MxMIndia

Category: MEDIA

  • Platform to engage viewers & newsmakers through Twitter

    India Today TV launches Town Halls with Twitter

    By A Correspondent

     

    India Today Television in an exclusive partnership with Twitter, will be conducting Town Halls on the social media platform. The Twitter Town Halls will give an opportunity to followers on Twitter to engage with News makers, opinion makers and other eminent personalities. The Twitter followers can tweet their questions and the personality/guest will respond to the same during the Town Hall. This will be aired on India Today Television. The partnership also extends to the group’s Hindi news channel AajTak for relevant guests.

     

    The India Today Group and Twitter have already aired successful Town Halls with superstars Shahrukh Khan and Kamal Hassan. The third episode in the series featuring Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will be aired this week-end.

     

    Speaking on the partnership, Kalli Purie, Group Editorial Director, Broadcast & New Media, India Today Group said, “Our sole objective through social media is to engage our followers and viewers in a dialogue on issues of national and global importance. Twitter Town Hall is a great format to ideate, debate and celebrate the spirit of freedom of expression. We trust that our social media followers are equally well informed to ask the right questions of their leaders. We will be rolling out many such templates to empower our end users”.

     

    Rishi Jaitly, Vice President – Media for Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, added on the partnership “Twitter Town Halls have been used by global business and political leaders to connect with their followers and audiences at large for some time now. Twitter is the only platform in the world that is public, conversational, and real-time. The beauty of the platform is that it allows users to engage with influential personalities from different walks of life, and gives them a voice to be heard. This Twitter Town Hall will give users a chance to talk to and engage with influential icons and leaders from different walks of life for the first time.”

     

  • Veteran adman AG Krishnamurthy passed away this morning. A tribute by Sanjeev Kotnala + more

    RIP, AGK

     

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala: I will always remain an AGKite

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    A G Krishnamurthy ( 28th April 1942- 5th February 2016) will be remembered for different reasons. The industry may just note him as the founder chairman of Mudra Communication, taking it to newer heights earlier only associated with MNC and network agencies. Or as a person who has the vision to start MICA. Or even an author of books like ‘If you can dream’, ‘Ten Much’, ‘Desi dream merchants’, ‘Learnings of an advertising professional’ and many more.

     

    To me he will always be AGK and I will be another of the many AGKites.

     

    He always remained a person ingrained with middle class values and openness to ideas. One who could be called a homegrown ad man with a street-smart style and a belief of ‘success being a process not an end’.

     

     

    About A G Krishnamurthy

    Born on the April 28, 1942 in Vinukonda, in Andhra Pradesh, AGK graduated in history at the Andhra University.

     

    In 1968, he joined the Calico Mills, a big textile name in the 60s and 70s, to assist Giraben Sarabhai. In 1972, he moved to their Advertising Agency – Shilpi Advertising, as an Account Executive.

     

    In 1976, he moved to Reliance Industries, as their Advertising Manager.

     

    Four years later, on March 25, 1980, he founded Mudra Communications as its Chairman & Managing Director.

     

    In 1989, Mudra became India’s 3rd and the largest Indian advertising agency.

     

    The agency’s two major brands, Vimal Fabrics and Rasna Soft Drink Concentrate have been nurtured by him from infancy to their current status as two of India’s leading and most recognised brands. Vimal and Rasna have been joined by many more Indian brands who are today, leaders too in their own categories.

     

    In March 1991, he set up Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), the only advertising institute of its kind in Asia. MICA was set up to feed the growing Indian advertising industry with trained talent.

     

    A couple of years later, he set up Mudra International. It was again a pioneering step. The first time an Indian agency opened shop on foreign shores.

     

    The agency has over the past 22 years received 844 awards and accolades including The Agency of the Year Award, which Mudra has won for 6 years.

     

    In 1995, Mr. Krishnamurthy was nominated Advertising Person of the Year, by A & M, India’s leading marketing journal.

     

    In 1997, he was inducted by The Advertising Club, Calcutta, into their ‘Hall of Fame’.

     

    The British Magazine’ Media International’ in December 1998 nominated Mr. A.G.Krishnamurthy as one of the 25 key figures of the international advertising industry.

     

    In 1999, he was awarded the prestigious AAAI – Premnarayen Award in recognition of “his pioneering spirit and entrepreneurial vision”.

     

    In 2000, he established the country’s first online reference library for advertising – MAGINDIA.COM

     

    In 2002, he was inducted into the 2002-2003 edition of International Who’s Who of professionals.

     

    In 2003, he was honored by MAA TV and the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh as one of the top Andhra born achievers.

     

    Retired from Mudra on 31st March, 2003, Mr. Krishnamurthy was chairman of AGK Brand Consulting.

     

    The father of four children, three daughters and a. son, Mr. Krishnamurthy lived in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad with his family.

     

    Information source: http://www.agkonline.com

     

    I remember the poster in his office at Mudra. Early days, when Mudra operated out of Manikyam apartments in Ahmedabad. It had a rooster running after a hen, while another in a corner was busy hatching an egg. It read ‘Yes, we run after new business- but we keep out existing clients satisfied’. This is a philosophy that he lived by.

     

    AGK was Mudra and in many ways Mudra was AGK. Mudra was started with a mandate for excellence and that remained the driving force behind its success. A lot of its growth was organic. So when AGK said ‘Truly and honestly the age of the fittest surviving has dawned on us. The only way we (can prosper is by raising our bar of efficiency… There isn’t any alternative’. You knew he meant it.

     

    He was also one of the toughest bosses I had. He never accepted mediocrity. I remember one incident where the legs turned lead- while we seven were paraded and blasted by him in Ahmedabad. (Full incident http://sanjeevkotnala.com/sardar-khush-hoga/). He was a great teacher of human relationships. One of the best bosses (not a direct boss) I ever had. Few people from whom I learnt the art of managing and motivating teams.

     

    My career in advertising could have been short-lived if he was not there to make sense of my brashness and actions. I did mistakes and he allowed them as a learning ground. This openness is something that I carry with me.

     

    He kept you on a leash. The leash of freedom of doing things you felt right and had conviction in. Yet he could be break your heart with one of the most brutal honest observation or a remark. Reward and reprimands ran parallel in his office. Biases were few and rare.

     

    We all Mudraities who have worked under him or interacted know how motivating were the simple Ganeshas and those silver or golden pens could be. They were medals that many of us hold dearer than the awards won at later stage of life. Many a time, it was even the hard-boiled sweets that could come your way as an appreciation.

     

    I will always remember him as AGK. That’s what he will remain for me.

     

    I know he never forgot a Mudraite who has worked with him. In my advertising career, he twice asked me to come back. For some reasons I had to decline. But I started my advertising career at Mudra (1987-90) and I ended with Mudra (2001-2004) with my second stint.

     

    AGK commanded respect that did not come entirely from the position he had but because he was through professional. I remember asking him for his observation as an ITC-Sheraton resident at Banaglore while I wasworking with HTA. And was not too surprised when I did get a handwritten note after two days. (http://sanjeevkotnala.com/upgrade/)

     

    I read the news of his demise in the Whatsapp group of old and current Mudraites actively praying for his recovery. It drained me as memories flashed by me. The only way to charge myself was to hold the four Golden Ganeshas and a silver pen that he gave me during my 1987-1990 stint with Mudra Ahmedabad. And to relive few incidents and episodic interactions. They will always hold a special place for me and they always will.

     

    Trust me SIR, whenever you look down from your heavenly abode, you will never find any moment of disappointment from Mudratites. Or better, AGKites

     

     

    AGKSPEAK: The warmth of a time-worn leader

    This was an article published on January 2, 2009. Source: agkonline.com

    WHAT I’VE LIKED

    Friend, Philospher…Brand!

    Let’s face it. If you are a premium fabric brand, it is very difficult to stay away from the fashion circuit. But one brand that effectively manages to do so (at least on television) and still stay on top is Raymond Suitings. This is not to say that they avoid talking about fashion altogether but in the dynamic medium of television they have chosen to be viewed as your warm, caring family friend. The recent television commercial adds to this perception with their storyline of a father reinforcing his daughter’s commitment to her newly-wedded husband at their reception. It appears that he is reassured that his daughter is in very safe hands indeed. All the emotions evoked are that of trust, warmth and caring which on one level is what being cocooned in warm clothing is all about but on the other hand it also reinforces the brand’s time-worn stance of being someone you can trust and look up to whenever you need a friend and guide. Raymonds used to run a very strong campaign years ago where they were the ultimate guide to spiffy dressing. And then they moved on to the Complete Man stance and the recent series ‘Feels like heaven’ takes this further. The brand is perhaps the oldest suiting brand in the country and has always remained one of its top sellers but what’s more important is that their advertising too matches the solid stability of an iconic brand. Rather than flitting directionlessly from stance to stance, they have charted a clear course and have managed to stay on it despite all the changes and distractions that might have come their way. And that is what leadership is all about.

     

    WHAT I’VE LEARNED

    Rise! slave. Be your own Master.

    Call it right-sizing, weight reduction, flab cutting, waste management, whatever the jargon big industry justifies it with, there’s no getting away from the fact that there is a sudden influx of well-educated, highly skilled, well-experienced professionals in the unemployment market today. There are also, interestingly enough a respectable number of start-ups. Small one-man, two men units are cropping up all over the country offering a wide variety of skills from architecture and design consultancy to advertising, leaflet and bill printing services and almost every conceivable niche service possible. These are the ones who dare to risk their hard-earned savings on charting their own course. Because of the smallness of their size, they have tremendous advantages like speed, personalised service, a more in-depth knowledge of their field, and what’s more the client gets access to some of the sharpest minds in the country personally rather that having to deal with the small fry as they might have to do earlier. It is also a very refreshing sight to see so many youngsters trying to standing on their own feet instead of continuing to have their careers and their livelihood jerked around by the vagaries of inclement business weather conditions.

     

    Admittedly entrepreneurship is not in everybody genes. Who knows? Of the 1000 odd one-man shows trying to make their way maybe only a fraction might survive the journey. But the good news is that rather than seeking negative outlets, they are keeping their chin up and at least trying to make a brave attempt at independent livelihood. This is when they will begin to slowly relish the joys of being their own master. Not having to report to seniors they despise, not having to curry favour, not having to justify when and why they come to office or stay out of it. The freedom of being on one’s own is a particular joy that only the free know. In fact it is a high that is so addictive that one takes on its flip side — the responsibility and the worries of where your next business will come from — quite willingly. So while I hope that these brave little ventures do manage to reach their goals, I am sure that this is one move they will definitely not regret.

     

  • Archana comes with close to 20 years of experience across domains

    Zee Digital appoints Archana Anand as Business Head, DittoTV

    By A Correspondent

     

    Archana Anand

    Archana Anand the current Vice-President & Head-Global Business Development, performance marketing and life cycle management at Zee Digital Convergence Ltd, will be the new Business Head of dittoTV. In her role as Business Head-dittoTV she will report to Debashish Ghosh-CEO, ZDCL (Zee Digital Convergence Limited, the digital arm of ZEEL).

     

    Debashish Ghosh, CEO, Zee Digital Convergence Limited on her appointment highlighted, “The OTT Industry is at an influx point with competition hotting up and things looking better than ever before in terms of choices for the end consumer. Content and Broadcast behemoths have all woken up to this reality and are quickly ensuring that they too are in the race, so as to continue to engage the end consumer and his demands for watching TV anytime, anywhere. As recently was done with the launch of our exclusive beforeTV feature which telecast, shows hours before television.”

     

    Archana comes with close to 20 years of experience across domains, a management professional from IIM Bangalore, who has worked across the Sales, Client Relationship, Product, Creative and User Experience domains, to have a very well rounded and holistic sense of managing a new age product business.

     

     

  • The company operates with offices in Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi

    Fourth Dimension Media completes 5yrs in India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Fourth Dimension Media Solution has completed five years of operations in India. The Chennai based media outsourcing company is counted among the successful media outsourcing firms in India. The company operates with offices in Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi.

     

    It has marked its footprints not only in television, radio and magazine but also in areas such as outdoor, cable, digital and social platforms as well. The firm currently handles the sales of Puthiya Thalaimurai (No.1 Tamil News channel), V6 (Leading Telugu News Channel), Maharashtra 1, Puthu Yugam (Tamil GEC), Da Vinci Learning (International kids edutainment channel), aggregation of National Cable TV,  Saamana, etc.

     

    Shankar

    Speaking on the occasion, CEO Shankar said, “We dedicate our success to all the clients who have believed in us and stood by us throughout our growth. I also take this opportunity to thank my team members without their relentless effort this success would not have been possible.”

     

  • Presenting RAM Ratings for Week 4 of 2016… that's January 17-23, 2016

    RAM Ratings for Week 4 – Jan 17-23, 2016

    Here are the Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) Ratings for Week 4 of 2016… that’s January 17 to 23, 2016. Sourced directly from RAM. It may be noted that this is topline data which may be insufficient for taking business decisions on booking (or not booking) ads on radio stations. We urge advertisers to buy the research findings or ask radio stations and/or media agencies for detailed numbers​.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

     

  • While the early birds are already in, it is still not too late to get some piece of the action, writes Karthik Kumar

    Four ways to navigate uncharted digital waters

     

    By Karthik Kumar

     

    Digital is here to stay. And while the early birds are already in, it is still not too late to get some piece of the action. Here are four ways to navigate your way successfully through digital marketing waters:

     

    1. A tipping point in penetration: Internet users make up nearly a third of India’s population. Confoundingly, the likelihood of the Internet becoming mainstay, rapidly, will take longer because of the environment and the seemingly-lopsided input-output relationship.

     

    Here’s why: About 69 per cent of users claim daily usage, but only 27 per cent actually use the Internet several times in a day. Thus, usage continues to be tactical (that is, when seeking specific information or action), and not a default habit. So while the Internet is good for a score update, the preferred mode for viewing the game is still the TV.

     

    To marketers, used to getting big bang for their buck, this leads to the perceived inability of the Internet to generate the same scale as mass media. This may, however, be a shortsighted way of looking at things. Smart money on the Internet has always been on incremental accretion, rather than big bang. Amazon, for example, does not sell one product to millions of customers, but hundreds of products to thousands every minute.

     

    Will things change if the Internet becomes mainstay? Unlikely. Usage in mature markets shows that over 50 per cent of the Internet’s usage is on activities that are individually too small to be classified into groups – in other words, a very high level of fragmented usage.

     

    2. Content in India languages required: Indians’ understanding of English does not always lead to a comfortable interaction in the language. The answer? Content in Indian languages. This does not mean just narrative content that makes up a large part of the web ecosystem, but also interactive content such as forms, demonstrations and such.

     

    This alone, though, will not be enough. Local content should also be searchable – the default web behaviour. The reason Internet probably has greater traction in China is Baidu, a browser that enables searches in the local language. Thus, to complement content in Indian languages, enabling search in Indian languages would be a necessary condition.

     

    3. Relevance of desktops will continue: The demise of the desktop that was proclaimed by some, has not really come to pass. That’s not surprising. Screen choice would be dictated by accessibility, convenience and the task. Internet usage is now multi- screen rather than single screen. Data from mature markets shows that multi-screen usage is more than 70 per cent.

     

    Conversion rates on mobiles are lower compared to desktops and laptops. However, given that search and discovery is happening more on mobile devices, it will be critical that the transaction process needs to seamlessly move from a mobile device to a desktop or tablet so that the transaction can be monetised.

     

    4. App strategy is critical for serious players: In the US, mobile users spend 89 per cent of their time on apps and only 11 per cent of their time on mobile web. While data for India is not readily available, usage patterns here are likely to be similar.

     

    Thus, an app strategy will become critical, not only for online players, but anybody who hopes to reach the mobile Internet user.

     

    Karthik Kumar is Director, Rage Communications. This article first appeared in dna of brands on February 8, 2016

     

  • Malini Subramaniam’s reporting therefore was exceptionally brave, given the circumstances. And the bias of the authorities is clear since Scroll.in now reports that she was not allowed to file a First Information Report about the attack on her house as the police came up with bogus excuses to stop her, writes Ranjona Banerji

    Ranjona Banerji: The attack on Scroll.in journalist Malini Subramaniam needs all journalists to stand up in her support

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    This Sunday, the Jagdalpur home of Malini Subramaniam, a contributor to the news website Scroll.in, was attacked by a mob. Her car was damaged. And she was accused of being a “Maoist” sympathiser and of “tarnishing the image of the police”.

     

    Jagdalpur is in the state of Chhatisgarh and Subramaniam had been reporting on police atrocities in the Bastar region.

     

    Chattisgarh has a long history of imprisoning anyone who does not toe the government line when it comes to Maoists. Dr Binayak Sen was once the government’s most well-known target. The government also reacted with full state rage when its “Salwa Judum” or civil militia plan (ostensibly to target Maoist violence) was criticised.

     

    Subramaniam’s reporting therefore was exceptionally brave, given the circumstances. And the bias of the authorities is clear since Scroll.in now reports that she was not allowed to file a First Information Report about the attack on her house as the police came up with bogus excuses to stop her.

     

    In October, Subramaniam had also written about the alleged torture of two journalists, Somaru Nag and Santosh Yadav, by the police. This story was later picked up by newspapers.

     

    As is amply becoming clear, we as journalists need to move beyond our city-centric concerns about the practise of our profession. There are real and imminent dangers to journalists within our borders which need drastic attention. Most international agencies and watchdogs will list the difficulties faced by journalists in known war zones across the world. But there can be no doubt that we need more attention on problems faced in India.

     

    Various media organisations have spoken out about the attacks on Subramaniam. Newsminute has written this: http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/shame-shameless-attacking-journalists-their-line-duty-38725

     

    Scroll has reported on the problems faced by Subramaniam:

    http://scroll.in/article/803203/attack-on-scroll-in-contributor-chhattisgarh-police-refuse-to-file-fir-journalists-rally-in-support

     

    And the Network for Women in Media, India (NWMI) has issued this statement, which in fact covers the issue comprehensively:

    “NWMI condemns the attack on Malini Subramaniam

     

    We, members of the Network of Women in Media, India, strongly condemn the shocking attack on the residence of Malini Subramaniam, a journalist based in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh and correspondent for the news site Scroll.In, and the continuous attempts to intimidate and threaten her into silence.

     

    According to reports in the news site, Scroll.In, a group of around 20 persons had come to her residence at about 6p.m. on February 7, and shouted slogans attacking her, including ‘Naxali Samarthak Bastar Chodo. Malini Subramaniam Mordabad’ (Naxal supporter, leave Bastar. Death to Malini Subramaniam). The mob apparently tried to instigate neighbours to attack her and said that she was a Naxal supporter. Early on February 8, morning, at around 2.30am, a motorcycle slowed down her home and threw stones at her residence.

     

    Ms Subramaniam has identified two of the men in the mob — Manish Parakh and Sampat Jha. Both had visited her residence on January 10 last month and were members to the Samajik Ekta Manch, a Jagdalpur based forum formed to counter Naxalism in Bastar and support the work of the police in the area. Parakh is the secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Yuva Morcha and that Sampat Jha is a member of the Congress in Jagdalpur.

     

    The online news site, Scroll, has documented the level of intimidation faced by Ms Subramaniam and has pointed out that, over the last year, she has been writing consistently on issues of adivasis and of displacement, mass sexual violence as well as other human rights violations. It is these reports that the Manch appears to have targeted as being ‘pro-naxal’ and anti-police. Subsequent to the Jan 10 ‘visit’ by members of this Manch, Ms Subramaniam also received late night enquiries from the local police and had to face a number of questions and submit documents giving proof of her identity. The news-site had tried to take up the instances of intimidation with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh but received no response.

     

    It is clear that the local police, which is tasked with protecting its citizens, has chosen to look the other way while the mob demonstrated outside her residence. It has made no attempt to register an FIR or investigate the incident, much less ensure the safety and protection of Ms Subramaniam and her daughter.

     

    Already, journalists across the country have lodged strong protests over the arrest and continued incarceration of two journalists from Chhattisgarh, Santosh Yadav and Somaru Nag. Now, in this incident, the indifference of the police and the state administration as well as the Chief Minister is a dangerous portent for freedom of expression and for the safety and security of media persons.

     

    We demand that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh immediately announce a full and thorough investigation into the incident and take steps to ensure the safety of Ms Subramaniam. His failure to do so can only be taken as an indication of his tacit support for such heinous and coercive tactics.”

     

    **

     

    It can only be hoped that Subramaniam’s case will get ample publicity, not just for her but for all journalists who work in spite of threats, intimidation and worse.

     

    As journalists, surely we must now stand together and not give in to divisive political manipulation. Unfortunately, as we all know far too well, often journalists aligned with the government in power will use their influence and resources to back some particular party’s ideology and action.

     

    One can only hope that this is not one of those times.

     

    Subramaniam needs our full support and courage for her safety and future but also for all of ours.

     

  • Partners with SKY to enthrall viewers starting 9th February, 2016

    Colors set to enthral viewers in New Zealand

    By A Correspondent

     

    After engaging viewers across more than 135 countries, IndiaCast is all set to further strengthen its footprint in the New Zealand market. Starting 9th February 2016, IndiaCast will reinforce Colors’ presence to viewers in New Zealand, giving them access to the finest offerings from their content library as part of SKY’s foreign language subscription channel line-up.

     

    The Colors bouquet of offerings includes a robust combination of fiction dramas, non-fiction, reality shows, live events and blockbuster movies. The programming line-up caters to many entertainment needs of the Indian diaspora across the world.

     

    Commenting on the success story, Raj Nayak, CEO – Colors said, “It has been our constant endeavor to present viewers with path-breaking content across the globe, which has fortified our position as a game changer in the television industry. As the channel launches on SKY in New Zealand, it strengthens our belief that our programming line-up provides not only Indian viewers but also international audiences with entertainment avenues in sync with their sensibilities and preferences.”

     

    Commenting on the association, Anuj Gandhi, Group CEO – IndiaCast, said, “IndiaCast has been at the forefront of bringing Indian viewers spread across the world one step closer to home and Indian culture, by bringing them the best of Indian content. Our association with SKY enables us to reach out and further strengthen our footprint with content that engages and entertains.”

     

    Commenting on the association, Megan King, Director of Content Strategy – SKY, said “At SKY, we’re always evolving to provide our customers with a world class entertainment experience. COLORS offers superb Hindi entertainment content and its inclusion in our foreign language channel line-up helps bring this culture closer to home here in New Zealand.”

     

  • An innovative and futuristic mobile solution that shortens distance between brands and consumers

    Tango Media launches StarStar for measurable ad ROI

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tango Media has launched an innovative and revolutionary technology solution that enables brands to connect better and quicker with their target audiences on the mobile.

     

    The solution, ‘StarStar’ (**), a patented technology, enables customers to merely dial a name rather than dial a number. For example, when you dial **BREAKFAST (**273253278) you reach Kellogg’s. When you dial **BANK (**2265), you reach YES BANK. “The biggest problem with brand advertising has always been customer amnesia. Even after a brand spends crores advertising their connect number, in the moment of reckoning, when the customer actually wants to buy the product, the customer does not remember the number to call! We are merely solving that problem of forgetfulness,” says Sandeep Goyal, Chairman Mogae Media.

     

    StarStar is mobile solution designed to enhance the Call-To-Action (CTA) of a brand. This path breaking technology basically takes away the burden of remembering short codes, toll free numbers, web URLs, QR codes or missed call numbers of any brand. All a user has to do is dial the name of the brand or the generic category to connect to that choice brand.

     

    StarStar works across all major mobile operators, on all features and smartphones and requires no internet connection or data connectivity and breaks the ice between brands and consumers at one of the most important modern day touch points –the mobile. For brands it is a golden opportunity to establish that connect with their consumers, where80-90 per cent of the response to all advertising is lost in the complexity of response mechanisms, and of course customers’ forgetfulness and memory lapse.

     

    Sandeep Goya

    Adds Sandeep Goyal, “StarStar is like owning your ‘mobile domain’ much like you own a ‘web domain’. Star TV has for example taken **STAR (**7827) and Urban Clap, the young market place start-up, has booked **URBANCLAP (**872262527). Similarly, Discovery has invested behind **TV (**88). One day soon, StarStar (**) will become to the mobile what hashtag (#) has today become to the world of social media. We have signed up a dozen clients, and at least another 40-50 should be on board very soon.”

     

    StarStar (**) is live in beta test mode. The product is expected to go commercial live later this month.

     

  • An IIM-Ahmedabad, MaRs, Decision Point & Geometry Global | Encompass Network studies rural consumer behaviour

    Rural consumers rule, and how!

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    On Monday evening, the WPP firm Geometry Global (now merged with events and activations major Encompass) unveiled the R|Scape study launched to study rural consumer behaviour. The study has been conducted jointly by IIM-Ahmedabad, MaRs, Decision Point and the Geometry Global | Encompass Network.

     

     

    Study Objectives:

     

    1. Rural consumer behavior has changed significantly over the last 10 years. Better road connectivity, higher education, stronger media reach, increasing penetration of mobile phones and access to social media are just some of the factors leading to behavior change. While we understand what is changing rural consumer behavior, we felt that there is a need to understand its impact on category adoption, purchase and consumption.

     

    2. Market prioritisation must be the beginning of all rural marketing campaign planning; not the end. Marketers tasked with rolling out rural marketing campaigns often complete their task with identifying end markets. They have little information about how rural consumers in one state are likely to behave differently from their counterparts in another state. Hence, campaigns are rolled out on a one-size-fits-all basis. We believe that market prioritization is only the start. We needed a study that could help marketers transition smoothly from market to message and media.

     

    R|Scape is able to help marketers find valuable insights and develop campaigns specific to categories, target audiences and states.

     

    3. While we recognize that rural consumers are different from urban consumers, these differences have not been properly assessed. Therefore, brand positioning and advertising often remain the same across both markets. It is common to find marketers rolling out their urban advertising campaigns to rural consumers. Brands and categories are at different stages of evolution across urban and rural markets. And urban advertising, often ends up being completely irrelevant for rural audiences.

     

    4. Help No 1 national brands become No 1 local brands. National leaders often find themselves at No 2 or No 3 positions in local markets. Local brands which resonate most with local consumers often beat national leaders, proving that local relevance scores above any sort of aspirational appeal built by big brands. National brands that are able to localise their communication and product offer are more likely to beat local players

     

    R|Scape has covers 6,000 rural consumers (near equal split of married men, married women, young men, young women), eight states (representative of all regions across India) and over 20 popular categories (deodorant, shampoo, hair oil, lipstick, toothpaste, talcum powder, shaving cream, after-shave lotion, cooking oil, toilet soap, fairness cream,detergent, utensil cleaner, _oor cleaner, biscuit, tomato sauce, butter, jam, breakfast cereal, branded aata, shoe,denim, candy, seed, pesticide, banking, life insurance, mutual fund).

     

    The R|Scape dashboard attempts to generate category-level adoption, purchase and consumption-related insights based on inputs such as age, gender and region/ state. Here’s a quick look at some of the key findings.

     

    1. Rural consumer segmentation needs to be a function of adherence to village norms and urban centricity.

     

    2. By-and-large, rural consumers are exhibiting lack of brand iddelity attitudinally as well as behaviorally.

     

    3. Adherence to village social norms have created strong differentiation among rural married women.

     

    4. Reasons for adoption and consumption of categories are very different for rural and urban consumers. Hence, the same brand positioning or advertising does not work across both markets.

     

    5. Rural markets are not homogenous. Reasons to buy and consume categories are often starkly different for consumers from different regions.

     

  • BARC India set to be single TV viewership data provider with effect from February 29

    It’s final: TAM India to exit TV viewership from Feb 29. BARC India & TAM complete jv

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The much-awaited joint venture between BARC and TAM India has been announced with with the formation of the meter management company. This new entity which will be called Meterology Data Pvt Ltd. (MDL) will commence its operations in the next couple of weeks as TAM India exits TV viewership measurement business effective February 29, 2016. As a part of the new system, all TAM India meters will be re-deployed in panel homes selected by BARC India’s sample design. This JV will help BARC India in growing its sample size. It may be recalled that MxMIndia was the first media entity to report on the BARC TAM deal.

     

    In MDL, BARC India will have full management control with a 51% stake, while TAM India – which includes Nielsen and Kantar – will have a 49% stake.

     

    Up to this point, BARC and TAM India, both have been generating and reporting TV viewership data individually to the Industry. Now, with the completion of this JV, BARC India will be the single provider of TV Viewership data.

     

    MDL’s role will be to run and manage the meter operations and supplying raw data to BARC India. TV Viewership data will be computed and disseminated through BMW (BARC India Media Workstation). MDL will manage the panel households and will also be responsible for future TV panel expansions.

     

    The Spot Monitoring and Channel Monitoring data will be exclusively sold by BARC India to Broadcasters, Agencies, Advertisers and others.

     

    Meanwhile, TAM India will continue providing to the market the following services: AdEx services of TV, Print & Radio AdEx, Daily & Weekly Sales Index Reports, Bollywood & Music Monitoring Dashboards; Audience Measurement in Radio (RAM); Sports Sponsorship ROI Measurement (TAM Sports) and PR Measurement data & Audit services (Eikona) to its valuable clients.

     

    “The Industry was eagerly waiting for this merger to be completed from the time we announced it in August last year. We are happy to state that the Joint Venture Company is complete and all set to kick-off operations,” said BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta.

     

    “We will work closely with BARC to ensure a good outcome for the industry and our joint clients. We have worked productively with BARC to get here and under the circumstances, have agreed a good way forward for everyone concerned” added Kantar CEO Eric Salama.

     

    “We are happy to collaborate with BARC India. The coming together of BARC India and TAM India has only strengthened the Indian broadcast industry, as they will now be getting viewership trends from a larger panel size,” informed Nielsen MD Prashant Singh.

     

    TAM Media Research CEO LV Krishnan said “I am very happy to see that the JV has finally taken shape. What is even more heartening is that TAM India’s current 12,000 meters, which was built and constructed tirelessly over the last fifteen years will get combined to give BARC India a larger and robust TV panel sample base for the Industry. We will do our best in providing our expertise to MDL. Meanwhile, TAM India will continue focusing its efforts towards value adding the Industry through constant enhancements of its existing businesses.”

     

  • Millward Brown's annual digital and media predictions highlight the importance of brands to manage context and content in the year ahead

    ‘Digital campaigns tend to drive women audiences’

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Millward Brown, the WPP-Kantar brand, communications and media research unit, conducted its annual media gathering – ‘Millward Brown Media Conclave 2016’ in Mumbai on Tuesday. This year’s event focussed on the growing importance of digital in the larger media mix and played host to some of the country’s top most CMOs, media heads and media insights leads.

     

    Mark Henning

    From the complexities of consumer journey marketing, the constantly evolving media mix and the challenges in programmatic buying, there is an interesting content versus context battle underway. All of these were discussed as part of the conclave. In the words of Mark Henning, Head of Media & Digital, Millward Brown (AMAP): “We at Millward Brown have focused on the growing importance for brands to manage content to be delivered in the right context. In India, we have invested in campaign measurement capabilities that will be available to advertisers, agnostic of whether their campaigns are static or programmatic.”

     

    The Media and Digital team at Millward Brown collated and mined close to 130+ Indian campaigns they’ve evaluated in the recent past. A consolidated analysis of the studies, revealed some thought provoking insights. Some of the findings include,

    :: Digital adds newer audiences, incremental to the reach delivered by the traditional media channels
    :: Despite low internet penetration, digital campaigns tend to drive female audiences; especially ‘favourability towards brands’ and ‘Purchase Intent’
    :: Performance of ‘made-for-web’ ads has been observed to be far higher than ‘repurposed’ ads for video campaigns
    :: Mobile ad campaigns perform as well as the Desktop ad campaigns

     

    Ashish Karnad, Director, Media & Digital Solutions at Millward Brown (South Asia) said “Marketers in India have not been able to keep up to speed with the growth of the Digital medium. While I see an intent to spend more on Digital, the actual spends tell a different story. We, at Millward Brown, have been doing studies on the efficacy of the digital medium for some time now. We now have quantified evidence to prove that Digital is a very cost efficient medium and can be very effective in building brand metrics across the purchase funnel.”

     

    At the event, Millward Brown also took the opportunity to launch the India chapter of its global partnership with ComScore to announce a joint offering. The partnership, to jointly offer vCE (validated Campaign Essentials) and Brand Lift Insight, is designed to give brands a far deeper understanding of how their digital campaigns are performing.