enjoys, we are committed to further expand the distribution of the tournament and strengthen our position in the market”.

     

    Commenting on this, Prasana Krishnan, EVP and Business Head, Sony SIX said: “The Australian Open is seen as the paramount opener to the Grand Slam competitions and we are proud to have this prestigious event in our bouquet of international sports content.”

     

    Tennis Australia CEO and Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley said: “I’m delighted we are partnering with MSM in India for the Australian Open. MSM presented a compelling proposition and demonstrated a commitment to promote the event and the sport of tennis in India which continues to cement our position as the Grand Slam of the Asian-Pacific.”

     

  • News channels have been fined and asked to apologise as news self-regulator News Broadcasting Standards Authority has announced its order on seven complaints received

    Channels fined, to apologise as news self-regulator NBSA acts on 7 complaints

    By A Correspondent

     

    The News Broadcasting  Standards Authority (NBSA), the self-regulatory body set up by the News Broadcasters Association has acted upon various complaints received by and has issued seven orders on the complaints, a copy of which was shared with MxMIndia.

     

    The following is the action taken against the complaints:

    1. Complaint filed by Atul Jain against ABP News for programme ‘Bura na Mano’ was rejected (Order 21)

     

    2. Complaint filed by the Joint GM of IRCTC against Aaj Tak against a sting operation titled ‘Dalal Junction’ was upheld (Order 22). Aaj Tak is required to display an apology from Jan 13 to 17, 2014 and also remove the video from the website

     

    3.Complaint from Seema Mittal against Aaj Tak regarding a story in the programme ‘Vardat’ with first telecast on November 7. Complaint upheld. Aaj Tak is required to carry an apology as well as pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh. Video to be removed from website.

     

    4. Complaint filed by RK Lal of Mallige Medical Centre against CNN-IBN on news aired on March 29 to March 31, 2013 and April 6, 2013 with a repeat airing as well as on Face the Nation on April 1. Complaint upheld. CNN-IBN has been asked to carry an apology on Jan 10 before the 9pm news.

     

    5.Complaint filed by Mr Hariharan on child rape victim being identified by CNN-IBN journalist while covering protest on December 23, 2012. NBSA has advised the channel to be more careful and responsible in future as well as remove the video from IBNlive.com and other weblinks.

     

    6.Complaint against Sakshi TV regarding report on April 12, 2013 titled ‘drunken girls hulchul midnight’and case filed against pub management by 4 students of NALSAR. Complaint upheld. Channel to pay fine of Rs 1 lakh and carry an apology on January 15-17 at 8pm. Weblinks to be deleted.

     

    7. Complaint filed regarding ‘Face the Nation’ with a discussion on the Phaneesh Murthy case aired on CNN-IBN on May 22 where complainant alleges that her name was unnecessariyly revealed and wrong info was disseminated on subjudice matters. Complaint upheld. Channel warned, asked to send an apology letter to complainant and video of the show on website(s) must be deleted.

     

  • Wearable fundraising, smart bras, e-Govt & ambient Bluetooth consumer messaging are set to trend in 2014, notes a Mindshare's Original Thinkers Series report

    6 tech-driven trends to look out for in 2014

     

    Wearable fundraising, smart bras, e-Government and ambient Bluetooth consumer messaging are all set to trend in 2014. Digital technology will continue to provide new connections, revenue streams and communications channels for brands, consumers, charities and businesses.

     

    Said Norm Johnston, Chief Digital Officer, Mindshare Worldwide: “Expect 2014 to be the year when the internet of things gets pretty weird. At Mindshare, we believe that everything begins and ends with media, and that is underlined by the hugely ambitious projects global organisations are working on to launch in the next 12 months. Companies have to get more and more creative in order to capture the attention of consumers. That means that they will try to find new touch points, new technology and new strategies to capture the imagination of increasingly discerning audiences.”

     

    1 / THE RISE OF THE SHARING EPHEMERAL

    This year we will see an increase in the popularity of apps like Snapchat and Wickr that enable users to establish multimedia conversations that erase themselves after a given period of time. The flirtatious and secretive nature of these apps is driving adoption and where a few heave led, expect plenty more to follow.

     

    2 / ADAPTIVE GOVERNMENT
    David Cameron tweets. Obama had a social media cave. Even the German police are developing technology (an App that detects Neo-Nazi lyrics in music). Governments and political parties are beginning to switch on to the fact that they need to embrace technology to remain relevant and in 2014 we’re going to see more tech led NPD from governments worldwide.

     

    3 / THE INTERNET OF WEIRD THINGS
    Wearable technology, particularly health-related devices have finally become affordable, accurate and accessible, but that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the internet of things. Samsung has patented ‘smart wig’, Microsoft has developed a ‘smart bra’. Expect 2014 to be the year when the internet of things gets pretty weird.

     

    4 / SOUND TAKES CENTRE STAGE
    Companies such as Sonic Notify and Apple are leveraging ambient sound using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) to deliver a message to consumers when they are at the key purchase decision making time. Mindshare and Shazam have launched AUDIO+ – a partnership to allow brands to leverage their investment in sound. Brands are switching back to the marketing power of sound – it’s just not radio.

     

    5 / FITNESS + CHARITY + TECHNOLOGY + FASHION = KERCHING
    We all liked to wear Livestrong bracelets as a show of our support (and coolness) to others, but what if it actually raised money at the same time? Apps such as Charity Miles – where consumers earn money for their favourite charity by using the app to track fitness (ad supported) – will become more popular. Consumers like something for nothing, so interacting with brands and getting a value in return will become important, and a great way for charities to raise cash.

     

    6 / GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, TWITTER – BEWARE
    2013 was the year of the social and search giants; Record revenues, IPOs and future predictions of huge growth. Watch out as 2014 will be the year of the guys who actually sell stuff. Amazon and Alibaba lead the field. E-commerce in China alone is worth $1.4 trillion and Alibaba, fuelled by Taobao and T-Mall, has become the world’s largest online retailer, selling more than $170bn in goods in 2012, more than eBay and Amazon combined. Don’t expect these guys to not be looking at leveraging their huge scale and reach into the world of digital advertising – and when they get it right, Google watch out.

     

    Republished with permission from Mindshare Worldwide. This was published as part of Mindshare’s Original Thinkers Series, circulated weekly